If you're not physically #disabled, with mobility issues & have friends who are, please try to keep these things in mind, before you take us out anywhere.
is parking close to where trail starts
bathrooms - are there any available & are they accessible?
A short walk for you may mean a long one for us. Please don't say, it's around the corner - if it's not because we have to know distances & elevation changes to gauge if we can do it or not
@msquebanh Its around the corner is a real bugbear of mine. I'm blind so don't have the mobility problems others have, but for me I judge distances very litterally so quite often get lost if people tell me something is just round the corner.
Please know most of us always carry our own first aid kits but appreciate if you carry your own too. That's because if we fall & become unconscious - we're unable to tell you where our first aid kits are & if it's a serious physical injury, we need fast first aid action & that's best done with kit you're familiar with. It can make difference between life & death in some emergency situations.
@msquebanh this is very good advice. Also, unless you have a placard or plate, stay out of the disabled parking spots. Also don't question those using the spots. You don't know what battle they are facing.
@msquebanh My sister has Fibromyalgia and she had her left knee replaced last year and her right knee this July. You should see some of the looks she gets when she parks in a handicapped space. Someone even yelled at her about it. She's barley recovered, just over using the cane, and you can tell she isn't walking right. But people don't care. They take one look at her and think she's in the wrong space.
@msquebanh I also have Fibro and Psoriatic Arthritis. When my sister drives me somewhere, she uses the handicapped space for me. PEOPLE DON'T KNOW AND THEY DON'T CARE. I think it's just so disrespectful. You don't know what someone is going through so you should just mind your business and move on.
I am currently working with multiple different municipalities & SARS teams to help them be less ableist & help them to understand how to track disabled lost folks better. There is currently almost no one disabled on any BC SARS teams & they have no idea how disabled people act when lost in wilderness & are mobility challenged. This is something that hasn't been properly addressed for decades. I'm getting on it.
Please NEVER grab our arm or any other parts of our bodies without consent or personal requests - unless we are in dire dangers & need immediate help. This one is huge for respect & dignity of disabled folks - we need you to understand & respect our needs for prior consent.
We appreciate knowing if trails are gravel/pavement/mulched bark/rocky terrain - this helps us determine how long we can go on some trails. The harder the trail grounds are - the shorter distances we can go on foot. Hard ground impacts our bodies more so we prefer softer trails for longer distance adventures.
I like surprises but not ones where I'm too exhausted to make my way back to car. I need to know distances & elevations before going. I need to have people willing to hike/walk very slow because I'm unable to go fast. I need people willing to hold my hand, when I ask for help & not make me feel like I'm a burden when I ask for a helping hand on some parts of trails that are more difficult for me to navigate by myself.
@msquebanh In 2019, when my partner & I were lining up to enter a museum in Athens, a young disabled woman asked if she could go around with us. She needed a little bit of assistance but also someone to share the experience with, as she was bravely travelling on her own. She was an interesting woman, working to improved the diversity of representations of disability in children’s books. Providing her with that company & support was an interesting & rewarding experience. A win win.
@msquebanh My oldest has some nice stories from their travels, including afternoon tea with a neighbour they’d never met, when locked out of a share house. 😁
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