I’m always fascinated by talking with other wheelchair users about the ways they customize and add attachments to their devices. Usually that means a lot of clips, bags, backpacks, pouches, velcro, cable ties, and so on. People develop a whole system of what to store where, depending on how they use their chair and how far to the side or back they can reach.
The other day on the bus I was chatting with the guy in the wheelchair spot across from me. I’ll call him “Kez” for anonymity! His chair was a very beat up, basic “hospital chair”, a heavy folding x-frame chair with a sling seat. He was super friendly and nice so I had to ask him why he had thin twine strung back and forth under his seat. It was quite thin and breakable looking, and a bit chaotically strung, like a net or web woven without much concept of creating a regular pattern. He explained that even though the string – almost thread! was so thin, it was still useful for carrying groceries or blankets under the seat. I offered to find him a bungee cord or two but he said no. Apparently a shelter where he stays doesn’t allow thicker string or rope or bungies, because it is considered a suicide risk.
Honestly this shocked me a bit! I am very curious to talk with him again and find out more details. I also want to talk with some shelter staff and find out more about their policies. If I could learn their rules then maybe I can think of some improvements that people like Kez can use. And I’m talking with other folks like C.R.I.P.S.R.I.S.E. about doing a sort of rolling survey, a bit more formalized, to find out what assistive tech help people in Kez’s situation might find useful. We can’t solve every problem a person on the street faces, but we could get a better idea of how to merge their DIY techniques with our expertise and resources to be of more practical help.
People with insurance and doctors have one set of problems in getting and maintaining their mobility gear; people dealing with Medicare have extra layers to that. Unfortunately, for everyone on the street in my city I’ve talked with there are orders of magnitude more problems. Literally “hacks” like tying one’s manual chair to one’s leg with rope so it is less likely to be stolen in the night.
A depressing reality. But it’s testimony to people’s creativity and DIY ingenuity to help themselves and their friends to survive.
Our second batch of “Fix It Kits” are in the works; a similar tool bag with small tools and supplies, but this version will be new: the Street Kit, to support people in precarious situations. It will include a local resources guide, a couple of useful tools, and more “on the fly” supplies like cable ties and velcro straps for quick modifications and emergency repair.
I have a version of this kit (with an added cargo net that I hope will pass muster as “safe” at shelters) that I’m carrying with me daily in case I run into Kez again on the street or on the bus!
My hope is that when they are distributed (by me or by others, maybe by local services organizations) I can collect some contact information and wishes/needs for other repairs or modifications. Stay tuned for more on the Street Kits!!