I have new wheels! I have new electric wheels!!! I have an electric chair!

Metropolis dvd cover design, how Helen thinks she looks in her powered chair

I have been all over the place and causing so much trouble and mayhem, but I have also seen some places in the city that I haven’t seen in a while, when I say a while, I mean in over a decade! Wow, some things have changed dramatically while others have stayed depressingly the same.

I am loving the new independence that this powered chair has given me. I am rediscovering my mischievous phase again, the adventurous side or as my kids say my “Gryffindor” side keeps showing.

the back view of Helen on her powered chair as she rides on into the distance, Robin struggling to keep up — and she’s off

The back view of Helen again, as Robin struggles to keep up with her — Keep up Robin

Robin and decided to go for a “walk” together in Beverley, from marketplace to marketplace, a nice pedestrianised zone. Not much scope for mischief making you would think. This was the first time outside of the shop that I could put my foot down (as it were) It was exhilarating and scary in equal measure. Realising that I didn’t have to wait for Robin to guide me in the general direction, I just went. I don’t think he was expecting to be running to catch up with me. All the photos from that walk are just of my back as I disappear into the distance.

Shopping trips have been put back on the agenda as I can take care of myself, leaving Robin to worry about the trolley. Our first trip to a shop was to our favourite gaming shop in town, Archeron.

We deliberately parked further away, because we could! The trundle was pleasant enough if you don’t worry about the trees and safety barriers placed too far onto the pavement, but that is for another blog post. Getting into the shop was great – I used their super ramps to get up the step, the ramps felt very secure, and I felt safe using them. Once in the shop things took a turn for the worse, I ran over a foot! (For those who had bets when this would happen and to whom all lost out.) On entering the shop, after the initial step, the shop has a slope up to the shop floor, I guess this would have been originally stairs, now covered with carpet tiles. Robin exclaimed I was spitting carpet tiles out in my wake! At the top of the slope, I stop and put my right foot down onto the floor so I could look behind me at the damage. Remember I had only had the chair 3 days at this point, in turning round I accidentally knocked the power joystick causing the chair to lurch off to the right, and straight over my own foot. That is correct, MY OWN FOOT! In shock I grab the controller without thinking and then zoomed into a glass fronted cabinet containing the most expensive painted gaming miniatures you could possibly get. Thankfully, although no one had noticed the foot incident, they couldn’t mistake me slamming into the cabinet. Amazingly, nothing was broken, not the glass, none of the miniatures and more importantly my foot was fine. I did wait till we got home before I told Robin about it as I was so embarrassed.

Helen in her powered chair with a lampost with a bigger lean than the leaning tower of pisa — mind that post

a stunning image of a pale pink starfish on a blue background — “It made a difference to that one”

For our next shopping trip, we took our youngest daughter to buy some essentials ready for university. Nothing spectacular happened while in the shop but I did find a great photo opportunity in the carpark. After running over my foot, most people believed I had crashed into the lamp post.

I am seeing so many new places because of my electric chair but sadly I am also seeing so many missed opportunities because of lack of planning and inclusion/accessibility by companies large and small.

So, what can I do about it? I will be just one small voice but if I do nothing, nothing with ever change. I was reminded recently about the starfish story, if you have never heard of it, I suggest you look it up, here. Simply put, the tag line can be summed up with “It made a difference to that one” Even if I am just one voice challenging people to think differently, if I can make one person stop and think, then I have made a difference to that one, one more person will be thinking about access, inclusion, diversity, and equality.

the back of a car with the boot open, ramps leading into with an powered wheelchair stationed next to the car — Now, that’s what I call a ramp.

At this point I should thank the guys and girls at Independent Mobility for the top-notch service and advice. These guys know how to do customer service. From finding my Freedom chair, to measuring up the car and recommending the correct ramps for the job, they went above and beyond as far as I am concerned. Thank you Ian & Helen and all the team at Independent Mobility.