Long time no post...
So yea, it has been a long time since I have posted. I actually forgot I had this blog till like last night. Anyways I am doing well I suppose. Been dizzy a lot lately and the heat/humidity has been driving my COPD crazy thus I have been coughing, spitting, and short of breath quite a bit. I have also been having some light sensitivity issues with my eyes but not too horrible.
Anyways the reason I am posting is because I saw this video.
http://www.upworthy.com/the-wheelchair-is-2300-years-old-theres-finally-a-better-option?c=ufb1
It basically features an exo-suit that would allow someone who is wheel chair bound to be upright and walk artificially so to speak. Personally I do see how it could benefit people in wheel chairs, though I am unsure if I would use one. I have accepted and have somewhat grown use to being in a wheel chair. Not that I do not want to be out of it by my own power at some point but I do not see it as a mode of transportation or a disadvantage. I actually have grown to see it as an extension of my self. Also for me due to other issues I have, such as passing out at random etc.
The man in the video says with the device he feels like part of society again and part of communications again. Since being in my chair I have never really felt like I am not part of society while in my chair nor have I really felt like I was left out of communication. Perhaps this is because I have accepted my situation and my life in a positive way and he has not. I remember reading a book in college how when someone becomes disabled they tend to go through the stages of grief/death as if a relative were dying etc. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, and eventually Acceptance.
Now to express my cynical side of things, the people in this video seem to assume that if someone is in this exo-suit would be treated like everyone else, where as someone in a wheel chair isn't. At least that is the impression I got by the guy talking at the end of the video. With that said, it is true people look upon those in wheel chairs differently due to the person in the wheel chair being different. I do not think this suit will change that. My reasoning is because the person is still not getting around by their own means. Yes they are sitting up, standing, and walking but they are not doing it by their own power. They are getting around but it isn't by their own power thus people will still treat them differently because in an exo-suit or in a wheel chair at the end of the day the person is still disabled. This may sound cruel and uncaring which isn't what I am trying to say, I am just stating that people who are cruel and mean to disabled people in wheel chairs will most likely still be cruel and mean to those in exo-suits. Those who think they need to do everything for a disabled person in a wheel chair will most likely still think that if the person is in an exo-suit. My final thought on the exo-suit is this: it seems like a cool idea and I do see the great benefits of it. Is it for me, most likely not. Could it help people who are in a wheel chair, absolutely. It will also cut down on complications that people get from being in a wheel chair (though some of these complications can be helped if a person does proper therapy and exercises)
Now to address treatment of people in wheel chairs because this video sort of touches on that.. As I said above those of us in wheel chairs are treated differently. Some people treat us differently and don't even realize it. Others do it on purpose. I have grown to laugh at some of the things people do. Such as people assuming since I am in a wheel chair I must be hard of hearing so people speak loudly to me. Senior citizens face that a lot as well. Other things do annoy me such as people not letting do the things for my self which I can do etc.
Those who treat us in wheel chairs differently do so because they are unsure on how to respond/react to people like us. Some look at the chair and see us helpless and want to do everything for us or just the opposite and try to force us to do things on our own that we really sometimes can't. There is a happy medium that should be reached and varies due to the condition that has put the person in a wheel chair. My advice for those who are around people in wheel chairs is to ask if the person needs help, just don't do it for them. If they say no that is okay and if you see a person in a wheel chair fail at what they want to do themselves that is okay too. If the person needs help they will ask for it. Also those who have accepted their condition tend to have a humor about them self and learn to laugh at their failure. Also it is okay to get frustrated at a disabled person, guess we get frustrated at non-disabled people. One fun example I have seen is the preview of Michael J. Fox's new show in which he is trying to serve his family and his wife takes the spoon away and says you can have personal victory later we are all hungry. Things like that do in happen in my household and are a normal thing. Anyways... the treatment of the disabled varies person to person just try to be polite and respectful as we as people should be to each other at all times anyways.
Well I am unsure what all else to say. Have a good day everyone :)
