See, the problem with people who arenât in wheelchairs writing about and/or drawing people who are in (manual) wheelchairs is that the people who arenât in wheelchairs tend to think that thereâs only like four movements that you do in a wheelchair. You can either push forward, push backwards, turn left, or turn right. And the characters do it all while sitting up straight or bending forward so that their noses touch their knees.
But the amount of motions that I go through on a daily basis are actually amazing. And the body languageâŚyou could write an entire book on the body language of someone in a wheelchair.
Like right now, Iâm more relaxed, so Iâm slouching slightly. Iâve got my right foot on its footrest and the left foot on the ground. Every so often, as I stop to think of something to say, Iâll push with my left foot to rock the chair slightly.
But usually, I sit mostly upright with my upper-half slightly leaned forward. When Iâm wheeling across the campus, especially if I have somewhere that I need to be, Iâll lean and shift my weight in whichever direction it is that Iâm going. It helps make the wheelchair glide that much more smoothly. How far/dramatically I lean depends on how fast Iâm going, the terrain, if thereâs a turn, etc.
Plus people who donât use wheelchairs donât understand the relationship between grabbing the wheels, pushing, and the chair moving. Like Iâve seen things written or have seen people try to use a chair where the character/that person grabs the wheel every single second and never lets go to save their lives. Which isnât right. The key is to do long, strong, pushes that allow you to move several feet before repeating. I can usually get about ten feet in before I have to push again. Itâs kind of like riding a scooter. You donât always need to push. You push, then ride, then push, then ride, etc.
And because of this, despite what many people think, people in wheelchairs can actually multitask. Iâve carried Starbucks drinks across the campus without spilling a single drop. Because itâs possible to wheel one-handed (despite what most people think), especially when you shift your weight. And if I need to alternate between pushing both wheels, Iâll just swap hands during the âglideâ time.
Iâve also noticed that people who donât use wheelchairs, for some reason, have no idea how to turn a wheelchair. Itâs the funniest thing. Like I see it written or, again, have seen people âtryâ a wheelchair where theyâre reaching across their bodies to try to grab one wheel and push or they try to push both wheels at the same time and donât understand. (For the record, you pull back a wheel and push a wheel. The direction that youâre going is the side that you pull back.)
Back to body language. Again, no idea why most people think that we always sit upright and nothing else. Maybe when Iâm in meetings or other formal settings, but most of the time, I do slightly slouch/lean. As for the handsâŚA lot of writers put the wheelchair userâs hands on the armrests but the truth is, most armrests sit too far back to actually put your hands on. There are times when Iâll put my elbows on the edges of the armrests and will put my hands between my legs. Note: Not on my lap. Thatâs another thing that writers do but putting your hands in your lap is actually not a natural thing to do when youâre in a wheelchair, due to the angle that youâre sitting and the armrests. Most of the time, Iâll just sort of let my arms loosely fall on either side of the chair, so that my hands are next to my wheels but not grabbing them. Thatâs another form of body language. Iâve talked to a few people who have done it and I do it myself. If Iâm ever anxious or in a situation where I want to leave for one reason or another, I will usually grip my handrims - one hand near the front , one hand near the back. And if Iâm really nervous, youâll find me leaning further and further into the chair, running my hands along the handrims.
Also, on a related subject - a characterâs legs should usually be at 90 degree angles, the cushion should come to about their knees, and the armrests should come to about their elbows. You can always tell that an actor is not a wheelchair user when their wheelchair isnât designed to their dimensions. (Their knees are usually inches away from the seats and are up at an angle, the armrests are too high, etc.) Plus they donât know how to drive the chair.
Letâs see, what else? Only certain bags can go on the back of the chair without scraping against the wheels, so, no, your teenagers in wheelchairs canât put their big, stylish, purses on the back. We donât always use gloves since most gloves actually arenât that helpful (as stated above, wheeling is a very fluid motion and gloves tend to constrict movements). Height differences are always a thing to remember. If youâre going for the âoh no, my wheelchair is brokenâ trope, nobody really has âflatâ tires anymore thanks to the new material for the wheels but it is possible to have things break off. We use the environment a lot. I always push off of walls or grab onto corners or kick off of the floor etc. Wheelchair parkour should really become a thing.Â
This is all of the physical things to think about. I could write a thesis on the emotional treatment of your characters with disabilities. But for now, I think that Iâll stop here. For my followers in wheelchairs, is there anything that I left out?
Also why isnât wheelchair parkour a thing? Somebody make wheelchair parkour a thing.
