Yesterday the kids and I returned from a nine day trip to Los Angeles, California. Anaheim to be exact. Anaheim, as everyone knows, means Disneyland and that was our reason for going. Chloe determined on her 23rd birthday in 2013 that she wanted to celebrate her 24th Birthday in the Happiest Place on Earth so she set about planning for it to happen. She researched everything and found accessible accommodation close to the Park, the flights she needed to take, how to take a motorised wheelchair on a plane, how to get from LAX to the motel. She even researched tipping etiquette. All of us saved for a year to make it happen.
Her sister Sarah had already gone over to the USA with her wheelchair and had no problems charging it with the power point adaptors provided. A friend of hers who was familiar with electronics had warned her that she would need some kind of a transformer to convert the power to the appropriate amps for the chargers, however when she got there she found that the transformer wasn't needed and the chair charged without any issue.
So, when it came time for us to trip over to California this time we thought everything would be the same and we left the transformer in the shed at home...
The thought that there may be a problem never entered our heads. On getting to our hotel we were alarmed to discover that the adaptors we had only delivered 10 amps. The chargers needed 24 amps. The chairs weren't charging.
The one thing we hadn't planned for was happening. The girls had no means of getting around. Unless we hired push wheelchairs we were going to be confined to the motel for eight days.
Luckily the ever-helpful and cheery Andrew from the Menage Hotel in Anaheim saved the day and hired some chairs for us. Bright and early the next morning he delivered them to our door. Sure they were costing us $20 per chair per day but at least we had transportation!
It was the best option we had. No, the girls didn't have their independence and had to rely on Tim and myself to push them everywhere they needed to be, but we were out and about, and that was the main thing. We still had fun...just a different kind of fun than we had planned for.
But see that little white box on the bottom left hand corner of the picture? Oh how we longed for that little white box sitting uselessly in the shed hundreds of thousands of kilometres away!
I've never understood the mindset of those who view wheelchairs as a more "inferior" way of getting around - as though by having one and using one is a second rate option to walking. Do people not realise that not having one when you need one is actually the factor that "makes" you disabled? In their chairs the girls can do anything, go anywhere, be totally independent. They can plan their own days, catch up with friends, sightsee, explore, make their own purchases and take their own sweet time doing so. They can separate from a group and say, "I'll meet you *here* at *this* time." They can access everything they need to and more.
The week without their chairs meant that none of the above happened - for ALL of us. Don't get me wrong, we had the most amazing, wonderful, adventurous holiday and we'd do it all again in a heartbeat, but there were more considerations to make. None of us could be totally free and independent if we wanted to be. The girls had to consider the energy levels and stamina of the two people who were assisting them. The two people assisting them had to consider the needs and wants of the girls, ensuring that they too got the most out of their holiday experience. Sometimes communicating all this was difficult....but we all tried as best we could. Each of us were acutely aware of the feelings, needs and wants of each other. We relaxed, but not as much as we planned.
We're home now and the electric wheelchairs are on charge; sucking up as many amps as they need. We learned a valuable lesson these holidays - plan as best you can but expect the totally unexpected. Have a back up plan.
But whatever happens, suck the most fun as you can out of every single moment!
