Experiencing Public Spaces in a Wheelchair: A Psychology Reflection

This assignment presents a student's reflective account of experiencing public spaces while using a wheelchair. The student begins by sharing personal thoughts and associations with wheelchairs, drawing upon memories of a grandfather and observations in a hospital setting. The core of the assignment involves a practical exercise: the student uses a wheelchair to visit a cafeteria, observing the reactions and behaviors of others. The reflection details both verbal and non-verbal responses encountered, including feelings of awkwardness, stares, and varied levels of empathy and support. The assignment also highlights the practical difficulties faced, such as navigating stairs and limited space in elevators. The student analyzes the experience, offering insights into societal perceptions of disability and the challenges faced by individuals with mobility impairments. The assignment concludes with a personal reflection on the experience and its impact.

When I see the word ‘wheelchair’, a cluster of thoughts come to my mind. So, I want to first
organize those thoughts and imageries in a proper structure. So, what is a wheelchair? A
wheelchair is something that helps a disabled or physically handicapped person to move from
one place to another ("What is the definition of a wheelchair under the ADA?", n.d.). I can
imagine a wheelchair in two ways; either a person sitting in it or an empty wheelchair.
Thinking about an empty wheelchair, I suddenly started to feel sad and it is something that
reminded me my old grandfather. When he was 72, the lower part of his body became paralyzed
and he has no option to move except sitting in a wheelchair. I saw him how his life suddenly
changed totally because of the disease and how a wheelchair became an important part of his
life. My grandfather loved to move around because he was an anthropologist. And we all thought
that maybe he would never move again like past. But we were wrong. Even after his disability,
he managed to move around and that solely became possible due to the wheelchair.
Wheelchair also reminds me about hospitals. Once I had high fever and admitted to a nearby
hospital. I saw many wheelchairs there. I think wheelchair is a very safe option to move patients
within a hospital, from one ward to another ward.
When I was a child, I had a hidden curiosity to sit on a wheelchair and move. Wheelchairs are
different from normal chairs because they have two wheels in both sides and that used to
fascinate me most. I thought that if all chairs were be like wheelchair, then we can move so
easily, and we do not had to walk. The time when my grandfather used to be in his bed, I used to
sit in his wheelchair and move around the house, and it was a very fun to me. I used to go to
everyone and tell them, ‘look how smoothly I can move’.

But with age, I realized that a wheelchair is something which you would surely not desire to be a
part of your life. My grandfather died 10 years ago and today I am also a grown up adult. We
still has the wheelchair in our house and when sometimes I see it, it reminds me the memories of
my grandfather. And I still sit on that wheelchair sometimes and move around to get some
glimpses of my childhood and remember my memories with my grandfather.
 What activity did you choose and why?
After expressing my thoughts, I decided to go to the cafeteria and buy something to drink. I
chose this option because of a few reasons. If I had to go to the library or the recreation
department, I would probably meet with a handful of people busy with their own work and they
would have a very less time to notice me. But in the cafeteria, there are many people without any
specific and serious job. So, they would notice me and I wanted to observe their expression, their
attitude to know how people without disability consider people with disability. Adding to this, I
was also feeling an urge for having some coffee. So, I decided to visit the cafeteria and buy a cup
of coffee.
 What was conveyed to you both on a verbal and non-verbal basis by the people around?
While going to the cafeteria and after reaching there, I observed that, people are noticing me,
both verbally and non-verbally. Initially, I was feeling a bit awkward. I have never gone to a
public place in wheelchair before. So, I did not have any prior experience about how it feels. I
observed that most of the people are staring at me in an odd way. Some also changed their way
of moving when they saw me coming towards them. Though, not everyone treated me this way.
The cafeteria guy whom I ordered the coffee welcomed me with a broad smile and praised my

dressing sense. While I was drinking coffee, two or three people came by me and asked me about
my reason of moving with the wheelchair. I made up a story and told them the same, and they
felt sorry for me. So, I received a mixed behavior of encouragement and negligence while I went
to the cafeteria for having a cup of coffee.
 What were some of the difficulties encountered?
Initially I was feeling very uncomfortable sitting in the wheelchair and going to the cafeteria as I
never went to public place sitting in a wheelchair. Then I faced problem with the stairs. You
cannot stairs without any external help when you are in a wheelchair. So, I decided to go by lift.
The space inside the lift was little and there were already more people. So, I had to wait for
nearly 10 minutes and then I became able to go by lift.

Reference:
What is the definition of a wheelchair under the ADA?. Retrieved 17 April 2020, from
https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-wheelchair-under-ada