It may sound strange, but I often think to myself how fortunate I am to be disabled in this modern world of microchips and other ground-breaking technology. It is an unarguable case that my life is made so much easier and so much better in quality than if I’d been born just a few years ago.
Just about every aspect of daily living for disabled people can be improved with the application of technology. From shopping that can be done online, to voice recognition software for people who are unable to type, to reading software for the blind – all of this makes for an immeasurably better quality of life for disabled people. And you can make a strong case for saying that technology has benefited disabled people more than anyone else.
A couple of months ago, my wife and I, in our search for something that would enable me to stroll along the beach with her, and which I could also use away from the beach, led me to buying a Segway and having it converted for seated use. The result was a SegChair. The highlight of our journey through the northeast occurred on the beachfront at Sunderland where we tested it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42QG7gIvuBM As you can see, it worked brilliantly.
I think that the great thing about this is not only that it enables me to stroll hand in hand down the beach with Justine, but that the SegChair, at a stroke, eliminates the “does he take sugar?” attitude. This is leading-edge perception changing. When I’m wandering around in the SegChair, I’m treated just like any other guy (who happens to want to sit down), rather than like a “traditional” wheelchair user.
Anyway, before we got to the trial beach, we had a rest day in Newcastle. Because our hotel was in Gateshead (and not north of the Tyne in the City of Newcastle), we crossed the Tyne bridge in order to visit the Lord Mayor of Newcastle in her Chambers. After an hour or so with her we did a bit of sightseeing and visited the Angel of the North.
The next day, we picked up our journey southwards again to Sunderland. Before we left, I managed to convince the Mayor of Gateshead to try out my trike for size (he had come to our hotel to wave us off). The short leg to Sunderland wasn’t particularly taxing – memorable mostly for a hugely picturesque ride along the coast with the sun burning down.
And after taking the SegChair for a test drive on the beach, the next morning, we carried on southwards towards Middlesbrough. Before we did, we were waved off from a very wet and windy hotel car park by the Deputy Mayor of Sunderland. It carried on raining all day.
The day ended miserably, whilst we cycled along the banks of the Tees, next to chimneys belching out toxic fumes as dusk arrived. We packed up, and got picked up by Justine in the support vehicle, about half a mile from our hotel – which we couldn’t find!
The most memorable part of the day apart from the rain and the raindrops incessantly dripping down my forehead, was the concentration needed to navigate across a very pretty and extremely slippery causeway alongside a still moss covered canal.
