In the morning I wake up and think to myself, "Oh God, another day". I used to live such an active lifestyle until one day I was in a car accident and now I am confined to a wheelchair. I pull back the covers of my bed and gently lift each leg over the side of the bed so they dangle close to the floor. I reach out and slowly pull my wheelchair toward myself and lift myself into it. I used to be able to jump out of bed and race out of the bedroom, but now I have to take it more slowly. I wheel my way out of my bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. After I had my accident the whole house had to be readjusted to fit my wheelchair, for example; the doorways had to be made wider, the door knobs were lowered, there are hand rails in the bathroom and toilet, every entry to the house is now a ramp instead of steps, the sink and the taps in the bathroom were lowered and there is a special seat in the shower.
Wheelchair first crit
wheelchair
English: Hong Kong combination shower and bathroomI get into the bathroom and remove my pyjama top and struggle out of the pyjama pants I wore to bed and reach up to turn on the shower. The floor in the shower is a non-slip one so I won't fall over getting in and out of the shower. I lift myself into the chair in the shower and wash myself. I turn off the taps when I am finished, grab a towel that is sitting on the edge of the shower and dry myself. I get back into my wheelchair and go back to my room. I struggle with getting dressed but I manage to cope by myself. I go out to the kitchen and make some breakfast. Everything in the kitchen has been altered to suit my wheelchair and me.
I used to catch a bus to school, but it didn't accommodate for wheelchairs so I get the Taxi Bus to school. They load up my wheelchair and lift me in using a special lifting device. Once I am at school I attend my classes like everybody else, only half the time I arrive late because the ramps that lead into the school buildings are really impractical. They are up the other entry of the building usually, which means that I have to go out of my own way to get to class. I also have to take my bag everywhere so I can carry my books. At recess and lunchtime I go to the canteen. The only problem is that the canteen has steps leading up to the front entrance. I have to use a ramp the leads all the way through the hall to get to the canteen, which takes me an extra five minutes to what it used to. During lunch I used to kick the footy with the boys or walk around and chat to my friends. Now I watch them play and sometimes I get to help out down at the stadium on sports days by being a scorekeeper for the games they play. The school even hires some wheelchairs sometimes so my friends and me play wheelchair basketball together.
I leave my last class a bit earlier than everyone else because the Taxi Bus has a special schedule to run to and it takes me that little bit longer to get to the bus. After school when I get home, I like to get my homework out of the way and have something to eat. Sometimes my friends come over and I watch them at Netball or Football training then we have a bit of fun, like getting a snack or something like that. I used to play Netball but now I help score keep and referee the games.
At night I get into my pyjamas and watch some TV (usually in bed). Then Mum will come into my room and turn my light off for me and that is pretty much the only thing I will let her do for me.
A gate for wheelchairs in Hiroshima
English: Photograph taken by Euchiasmus (me) on a ...
Wheelchair seating in a theater (i.e. giving a ded...