Thank you for sharing these tips Sarah, Really helpful.

That’s a really great tip thanks x

Good advice! The first time I went out I was exhausted; it took the better part of a week to recover. Yesterday we went out to the same place and many others, and I could not believe how strong I was, plus I wasn't totally spent when we got home.

It took me a few 50-65% energy-drain outings before I figured out exactly what you said, heh. I was too stubborn to accept a short outing at first. But I eventually started to accept it, and notice the window I could stay outside would slowly but steadily grow. Though after getting covid a few times, I had to start it all over, just going outside and right back in! But I built it back up quicker than the first time in a chair.

Amazing advice I needed! Thank you!!

Know what you mean the first time i I traveled in my chair I Felt like I was tilting

And even if you gain confidence keep the ground in sight because there will be a bump coming up….🙈

I end up being 8-10ft into the roadway when wheeling in the street because of that - where I live, anything closer to the curb than that is significantly more sloped, but we're allowed to walk in the street here, so therefore we're allowed to wheel in the street (a good portion of town that should have sidewalks doesn't, and even fewer curb cuts at intersections - most intersections here are 4-way, but, except for the main road and 1 block north and south of it, there are generally only 1-2 curb cuts at each, if any at all). Cops have passed me when I've been in the street, and they don't care that I'm so far into the roadway - if one ever questioned me about it, I would tell him that it's far more sloped any closer to the curb and make sure he actually saw that for himself.

@@katharinamonch4223 That's one of the reasons I hated when my dad pushed me - he would only ever look straight ahead, never at the ground, and he nearly threw me out of my chair more than once because of it, even despite my attempts to correct our course before we hit the bumps. It's actually the reason I got a seatbelt with my custom chair - it's one thing if it's my own fault (has happened a couple times, and there's one particular street I always avoid because of it, since I have to pop a little wheelie every 10-20ft to avoid all the super wide cracks in the road), but totally different when it's someone else's; I don't use it anymore when I go out alone (I did for the first couple weeks I had my chair until I was confident enough to feel safe going without it, since I had to get used to using a SmartDrive as well), but if anyone ever needs to push me again, I will be pulling it back out, because I refuse to risk being thrown out of my chair anymore.

AHHHhhhh. Really hope it helps. We are all here for you. :)

The first few times I went out I was so self conscious. It felt like everyone was staring at me. Plus, it was hard to make it up hills and broken walkways. Thankfully I did not go it alone. It takes time to get used to it, but the more you go out, the easier (mentally as well as physically) it gets. It feels good to get past that initial fear; it's empowering.

yes omg im 5'9 when on my feet, so im completely unprepared when im wheeling and lose sight of my roommate or aisle signs since i never struggled with that before😩

Hi Rose. Hope you are good today. Thank you for sharing. Really good tips.

@@Wheelsnoheels Hey Gem I am alright, thank you for asking. How are you?

I’m good. Glad it’s Friday. Hoping to get a sleep in tomorrow 😊

@@Wheelsnoheels I hope so as well. Sleeping in is the best 😌. Have a great rest of your day, and I hope your weekend goes well.

Exactly! It’s so much easier to carry more stuff when the chair does the carrying for you. I’ve got an underslung bag and can hang a few large shopping bags off mine if need be.

I always make sure to thank people when they make the effort to ask first (before trying to help), because it makes a world of a difference when they do.

Hi Elodie. Hope you are good. Thanks for sharing. It defiantly gets easier over time. Do you have plans for the weekend?

@@Wheelsnoheels my eldest daughter is doing a sponsor walk for a school in India, so am going to cheer her on🙏🏼😘💗on Sunday shopping in Manchester with both daughters. We live rural and just take the train. Have a lovely weekend with your family Gem🌺

@@elodieleaf Oh wow, busy one. Thank you enjoy your weekend. x

@@Wheelsnoheels 😘

Our train station has no staff and no accessibility! I am a newbie wheelchair user so I have alot to Learn. Good vid 💙

Hi Brenda, thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed it. Oh Happy wheelchair day. I know the quickie brand is quite popular so I hope the wheelchair is better for you. What colour did you go for?

@@Wheelsnoheels I went for brilliant purple. Black wheel trims I think the wheels are called ellipse. It's so I can put the wheelchair in the car myself from the drivers seat once I have got used to left foot accelarator

This is an especially nice one! Most garden centres here have a café or a farm shop and some will have extras like a dog groomer or nursery (usually a separate business operating out of the garden centre). How accessible they are varies wildly - I can think of a few that are just a hodge podge of various structures bolted on over the years, where each section is on a different level.

congrats on the new wheels! hope they serve you well!

Nigel mentioned a good idea in his comment - bike bell.

Even as an able-bodied person I have this issue! Why don't other people just keep to one side? My grandad has fitted a really loud horn to his motability scooter (which looks like a motorbike!), so he can honk at people blocking the way. The horn on my grandma's scooter is quite quiet, so my grandad often beeps his from the other side of the road and people take notice and move out of the way. The other trick if someone is walking towards you blocking the path is to just stop. They'll either notice you and move out of the way or bump into you and be really embarrassed.

I keep a torch attached to my powerchair so that when it’s getting darker then oncoming people become aware of you (especially on flashing mode)

I'd get a train whistle.

That's why I have lights on the front (white), sides (blue string lights), and back (red) of my chair: cars have absolutely zero excuse for not seeing me at night - I literally look like a little vehicle because of the white and red lights, and the string lights on my rear wheels show them exactly how wide I am. If I have the right of way, I also sort of stare down the driver until I'm positive that they're going to wait; there have been times where a car has gone part way (or all the way) over the crosswalk at intersections, and I make them back up; one time, someone in the right lane pulled all the way across the crosswalk at a red light (right before I crossed in front of him - I was less than 10 ft from the corner when he pulled up), and didn't turn right immediately - I smacked his truck as I went around the back of it (didn't want to go around the front in case he did turn while I was in front of him, since his truck hood was tall enough that he wouldn't be able to see me) because he should have known better than to pull all the way across it when stopping for a red light (where I live, if you have a red light and you're turning right (we don't have any "no turn on red" signs here), you're supposed to pull up behind the crosswalk, stop, then slowly pull forward to turn while making sure there's no one crossing directly in front of you - you aren't supposed to pull up across the crosswalk without stopping behind it first, and definitely never stop in the crosswalk if you're going straight) - turns out he didn't even turn at that intersection.

Yes, please. I'm an amputee who cannot walk on a prosthetic and am wheelchair bound. We've made the decision to get some type of a ramp vehicle. We're in the US so I don't think we have the options you may have, but am curious to see how you handle that

With larger weight changes it can necessitate a new chair, though there’s also chairs with more adjustments! I lost a lot of weight when I first started using my wheelchair, but then started medication known for weight gain and just stayed pretty much steady. I would recommend looking at self mastering guides at least to have some ideas to fact check any NHS clinic, or get a head start on buying something suitable second hand. There’s also a blog post on Dreamwidth called Reinventing The Wheel which goes into all the intro details about types of chairs and who they’re good for :) If you’ve got other questions you can reply and if KZfaq shows me I’ll try to help!

I needed 3.5 years to realise that driving opens up a whole new world for me. I am glad I waited so long with learning it because now my arms and habds are used to function as my legs while driving with handgas - if that makes any sense. My legs did not come in the way cause my brain was already rewired. So I just searched for a kind and empathetic driver instructor. Before my first lesson I made sure to cath just before and put on some protection - just to make myself feel even more safe. The lady explained everything to me and I started driving on a nice and secure parking area. The second time around already felt so much more naturally. I was off to the street and drove like I used to before I became paralysed. It made me feel so proud and confident. I love driving and feel so much more independent now. Give it a go! It ll change ur life for the better 😊