Selfishness Personified!
Several nights ago, when I felt like I was going insane from being cooped up in the house for so long, I begged my husband to take me out.
"Just take me out, anywhere will do...even if it was just to take a car ride, or to go to the MacDonald's Drive-Through....anywhere, anywhere will do. I just need to get out of this place. I need a change of environment, a breath of fresh air!" I pleaded.
In the end, we went out for a cup of tea and a bowl of noodles. It was really difficult getting around, manoeuvring the wheelchair, trying to find access paths that enabled me to get from the car park to the hawker centre.
kerbs, Kerbs, KERBS, MORE KERBS, MORE AND MORE KERBS, KERBS EVERYWHERE!
THERE WERE KERBS EVERYWHERE! Along the walkway, in the carpark, along five-foot-ways outside shops, in the hawker centre, EVERYWHERE!
When we finally managed to find a slope that was not leading to any kerb, it was too steep for me to wheel myself up. My family members had to push me up. I felt sorry for wheelchair users who travelled alone. No wonder most of them stay home. It's such a challenge to move around in a wheelchair. There are kerbs everywhere!
Our town planners are simply not aware of the needs of wheelchair users. It's either that, or that they simply DO NOT CARE! I hope one day all such people will get a chance to experience the frustration of being in a wheelchair and not be able to move around freely. Then they will start to be more mindful of the needs of wheelchair-users in their planning.
Even slopes that are supposedly built for wheelchair access are not done in the correct incline - they are way too steep. It takes great arm muscle power to move one's wheelchair up such slopes. Needless to say, coming down such slopes presents great hazard. Use them at your own risk. It's not for the fainthearted. Neither is it for those who do not have muscle-power of a body-builder. I shudder to think what risk I would have to face - having more parts of my body fractured or injured - from wheeling my chair down such hazadous slopes. Rolling helplessly down a steep slope in a wheelchair and coming to a crashing halt is not something I count as an adventure! Believe me, it's not something that can be considered fun.
After the tea and the noodles, when we finally passed our obstacle relay course and made our way safely back from the hawker centre to the car, we set off for home. We were looking forward to getting home and into our comfortable bed to have a good night's rest after the strenuous and challenging obstacle course we'd just endured.
When we arrived at our car-park, I got out of the car and into my wheelchair. There were two access paths which led from the carpark to the void deck. To get to one of these access ways, I needed to wheel myself to the carpark lot that is reserved for disabled drivers.
When I got there, I found my neighbour's car parked smack in the middle of that lot. The access way was blocked. With that lot occupied, there was no way my wheelchair could get into the void deck. I tried the other alternative route. To my dismay, that other access opening was also blocked by another car. Everywhere else I tried, I met with kerbs, cars or drains.
I was stranded in the car park!
I sat helplessly in my wheelchair, waiting for my crutches to be fetched.
When my crutches were fetched, we had to search for a space in between two cars which was wide enough for me to hop through. It had to be wide enough so that my crutches would not accidentally hit the bodice of the cars and sound off their burglar alarm!
To hop to the void deck, I had to try to maintain my balance on my one good leg, heave myself up and over a kerb onto a grassy slope and then to inch my way precariously sideways (taking care to avoiding hitting the cars with my crutches), then down that same grassy patch and over another small kerb before I could make my way into the void deck.
Getting over those kerbs, especially that first one that separated the car park from the grassy slope, took me much courage and lots of patience from my husband - for a long time, I was afraid to "lift off" and heave myself up and over the high kerb to land on the grassy slope on the other side of the kerb. I was afraid I might lose my balance upon landing on the grassy slope and fall backwards.
For the longest time, I stood there, hesitating to heave myself up and over the kerb....until my husband finally lost his cool and hissed, "We are not going to spend the entire night here waiting for you to muster enough courage to get over this kerb, are we? Damn! Why can't these inconsiderate drivers leave the Reserved Lot alone and keep it vacant for wheelchair users?!" At that, he shoved the waiting empty wheelchair into a drain on his right, and strutted angrily towards me.
I was afraid he was going to hoist me up and over that darn kerb. No way! I'm too heavy for him to do that! I mustn't allow him to try. Quick as lightning (and I can't imagine how I did it), I heaved and humphed and I found myself over that kerb. I landed on the grass, almost lost my balance because it was wet and slippery, but managed to steady myself sufficiently to start inching my way sidewards towards the concrete path leading to the void deck.
When I finally managed to get back into the wheelchair, and when we got to the lift lobby, I found myself trembling all over, involuntarily, and my arm and shoulder muscles were screaming their protest. I was tired and angry.
More angry, than tired, actually.
Indeed, why can't those inconsiderate able-bodied motorists leave those 'Reserved For Disabled Drivers' carpark lots vacant? Those lots are reserved for the disabled for good, valid reasons! They give access to the void deck. Without these access points, wheelchair users are stranded in the carpark! They also give quick and convenient access to medics rushing patients into waiting ambulances! Motorists who block such access points and carelessly occupy these carpark lots are Selfishness personified! They ought to be taken to task, fined, punished!
Where are the Enforcement Officers?
Since that night, I have decided against going out anywhere....not until I can walk about on my own two feet! I feel sorry for those whose legs are never going to get better, whose feet will never serve them ever again. They'll probably have to remain home-bound and be restricted to the confines of their own homes.
Their needs and rights will continue to be ignored and denied by town-planners. They will continue to suffer at the hands of selfish motorists who think nothing of plonking their cars smack in the middle of lots which are reserved for wheelchair users. They will continue to merely exist on the fringe of our "civil and gracious" society.
Pah! Humbug! All this talk about building a gracious and inclusive society...what the heck are they talking about? Do they even know what they are talking about?!
"WAKE UP YOUR IDEAS!" Like the army guys will say.
Who are those people responsible for planning and building roads and carparks? Who are those people responsible for planning housing estates? Who train our architects? Put all these people and all architectural undergrads in wheelchairs and make them go around on wheelchairs for a week or so. Give them a taste of the bitter pill!
And do it while they're still doing their jobs planning and building towns and roads and housing estates, not when they're retired and helpless in a wheelchair. It'll be too late then, even if they were to have their epiphany moments then.
"Just take me out, anywhere will do...even if it was just to take a car ride, or to go to the MacDonald's Drive-Through....anywhere, anywhere will do. I just need to get out of this place. I need a change of environment, a breath of fresh air!" I pleaded.
In the end, we went out for a cup of tea and a bowl of noodles. It was really difficult getting around, manoeuvring the wheelchair, trying to find access paths that enabled me to get from the car park to the hawker centre.
kerbs, Kerbs, KERBS, MORE KERBS, MORE AND MORE KERBS, KERBS EVERYWHERE!
THERE WERE KERBS EVERYWHERE! Along the walkway, in the carpark, along five-foot-ways outside shops, in the hawker centre, EVERYWHERE!
When we finally managed to find a slope that was not leading to any kerb, it was too steep for me to wheel myself up. My family members had to push me up. I felt sorry for wheelchair users who travelled alone. No wonder most of them stay home. It's such a challenge to move around in a wheelchair. There are kerbs everywhere!
Our town planners are simply not aware of the needs of wheelchair users. It's either that, or that they simply DO NOT CARE! I hope one day all such people will get a chance to experience the frustration of being in a wheelchair and not be able to move around freely. Then they will start to be more mindful of the needs of wheelchair-users in their planning.
Even slopes that are supposedly built for wheelchair access are not done in the correct incline - they are way too steep. It takes great arm muscle power to move one's wheelchair up such slopes. Needless to say, coming down such slopes presents great hazard. Use them at your own risk. It's not for the fainthearted. Neither is it for those who do not have muscle-power of a body-builder. I shudder to think what risk I would have to face - having more parts of my body fractured or injured - from wheeling my chair down such hazadous slopes. Rolling helplessly down a steep slope in a wheelchair and coming to a crashing halt is not something I count as an adventure! Believe me, it's not something that can be considered fun.
After the tea and the noodles, when we finally passed our obstacle relay course and made our way safely back from the hawker centre to the car, we set off for home. We were looking forward to getting home and into our comfortable bed to have a good night's rest after the strenuous and challenging obstacle course we'd just endured.
When we arrived at our car-park, I got out of the car and into my wheelchair. There were two access paths which led from the carpark to the void deck. To get to one of these access ways, I needed to wheel myself to the carpark lot that is reserved for disabled drivers.
When I got there, I found my neighbour's car parked smack in the middle of that lot. The access way was blocked. With that lot occupied, there was no way my wheelchair could get into the void deck. I tried the other alternative route. To my dismay, that other access opening was also blocked by another car. Everywhere else I tried, I met with kerbs, cars or drains.
I was stranded in the car park!
I sat helplessly in my wheelchair, waiting for my crutches to be fetched.
When my crutches were fetched, we had to search for a space in between two cars which was wide enough for me to hop through. It had to be wide enough so that my crutches would not accidentally hit the bodice of the cars and sound off their burglar alarm!
To hop to the void deck, I had to try to maintain my balance on my one good leg, heave myself up and over a kerb onto a grassy slope and then to inch my way precariously sideways (taking care to avoiding hitting the cars with my crutches), then down that same grassy patch and over another small kerb before I could make my way into the void deck.
Getting over those kerbs, especially that first one that separated the car park from the grassy slope, took me much courage and lots of patience from my husband - for a long time, I was afraid to "lift off" and heave myself up and over the high kerb to land on the grassy slope on the other side of the kerb. I was afraid I might lose my balance upon landing on the grassy slope and fall backwards.
For the longest time, I stood there, hesitating to heave myself up and over the kerb....until my husband finally lost his cool and hissed, "We are not going to spend the entire night here waiting for you to muster enough courage to get over this kerb, are we? Damn! Why can't these inconsiderate drivers leave the Reserved Lot alone and keep it vacant for wheelchair users?!" At that, he shoved the waiting empty wheelchair into a drain on his right, and strutted angrily towards me.
I was afraid he was going to hoist me up and over that darn kerb. No way! I'm too heavy for him to do that! I mustn't allow him to try. Quick as lightning (and I can't imagine how I did it), I heaved and humphed and I found myself over that kerb. I landed on the grass, almost lost my balance because it was wet and slippery, but managed to steady myself sufficiently to start inching my way sidewards towards the concrete path leading to the void deck.
When I finally managed to get back into the wheelchair, and when we got to the lift lobby, I found myself trembling all over, involuntarily, and my arm and shoulder muscles were screaming their protest. I was tired and angry.
More angry, than tired, actually.
Indeed, why can't those inconsiderate able-bodied motorists leave those 'Reserved For Disabled Drivers' carpark lots vacant? Those lots are reserved for the disabled for good, valid reasons! They give access to the void deck. Without these access points, wheelchair users are stranded in the carpark! They also give quick and convenient access to medics rushing patients into waiting ambulances! Motorists who block such access points and carelessly occupy these carpark lots are Selfishness personified! They ought to be taken to task, fined, punished!
Where are the Enforcement Officers?
Since that night, I have decided against going out anywhere....not until I can walk about on my own two feet! I feel sorry for those whose legs are never going to get better, whose feet will never serve them ever again. They'll probably have to remain home-bound and be restricted to the confines of their own homes.
Their needs and rights will continue to be ignored and denied by town-planners. They will continue to suffer at the hands of selfish motorists who think nothing of plonking their cars smack in the middle of lots which are reserved for wheelchair users. They will continue to merely exist on the fringe of our "civil and gracious" society.
Pah! Humbug! All this talk about building a gracious and inclusive society...what the heck are they talking about? Do they even know what they are talking about?!
"WAKE UP YOUR IDEAS!" Like the army guys will say.
Who are those people responsible for planning and building roads and carparks? Who are those people responsible for planning housing estates? Who train our architects? Put all these people and all architectural undergrads in wheelchairs and make them go around on wheelchairs for a week or so. Give them a taste of the bitter pill!
And do it while they're still doing their jobs planning and building towns and roads and housing estates, not when they're retired and helpless in a wheelchair. It'll be too late then, even if they were to have their epiphany moments then.
posted by Me at 7/05/2005 09:09:00 PM
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