Christina and James: A Case Study
Until recently Christina relied on friends and family to push her around in a wheelchair, while James could only look on as his friends charged around the school playground.
But now, thanks customised wheelchairs, Christina and James are discovering a new found independence.
“It has changed our lives and the way we can function as a family,” says their mum Julie, watching James and Christina manoeuvre around their Isle of Wight garden.
Live-wire James has the wheelchair equivalent of a mountain bike. It is a bright orange off-roader, complete with headlights and indicators – perfect for a boisterous little boy who loves quad biking, cricket and the usual seven-year-old rough and tumble
“He can go across rough ground and go to football matches,” smiles Julie. “His chair is rugged so he can bash it around and go off-road.”
In contrast, Christina’s chair is a slim line, girly affair with customised patterned wheels and – at her own request – no handles so no one can curb her growing independence by pushing her around.
“Christina wanted to be able to go around town with her friends and go into Claire’s Accessories, things like that. As soon as we saw this chair we said: That’s Christina!’”
“She didn’t want the chair to be surrounding her, she wanted something smaller. She also has a set of power-assisted wheels so she can go up hills and for longer distances without help.”
“Other people’s reactions have changed too. When I pushed James in his old pushchair-style buggy people thought he was lazy and would say: Get up and give your mum a rest’. Now they see him in his chair and say: Aren’t you doing great?’.”
“It’s little things that make a difference. When we go to the supermarket Christina can go off and look at the magazines on her own and now we can walk side by side whereas before I was always behind her pushing so it was harder to chat. Now we can just decide what we want to do without the need for help. We can be a lot more adventurous as a family.”
Photos courtesy of The Southern Daily Echo
