#mobility scooter

[high-quality-tiktoks]

I turned my mobility scooter into a Pirate Ship. It features over 1000 LED lights. 8 firing cannons with smoke, lights, and sound. A talking score on the back with the Disney and Pirates of the Caribbean ride soundtrack. Plus more.

[heart-buzz]

something i think a lot of able-bodied people (or really, ANYONE who doesn't use an electric mobility device) fail to realize is that while having a power chair can certainly open up your ability to go places, many places are not power chair/scooter friendly. even curbs aren't power chair friendly, (frankly im ignoring the width of sidewalks for this post... 😒) the first time i left my home with my chair, i had an emotional breakdown upon coming home, because my own driveway isn't power chair friendly. the curb has a two inch rise, which simply can't be rolled over. we'd already had to buy an expensive ramp to get OUT of the house, and i had to get out of my chair (ow) so that my fiance could lift the chair over the curb. if he wasn't there with me, i would've been out of luck. not only would i have had to leave my $5000 chair outside on the street, i would've had to walk myself back inside, which is one of the main contributions of my back pain. btw, insurance doesn't cover anything towards non-permanent chair ramps. as a disabled person, you are expected to cover those expenses yourself, and they are not cheap.

i also realized that not every road has an ADA-compliant curb to roll onto. do you know what that means? that means i have to drive my chair in the street, with actual cars. do you know the top speed of my chair? it's 5.1 miles per hour. im not sure if it's illegal to pass someone in a mobility scooter, but no one wanted to drive around me when this happened so i held up the traffic on a somewhat busy road. it was embarrassing and somewhat frightening.

i guess all im saying is, please think about power chair and scooter users when you think about wheelchair accessibility. please consider what our heavier, battery-operated chairs can and can't do when it comes to curbs and ramps.

[hate-kill-repeat]

makin some new guys

ID in alt text!

[smoov-criminal]

if you use more than one, choose which you use more. if you use them equally, choose which you like the best or find the most helpful

[puppyuserboxes]

disablity aid userboxes

[iamyouknow-yours]

It's been over a year since I got my mobility scooter and longer since I got my cane. So... Mobility Aid Appreciation Post!

Put your own mobility aid appreciation in the notes, I would like to read!

Wheelchair edition:

I can go on fun adventures with friends, spontaneously as well!

I have gone to various parks, to get snacks, and the other day I scooted from university all the way to my friend's house! I went on the side of a small motorway which was a little bit terrifying but it was fun and I was safe.

I can get around campus so speedily. Well apart from that the accessible routes are a little backwards. But I can go fast to them and arrive before people ambling between classes.

Part of the reason is because people just jump out of my way when they see me coming. They move so fast to not be in my way, it is very funny.

Part 2 of that is that I can go through crowds quite easily. It's a little annoying bc people aren't expecting to look down to see people trying to move. But once they see me they move. And they tell other people to move.

People let me sit at the front of things. I got to sit right at the front of a convention panel and I was so near Kat Graham!!

People open doors for me.

I hardly ever have to wait in line for things, I get put in the front and get to skip the queue.

I can be out of the house for much, much longer.

I am way more patient about my friends wanting to take their time doing things and looking in shops because I don't have to stand, I can sit while they do that.

I have way more stamina for being hungry or cold or tired or sore because I can be sitting while experiencing those things.

The battery has only started Running Out one time and even then she did get me home.

It's helped with learning to drive a car because I am better at understanding the turning circle and how reversing while turning works.

I have gotten better at using my scooter! I am pretty good at maneuvering and judging her distance and stuff. I only bump into corners if I'm in a hurry and in my house ie not making an effort to not hit people's walls.

I've had interesting conversations with people who have come up to me to ask about getting one for a family member. This may be not a perk to some people! So keep that in mind. But I think it's also about my vibe, I usually give off the vibe of "you can come talk to me".

Cane edition:

People give up their seats for me. Especially on the train. If there are no seats, then the old women will squish together and then we all sit next to each other. People are really nice about giving me a seat.

I can climb stairs so much easier!

I haven't lost my balance or fallen or twisted my ankle once while using it.

I can lean on it when I get tired which means I can stay out for a bit longer.

I can use it to get up so so much more easily.

I have a built in fidget toy with the strap.

It folds up and so I can put it in my bag to have just in case.

I hurt my leg one time and boom I already had a mobility aid.

I can use it to walk when my tummy hurts and I can't stand up straight.

And to alleviate your fears, no one has asked me why I switch hands when I use it.

Reminder that it is fully allowed and okay to lie to people when they ask why you're using a mobility aid. You can also say, "It's really difficult to talk about."

Or a funny/brave response like "I didn't read the terms and conditions." and "none of your business".

[fenmere]

Hey. We are a trans feminine, autistic plural system in need.

A friend of ours created this gofundme for us:

We're unemployed, unable to work, and several years away from being awarded SSDI, if we can even convince the government to do so. We're chronically ill, mobility impaired, and cannot drive. Our sole source of income is just enough monthly gifts from friends and family to cover toiletries, clothes, and similar expenses. And we cannot get out of the house without help.

We need to be able to get to the store and the pharmacy and the nearby parks on our own, for both our physical and mental health. Believe it or not, if we have a motorized scooter, we'll actually get more exercise, even.

We can't get this thing on our own, and we desperately need it.

Anything helps. Even just reblogging.

Thank you.

[theatrekidenergy]

Disabled folks! What mobility aid do you use/plan to use? Thank you for taking this poll!!

[its-ticsticstics]

I'm visually impaired and cannot drive a car. Not even with the most intense glasses could I drive. I'm not legally blind, but because of my severely impaired vision, I cannot drive and legally cannot still .

I use a mobility scooter to travel. The closest store to me is 45 minutes away if I walked as a seeing person, which I cannot. I can navigate side walks and crossing signs on my scooter because they have different textures in the road and auditory crossing signal sounds too. And people get mad whenever I get out of the scooter. As if I'm pretending to not be able to walk ...and the reason im using a scooter has NOTHING to do with that.

Not everyone you see using a mobility aid is using it for the reason you're expecting. And we're still allowed to exist without harassment.

[lesbianny]

my ex told me I use my mobility aids "wrong" because i occasionally stop using my cane while in public to use my hands to fucking hold things. if anyone tells you you use your mobility aid "wrong" for any other reason than it is visibly hurting/harming you, fucking smack them with it/run em over. im sick of this shit. im sick of people being nosy and controlling over others bodily autonomy. you have the right to say fuck off, this is an extension of MY body and I'll use it how i please.

[smoov-criminal]

on the last poll (here), canes were at over 50%, so i wanna get some data on other mobility aids. if you use more than one, choose which you use more. if you use them equally, choose which you like the best or find the most helpful

[bookishoddish]

No longer living with someone who can push my heavy manual chair when I get tired means that I'm considering powered mobility aids for the first time. Does anyone have chair/scooter recommendations that work well for them on a variety of surfaces & fold/disassemble to go in an unmodified car?

[iamyouknow-yours]

I've seen a few people trying to decide between getting a mobility scooter and an electric wheelchair.

Mobility scooters are cheaper but both are expensive. I'm gonna tell you about my scooter and my experience with it. I have the CTM HS-115 scooter. She is red and has 3 wheels. I'll include photos at the end plus a bonus photo of my cat sitting on it.

Things:

The turning circle!!! My house has narrow passages and it can be quite difficult to maneuver the scooter because of the turning circle. Especially when I'm having a bad brain fog day. I have gotten better at maneuvering though.

Wheelchairs have a turning circle of themselves. My scooter has one that is I think around a metre? I don't remember, my memory is bad.

Also it has this really annoying function where it can't be pushed even on pushing mode if it isn't on perfectly flat ground because the automatic braking system kicks in.

I'd also have a look at the amount of rise any mobility aid you are looking at can go over because when entering inaccessible buildings (like my house, I have to lift it up/get someone else to lift it for me.

Some of these problems would not be fixed by getting not a mobility scooter but some would.

My back sometimes hurts if I'm in it for a while (because the back rest is not very tall) but I've fixed this by having a cushion and remembering to lean back all the way.

To be clear though I love my scooter. She is very useful and has loads of benefits.

And I don't know any of the downsides of a power chair because I have no lived experience with one.

She can go on pretty rough terrain. She's pretty sturdy. I've taken her to the park near my house and round my friend's garden. As well as more obvious places like the mall.

Only time I've had an issue was when I went to this very hilly place where the ground sloped to the side and then she didn't want to brake.

The driving system means I can switch which hand I use plus my friend can walk next to me and maneuver me.

There's enough space by my feet that I can put my backpack there too.

It's fit in every car I've tried it in with just regular disassembly. Except my friend's dad's two seater car but then he disassembled it more using Tools™ and it fit.

It has good battery life, it hasn't run out on me.

The system for viewing how much battery you have left is bad though. It has 3 lights (red, orange, green) and supposedly the green turns off then the orange then the red and it's dead. But me and my friends can never figure out which lights are on and which are off.

It has a blue warning light which flashes in various sequences when something is wrong. I've had the scooter for several months and have never had it flash.

Fastest speed is 6km/h which is like someone jogging.

I got them to remove the beeping it makes when it reverses because that was Terrible.

The only customisation I've done to mine so far is put stickers that tell me which direction (forwards or backwards) the controls make it go. Because it's the opposite on the left and right. Which makes it easier if you want to swap hands or have a friend maneuver you but I need the stickers to tell me which way to push or pull the lever.

I am looking for ideas on how to customise her so please give suggestions. If anyone has suggestions on how to make the back rest taller that would be so appreciated.

Please include your own advice in the reblogs/replies. Looking forward to advice for future wheelchair users who need it.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhADVL2AiGX-gwr9ekt_SJC-UcURkXCOP

That's a playlist from the british youtuber Jessica Kellgren-Fozard. It's 4 videos of her trying out and picking a mobility aid. Includes useful advice and tips. And then 1 excellent video talking about mobility aids and "giving up". That video was quite useful in convincing various family members that that was not what I was doing by getting my scooter.

My scooter's name is Atalanta after the woman from Greek mythology who could run faster than any man. I think I'm very funny.

My cane is in the background of some of the photos because I rest it next to my scooter.

[smartwheelshop1]

[captainfreelance1]

Amy Purdy pays a visit to NASCAR's new Mobility Pit Box bulit by Toyota, seen here at Texas Motorspeedway in 2024.