Since having my accident almost 2 years ago I have enjoyed meeting so many people in the SCI community. In the hospital, I wrote notes every day about the experiences I was going through to help me comprehend what I was going through as well as answer the numerous questions I was getting from friends and family. It made more sense to use these notes to make a blog for everyone to read rather than going back to the various WhatsApp messages, emails, and texts. I found the process of writing really therapeutic and when I left the hospital I swapped writing a blog to post on Instagram as it felt like photos and videos should be used along with text to document the ongoing challenges and observations of life in a wheelchair.
After a while, I started sharing short one-sentence observations once a week that I found funny or strange. To others that also used a wheelchair, I hoped it would be something they would identify with, and for those that didn't, it might educate and explain a little about the day to day experiences for a wheelchair user.
From white trainers staying white because feet don't touch the ground to being called an inspiration for just getting a coffee, the posts are completely different each week and the response I had had has been overwhelming. We are a varied bunch but there are so many similarities from the things people say to us to the dreams we have. The #nowiuseawheelchair posts have been uploaded every Wednesday for the last 5 months apart from Christmas Day and 2 weeks during quarantine where all our minds were on other things. At times like this when many of us are having to isolate from the world, it's great to feel part of a community and I welcome everyone to view, comment, and add your observations from life in a wheelchair. What have you noticed?
