I need a wheelchair with booster rockets. In the past week, I’ve been invited to a couple events at friends’ homes–homes that were built in a previous era when people like me were expected to stay in the attic and not venture out to socialize with the neighbors. My friends, of course, are wonderful and are always quick to offer to move events outside or make other arrangements to accommodate me. But I feel awkward whenever situations like this come up. For all the noise I make about how the world needs to be more accessible, I don’t want my friends to apologize for living in houses with front steps or narrow doors. It’s certainly not their fault that the homebuilders of yesteryear weren’t schooled in the ways of universal design. Just give me a couple booster rockets that can elevate me a few feet over those pesky architectural barriers. Some kind of teleporter would be even better, but I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic.
You know . . . it should be possible to design something portable. If not boaster rockets, a compactable, lightweight yet strong, pull-it-out-as-needed ramp. If it doesn’t already exist, perhaps this is where we make our big bucks.
Have you heard of the Scalamobile? It’s a device that assists a wheelchair in climbing stairs. It’s for manual wheelchairs, but they sell a chair you can use temporarily to get from point a to b, in and out of a friend’s house. http://www.frankmobility.com/scalamobil.php