>> Chiming in re: the palanquin thing, not all wheelchair users can ride in a palanquin or on a Talking Horse. <<
True, but this depends greatly on your equipment. Adaptive saddles are available for a variety of conditions, some even somewhat adjustable, meaning that they enable most people who can sit up to ride. (Now, describing to the Talking Horse and the dwarven crafter why you want, say, a high back and a saddlehorn on the side of the saddle might be a bit complicated...)
A palanquin is exceptional because the platform can be equipped either for seated or recumbent travel. If someone can't sit up, or can only sit up partway, this is a much nicer way to travel than on an exposed stretcher -- palanquins customarily have curtains you can close for privacy. Imagine being able to recline in privacy while someone narrates the booths as they pass. You want to shop at the art booth, so your porters put the palanquin on its legs, open the curtains, and direct the vendor to attend you. If you want sustenance, menus can be fetched for your delectation and someone sent to obtain your order. \o/ We used to have these options, and then most places quit. But a few less-developed nations still have them.
>> At minimum, you'd need to be able to disconnect from the chair, transfer or skip any medical devices, and sit/balance decently well, [tho a specialised palanquin or saddle with seatbaks or straps might work.] <<
I agree that medical hardware greatly complicates matters. If you have attachments that connect to the wheelchair, then any substitute conveyance must also support them in order to be feasible. In this case I recommend a professional accessibility consultant.
>>You may also need a way to transfer the chair from A to B as well - easyish with a foldable manual, difficulty-up-to-fiendish with a mechanical.<<
Often true. Transferability varies, though. Some sporty wheelchairs are a bitch to get in and out of, while some electrics have extremely convenient foldaway arms, dropdown backs, etc.
Note another feature of highly accessible places: transfer boards! You see these little plank seatlets in playground equipment, bathrooms, changing rooms, etc. that are designed for easy shifting from wheelchair to somewhere else. I tell people to watch for those as visible clues to inclusivity.
>>A relative (funtionally quadraligic, mechanical chair, and I think an extra breathing gadget) was on a trip, and the group was going to a restaurant on a boat. "Yes, we are wheelchair accesable!" by which they meant 'we can carry the person across the gangplank, and then carry the folded chair across as well.' Relative and their subgroup ate elsewhere, large group stayed.<<
Gyah. Not good as the sole option.
It can work as one of several options though. There's a big outdoor amphitheater in Bluehill with stone seats, and it's old so no ramps. Mobility-impaired folks have two options: 1) first dibs on the top/back row so they don't have to deal with the stairs at all or 2) ride the hoist down and sit in the front below the stairs. It is much the same as most indoor theaters, aside from the hoist used to deposit heavy equipment in the performance area.
>>I've also seen a scenario where transporting a wheelchair/mechanical scooter amounted to 'find some strong men to shove it in a van (no ramp) then do the same in reverse at the destination.' In that case, the person could transfer theirself and sit in regular seats, assuming they [seats] were the right height.<<
One or more big strong bodies can resolve a lot of limitations! These should be freely available at events, resorts, parks, etc. to maximize accessibility. You also want at least one geek, a good toolkit, and a box of scraps. These additions will solve a lot of challenges that brute force alone will not. This is one of the few positions truly suited to the unique talents of a musclegeek. :D
>> Factor in that carrying people/extra gear is /hard/ - soldiers carry about on avg. 30 pounds, I've heard of hunter-gatherers carrying up to about 70 pounds. (Respectivly, the weight of a three-year-old and a ten-year old.) <<
Soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan routinely carry between 60 and 100 pounds of gear including body armor, weapons and batteries. The heavy loads shouldered over months of duty contribute to the chronic pain suffered by soldiers like Spc. Joseph Chroniger, who deployed to Iraq in 2007.
Many jobs require workers to lift 50 pounds, and anyone who can't is effectively disabled and not allowed into those jobs. Factory, retail, construction, and warehouse work are most notorious for this but some restaurants do it too.
>> A couch potato from civilization, an older person or a child won't be able to carry that much weight any distance (i.e. on a hiking trail, or up a long flight of stairs). <<
That's what porters are for! Many developing nations still have them.
L-America has dwindled to a few tattered remnants like bellhops at hotels. Who are surprised when we summon a cart, load and unload it ourselves often filling the whole thing with gear, and then tip the bellhop generously for fetching and pushing the cart itself.
>> Most of the people I know with limited ability are my size or bigger, and moving them any great distane without a car is pretty much going to require either a car, a wheeled conveyance + decent road, or a h*** of a lot of help. (A litter might require 8-10 people, the number may go up if the trip is long as there are other issues.) <<
On a long trip, you need at least 2 extra bearers; and for a heavy load, you need a complete second team; so they can swap out. In a midladen palanquin it doesn't matter who swaps, but in an offset load you put the fresh bearers on the heavier handles, unless you're swapping the whole team at once.
>>The point of my rambling, is that (for example) a blanket 'no wheels on the beach/trail, no exceptions' might cause avoidable hassle; and that should be considered when applying the rule.<<
Prevailingly true, but consider the nature of the trail. Some types of trail really can't handle wheel traffic. They may be too rugged for most travelers to wheel over (as opposed to Simon, who hauls ass over large tree roots and then has Tolli heave the chair over fallen trees) or too fragile such that wheels would damage the trail where shoes do not.
This is why many beaches and parks have a boardwalk and/or beach chairs with special wheels that people can borrow. The amphibious kind with PVC framing and balloon wheels can even go from sand to surf.
Solutions exist, and humans are nothing if not ingenious with tools. It just takes noticing and caring to put those solutions into practice.
Thoughts
True, but this depends greatly on your equipment. Adaptive saddles are available for a variety of conditions, some even somewhat adjustable, meaning that they enable most people who can sit up to ride. (Now, describing to the Talking Horse and the dwarven crafter why you want, say, a high back and a saddlehorn on the side of the saddle might be a bit complicated...)
A palanquin is exceptional because the platform can be equipped either for seated or recumbent travel. If someone can't sit up, or can only sit up partway, this is a much nicer way to travel than on an exposed stretcher -- palanquins customarily have curtains you can close for privacy. Imagine being able to recline in privacy while someone narrates the booths as they pass. You want to shop at the art booth, so your porters put the palanquin on its legs, open the curtains, and direct the vendor to attend you. If you want sustenance, menus can be fetched for your delectation and someone sent to obtain your order. \o/ We used to have these options, and then most places quit. But a few less-developed nations still have them.
>> At minimum, you'd need to be able to disconnect from the chair, transfer or skip any medical devices, and sit/balance decently well, [tho a specialised palanquin or saddle with seatbaks or straps might work.] <<
I agree that medical hardware greatly complicates matters. If you have attachments that connect to the wheelchair, then any substitute conveyance must also support them in order to be feasible. In this case I recommend a professional accessibility consultant.
>>You may also need a way to transfer the chair from A to B as well - easyish with a foldable manual, difficulty-up-to-fiendish with a mechanical.<<
Often true. Transferability varies, though. Some sporty wheelchairs are a bitch to get in and out of, while some electrics have extremely convenient foldaway arms, dropdown backs, etc.
Note another feature of highly accessible places: transfer boards! You see these little plank seatlets in playground equipment, bathrooms, changing rooms, etc. that are designed for easy shifting from wheelchair to somewhere else. I tell people to watch for those as visible clues to inclusivity.
>>A relative (funtionally quadraligic, mechanical chair, and I think an extra breathing gadget) was on a trip, and the group was going to a restaurant on a boat. "Yes, we are wheelchair accesable!" by which they meant 'we can carry the person across the gangplank, and then carry the folded chair across as well.' Relative and their subgroup ate elsewhere, large group stayed.<<
Gyah. Not good as the sole option.
It can work as one of several options though. There's a big outdoor amphitheater in Bluehill with stone seats, and it's old so no ramps. Mobility-impaired folks have two options: 1) first dibs on the top/back row so they don't have to deal with the stairs at all or 2) ride the hoist down and sit in the front below the stairs. It is much the same as most indoor theaters, aside from the hoist used to deposit heavy equipment in the performance area.
>>I've also seen a scenario where transporting a wheelchair/mechanical scooter amounted to 'find some strong men to shove it in a van (no ramp) then do the same in reverse at the destination.' In that case, the person could transfer theirself and sit in regular seats, assuming they [seats] were the right height.<<
One or more big strong bodies can resolve a lot of limitations! These should be freely available at events, resorts, parks, etc. to maximize accessibility. You also want at least one geek, a good toolkit, and a box of scraps. These additions will solve a lot of challenges that brute force alone will not. This is one of the few positions truly suited to the unique talents of a musclegeek. :D
>> Factor in that carrying people/extra gear is /hard/ - soldiers carry about on avg. 30 pounds, I've heard of hunter-gatherers carrying up to about 70 pounds. (Respectivly, the weight of a three-year-old and a ten-year old.) <<
Soldiers and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan routinely carry between 60 and 100 pounds of gear including body armor, weapons and batteries. The heavy loads shouldered over months of duty contribute to the chronic pain suffered by soldiers like Spc. Joseph Chroniger, who deployed to Iraq in 2007.
Many jobs require workers to lift 50 pounds, and anyone who can't is effectively disabled and not allowed into those jobs. Factory, retail, construction, and warehouse work are most notorious for this but some restaurants do it too.
>> A couch potato from civilization, an older person or a child won't be able to carry that much weight any distance (i.e. on a hiking trail, or up a long flight of stairs). <<
That's what porters are for! Many developing nations still have them.
L-America has dwindled to a few tattered remnants like bellhops at hotels. Who are surprised when we summon a cart, load and unload it ourselves often filling the whole thing with gear, and then tip the bellhop generously for fetching and pushing the cart itself.
>> Most of the people I know with limited ability are my size or bigger, and moving them any great distane without a car is pretty much going to require either a car, a wheeled conveyance + decent road, or a h*** of a lot of help. (A litter might require 8-10 people, the number may go up if the trip is long as there are other issues.) <<
On a long trip, you need at least 2 extra bearers; and for a heavy load, you need a complete second team; so they can swap out. In a midladen palanquin it doesn't matter who swaps, but in an offset load you put the fresh bearers on the heavier handles, unless you're swapping the whole team at once.
>>The point of my rambling, is that (for example) a blanket 'no wheels on the beach/trail, no exceptions' might cause avoidable hassle; and that should be considered when applying the rule.<<
Prevailingly true, but consider the nature of the trail. Some types of trail really can't handle wheel traffic. They may be too rugged for most travelers to wheel over (as opposed to Simon, who hauls ass over large tree roots and then has Tolli heave the chair over fallen trees) or too fragile such that wheels would damage the trail where shoes do not.
This is why many beaches and parks have a boardwalk and/or beach chairs with special wheels that people can borrow. The amphibious kind with PVC framing and balloon wheels can even go from sand to surf.
Solutions exist, and humans are nothing if not ingenious with tools. It just takes noticing and caring to put those solutions into practice.