Member blog by Laura Pettenuzzo: In praise of my wheelchair
Sunday 1 March
For International Wheelchair Day, 1 March, PWDA member, Laura Pettenuzzo shares her experience as a wheelchair user and her gratitude to 'Maria Lucia'.
"Can you walk at all? You poor thing, in that chair!"
These were the words of a stranger, who approached me as I was waiting for my friend at a local park late last year.
I get comments like that relatively often, and I'm always caught off guard and unsure how to respond.
I can walk, but that was none of this woman's business. I didn't like the pity and condescension implied in her question and its sorrowful delivery. She knew nothing of me beyond the fact that I was, in that moment, using Maria Lucia, my well-decorated power chair, and it was enough for her to determine that mine must be a sad life, a lesser one.
In fact, my life is the complete opposite.
It's attitudes like the one I encountered in the park which led wheelchair user Steve Wilkinson to start International Wheelchair Day in 2008. Since then, it has been recognised by individuals and organisations around the world on 1 March every year.
The day is a chance to celebrate the positive impacts that wheelchairs can have for those of us who use them, and to use our stories to challenge the stigma and ableist attitudes that many people hold about them.
Maria Lucia has changed my life. She's named after my Nonne (I may have just made up a plural for Nonna). She can reach a speed of 10km per hour and a height that allows me to reach the top shelf at the supermarket and – most importantly – the bookshop. With Maria, I can conserve my energy and reduce my pain.
Mine is only one experience, and not reflective of every wheelchair user – no individual experience could be. I am a part-time wheelchair user, and I feel intense frustration at the barriers I face trying to navigate a world not made for Maria and I. Those frustrations must, I imagine, be amplified for full time wheelchair users.
The notion of wheelchair accessibility is something most people don't fully understand. I didn't understand it either, before I began using a second-hand chair in 2021. Stairs are the most glaring problem, but I quickly learned that accessibility – for wheelchair users and other disabled people – is so much more than just a ramp. Heavy doors and narrow doorways are everywhere, as are high counters and narrow aisles. The dearth lack of accessible parking spaces and adequate curb cuts is just the beginning. Luckily, I don't have to face this inaccessible world alone.
On this International Wheelchair Day, I'm reflecting on everything I've gained because of Maria. Not just independence, but community. The nod or knowing glance passed between wheelchair or scooter users as we pass each other on the street. The immense wisdom and boundless generosity of wheelchair users and other disabled people, who have taught me how to advocate when systems (inevitably) fail us. Who have shared their tips on the best cushions and accessories, the clothes that suit best for being in a seated position, the most accessible restaurants and venues, and so much more.
Maria's visibility is a gateway to conversations and friendships, too. I've had so many wholesome conversations in line for the accessible bathroom or in the accessible seating area at events. In such moments of connection, I find kin, belonging and affirmation.
There's so much I could have said to that stranger in the park, so much I want non-disabled people to understand. I'd start with this: I have not failed. I have not given up. I am succeeding – I am thriving – because of my wheelchair, and in spite of the attitudes other people have about it.
