Don't touch my wheelchair without my permission
To the woman who suddenly pulled me backwards out of the lift at Primark because she knew I'd reached my floor;
To the man who abruptly pushed me to the other side of the room at a graduation party because he felt that was a more appropriate area for me to wait for my friend;
To the restaurant manager who grabbed my rollator from my hands, then repeatedly shoved it through a narrow doorway until he forced it (now damaged) to the other side;
And to everyone else who, without asking, pushed, pulled, or turned me in a direction I didn't choose to go:
Don't touch my wheelchair, or any of my mobility aids, without my permission.
You wouldn't just grab someone by the shoulders and pull or push them without warning. Yet just because I'm in a wheelchair people seem to think it's totally acceptable. It completely takes away my autonomy and makes me so angry I could cry.
When I'm in my wheelchair, it's an extension of me. Not a rack for your coat. Not a hook for your bag. Not a chair for you to move. Not a ledge for you to lean on.
Always ask a wheelchair user if you can touch or move their wheelchair. Don't make the decision for them.
* I wrote the above post as part of a social media post in 2019.
