I read a fabulous post the other day on Wheelchair Dancer's blog. It's about the language of moving when you're a wheeler rather than a walker.
She starts thus: "I hope that by beginning a language of moving, I might be able to communicate that using a wheelchair has modes. That wheels have their own, rich vocabulary. That wheels are an experience in themselves"
The words she uses - push, pull, stroke - express how easy she feels with her chair. As she says, "this language and these ways of initiating movement cannot be learned overnight -- they can't be crammed from some kind of primer -- they are the product of a true partnership of body and chair."
I have a long way to go before I feel easy or comfortable or at one with my chair. But I'm inspired. And Wheelchair Dancer has given me a vision of where I might reach in my future.
