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Tom Shakespeare
Tom is a Research Fellow at Newcastle University. His non-fiction books include Genetics Politics: from Eugenics to Genome and The Sexual Politics of Disability.
Crowd surfing by wheelchair
29th November 2009
Tom Shakespeare couldn't abide crouds when he was a walking person with restricted growth. Since becoming a wheelchair user last year, crowds and him have a slightly different relationship, but his dislike for packed pavements hasn't diminished. I dislike crowds. I always have. They annoy me, and they scare me. I am sure this is a common feeling among disabled people.
When all I had to worry about was having restricted growth, my ultimate nightmare was that moment at the end of every home game when fifty thousand exuberant Newcastle fans and I rushed out of St James Park.
When all I had to worry about was having restricted growth, my ultimate nightmare was that moment at the end of every home game when fifty thousand exuberant Newcastle fans and I rushed out of St James Park.
I was either crushed in the slow moving, farting, belching mass of the jubilant Geordie fans, or risked being trampled under foot as we negotiated the flight of steps out of the stadium. Many is the time that I slipped out five minutes early, to reach the Metro before the masses, and so missed the crucial extra time winner.
I don鈥檛 have that problem any more, partly because relegation has shrunk the crowd at Newcastle, and partly because I am now a wheelchair user.As a walker, I was always very impatient. My legs didn鈥檛 last more than about 10 minutes before they went numb and I fell over, so my game plan was to get from A to B (or failing that, the nearest form of seating) as soon as possible. Despite my small size, I actually walked very fast, and shimmied around loitering shoppers with the elegance of the young Peter Beardsley (only not quite as handsome).
Groups of teenagers hang out on street corners. Old friends greet each other and block the pavement. Parents and children stretch out like a line of goslings. I sit behind and wait and fume, trickling along when I could be bowling downhill to my next overdue appointment.
Groups of teenagers hang out on street corners. Old friends greet each other and block the pavement. Parents and children stretch out like a line of goslings. I sit behind and wait and fume, trickling along when I could be bowling downhill to my next overdue appointment.
Worse, I鈥檝e realised that most people are totally oblivious to their surroundings. They veer across the pavement speaking into their mobile phones, or stop suddenly, or decide to double back on themselves, with absolutely no warning. At any moment, I expect 20 stone of idiot to come crashing round my shoulders, because someone has tripped over me without noticing that I鈥檓 there. I am forever taking evasive action or calling: 鈥淓xcuse me鈥 Hello鈥 Can I come through please? Mind out!鈥
My worry, particularly on the rare occasions when I鈥檓 out in the power chair, is that I鈥檒l run over someone or cause actual bodily harm: not because I鈥檓 reckless, certainly not, but because some other daydreaming soul has ventured carelessly across my path. When I get up a head of steam, especially down the steep hills of Newcastle, I鈥檓 like an oil tanker which needs two miles to slow down. What I would like is the proverbial man with a flag running along in front of me. Or a large klaxon. Or motor cycle outriders. As I prepare my letter to Santa (of which more next time), I think that a bull horn might be high on my wish list. Or else, those Boadicea axle scythes- blades used on Boadicea鈥檚 chariot while driving the Romans out of Britain - that every wheelchair user dreams of. Yes, you do, don鈥檛 deny it.
Without wanting to make any comment on past, present or future immigration policies or demographic trends, it is my firm opinion that this island of ours is over-crowded. Its city centres certainly are. It鈥檚 not road pricing this country needs, it鈥檚 pavement pricing. I have it on good authority that on the Statue of Liberty are engraved the ringing words:
"Give me your tired, your poor,鈥
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,鈥
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
It鈥檚 an apt description of New Castle's main shopping area, Northumberland Street, on a bad day, and as far as I鈥檓 concerned, Ms Liberty is welcome to them. As the Christmas decorations go up all over Britain, I鈥檓 staying indoors for the duration.
"Give me your tired, your poor,鈥
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,鈥
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
It鈥檚 an apt description of New Castle's main shopping area, Northumberland Street, on a bad day, and as far as I鈥檓 concerned, Ms Liberty is welcome to them. As the Christmas decorations go up all over Britain, I鈥檓 staying indoors for the duration.
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Comments
Thank you Tom you have saved my sanity
I thought it was only me who felt like this - I have actually run into someone who doubled back right in front of my scooter - to make it worse for me it was a child of about 8 or 9, luckly for me there were witnesses who assured me it wasn't my fault and apart from brusing to his leg and ego the child seemed fine - it took me three weeks to summon the courage to mount my scooter again though
It amazes me how dense and ignorent of there surroundings people are and if they do walk or stumble in to us how it is our fault as if we should have jet packs on our underside to be able to jump over them for their convenience - or they stand in the middle of the path and watch while I attemp to manover around them instead of taking the two or three steps to the side to get out of my way.
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mobility scooters and electric wheelchairs are quiet , I am VI and HI
I might not know you are there in your scooter , however I walk quite quickly , so please wait behind me , and be patient
you can't be in tht much of a hurry
perhaps I have swerved for a reason ,
you have brakes on scooters don't you
you give way to me as I am lighter than you on your scooter
I was hit by a scooter - it was heavy and it hurt me quite badly but not the scooter owner - my life was limited by the bruises for a while and there is nobody to help me , I just had to suffer whilst I healed
If only the scooter rider had been patient given way I would not have been hurt - it is if they assume that a person walking has good hearing and sight and if they fall is superhuman so they don't bruise ,
well that isn't the case
I think scooter owners should have to be insured
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