Grandma (Julie’s mum) is a grand 89. Mentally, she’s still as sharp as a tack, but the physical chassis is getting a bit creaky. She rarely leaves the house these days, managing to get most appointments sorted right from her living room. However, an upcoming trip meant we actually had to get her out and about. To make things easier, we spent weeks getting her to "visualise" using a wheelchair, so much so that she now proudly believes the whole thing was her brilliant idea

Julie managed to borrow a chair from a friend. And that is where the real learning began

On Sunday, we decided to take the new wheels out for a test drive. First, I sat in it while Julie pushed, and then we swapped places. If you’ve never actually done this, let me tell you, it is a massive eye-opener

When you're the one sitting in the chair, you suddenly feel incredibly vulnerable. When you're the one pushing, your perspective shifts entirely. First it's hard work.  Then, you're suddenly scanning the horizon for dropped kerbs, and even a minor tree root bursting through the pavement feels like a major hazard. If you ever thought it was like pushing a child's Pushchair (stroller) back in the day. Spoiler alert: it’s not

In Conclusion

If you ever get the chance to do a trial run like this, I highly recommend it. There is no better way to truly understand accessibility than to experience it from the ground up