The Snow is Here

my first time experiencing snow as a wheelchair user

I am starting this blog for anyone that would like to see what the life of a doctor and full time wheelchair user looks like. My goal is to help my friends in the wheelchair community as well as allow people to see what disability really looks like. I think there are many misconceptions that we can hopefully dispel together. I have never done this before so if there are issues with technology or topics you would like me to cover, feel free to ask.

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Another first for me. This is how I take the dogs out to play and have a potty break. This is the first real snow I have gotten to shovel so I am sure I will get faster and more efficient with practice.

One of the hard things about snow and wheelchairs is how much snow attaches to the tires. This obviously makes surfaces super slippery and dangerous. The other problem is the wheels bring a lot of snow into the house, especially, if I did not shovel when I take the dogs out.

The video shows one way of cleaning off my front castors ( the small little wheels). This is another reason why a wheelie is NOT a trick but a skill. I can actually muscle my way up and down the ramp even if I don’t shovel. My wheels just get significantly less traction and it is extremely difficult.

It would likely be impossible for me to go up an unshoveled ramp without the arm railings. You can see in the video the effect of reduced wheel traction. I need to speed up to overcome the lack of traction at the bottom of the ramp. Then you can see how helpful the railings are at allowing me to make it up the ramp with speed. When I am just pushing, the lack of traction just absorbs all my forward momentum. Using the arm railings to brace myself on the way down and pull myself on the way up takes quite a bit of back, abdominal and arm muscles to prevent my chair from slipping out from under me.

It honestly would be a fun sport to see how fast you could make it up and down a ramp with snow in a wheelchair. I can provide the wheelchair, I just need people with a competitive spirit. I think you would get some great wipeout videos. Who is ready for the competition?!?