I used to get up in the morning, look at my wardrobe and decide what colour I was going to wear that day. Well, it was no surprise that most days it was pink.
I still do the same today, but it is not just my clothes, shoes and jewellery I try to match. I have an additional accessory which must blend in with my daily wear – my power-chair.
Now, to those that do not use mobility equipment the thought of having a colour for that aid might seem a bit alien. An aid is an aid right. If it gets you from A to B, less pain, less stress what’s the problem? However, having to use mobility aids is more than just needing an extra arm or leg to lean on. It is something that for many becomes a part of us for our lifetime.
When I swapped my dancing feet of the stage for the wheels of my chair, my first thought was not the colour I’ll be honest. It never crossed my mind that maybe if I had a chair that represented me, I might have accepted me.
My first chair, a manual, was a black hand-me-down, a bit battered and dented and I would look at the chair and feel depressed. It didn’t occur that it was because there was nothing on the chair that screamed “me”.
My next chair, a power-chair, was silver with paint peeling in places. Not the best-looking thing but I could get around the shops without relying on others and without my joints sublaxing from pushing myself.
However, after getting my head around the idea of having to use a chair in the first place I started to think about how I could make it a part of me and bring out my personality. It gave me an idea.
The next year I was graduating with my law degree, that’s when I decided I didn’t want to go on stage with a battered silver chair, I wanted something that would represent me and my lifestyle. Something that stood out and said, I am more than just a girl in a chair. I turned to my PA and said: “Get out the spray can, we’re painting my chair.”
This was a bit much, even for her, so hitting her list of contacts on Facebook, a request was put out. That’s when a kind stranger stepped in. A week later and my chair was in a workshop being stripped down and re-painted. I left the shade of pink up to the garage. Used to painting police cars, ambulances and the Sainsbury’s vans, I think they were in shock at having a power-chair in their possession being painted…. PINK!
The colour I was presented with upon pick up was amazing. It just said: “this is me”. I was beyond belief. I got in my chair and it was like putting on that one pair of shoes you own that says: “I’ve got this”. For the first time since needing the chair I felt empowered.
The generosity of a stranger changed my outlook on life that day.
However, it was not just my outlook on life that the colour of my wheelchair changed, it was how people saw and treated me too.
When I graduated, rather than people pointing me out for my disability, they were pointing me out for the colour of the chair: “Did you see the girl in the pink wheelchair?”
Yes, they still saw the chair, but it will always be a part of me that I cannot change, but I was no longer the “disabled girl”.
My chair has become a real talking point. A trip to Tesco for a pint of milk can take 40 minutes as people stop and tell me they love the colour of the chair, saying their mum, daughter, auntie, sister would love it.
I just wish that the option for chairs with colour was open to everyone. The range is widening but there are still limitations. Unless you can afford to buy your own you are stuck with very few choices. Pink is available on the NHS but when you compare what I have to what is on the market there is no comparison.
We are talking about people who will need aids for the rest of our lives, whether that is wheelchairs, walkers, or crutches. Don’t we have the right to feel empowered too!
I talk to many people about the colour of wheelchairs, and have asked them whether it matters to them.
Amanda said: “It gives me my personality. You’re not going to go voluntarily and wear a school uniform every day of your life. You come home from school as a child and you put on your clothes.
“You come home from work as an adult, and if you are in scrubs or you’re in specific uniform, you change out of it. That’s effectively what this is. This is me. It’s my colours. I have purple gloves that go with my purple wheels. It’s a little bit of a talking point”
Roisin said: “I think having a mobility aid that represents you is really important. I use a wheelchair and I use it everyday so I would want it to be something I feel comfortable and stylish in.
“As a disabled model, style is important to me as it’s how I show up in the world.
“How we show up, can affect how we are treated, and my wheelchair plays a part in this. Also being disabled, there is often a focus on practicality and functionality, especially in medical settings, and while I acknowledge that this is important – having a wheelchair that more accurately represents me makes me feel in control of my identity.
“Plain mobility aids can feel less personal and at times dehumanising. A wheelchair is more than just a mobility aid, it becomes part of someone.”
Dean said: “I’m quite a bubbly and cheerful character, and I feel that my chair should also reflect that.
“It reveals a bit of my personality, and I find people notice the colour of the chair and the flashing lights rather than noticing that I’m disabled. It becomes this awesome icebreaker that everyone comments on and asks questions about, rather than being a mobility aid that people sometimes get a bit intimidated by.”
Rebecca said: “I see my wheelchair as an extension of myself. Because of this I like to customise my wheelchair to echo parts of who I am. The colourful butterfly on my spoke guards highlights my love of colour and enables me to have confidence as a wheelchair user.
“As a byproduct, when I see others noticing my wheels and perhaps smile, I think it might change in their mind how wheelchairs are viewed. This is what I think most wheelchair user want – for wheelchairs not to be seen as a negative thing.”
Getting in my chair is not only about feeling empowered but when I am feeling down it can help, as people talk to me rather than stare.
In a society where disabled people are getting a hard time anything to brighten a day is positive. This maybe something that should be looked at further, can a coloured wheelchair help people in the workplace? Would it stop bullying of disabled people? Maybe, maybe not. Can a colour really be that powerful?
Choice should matter and the choice of colour should be included, not just a little touch here, why can’t a wheelchair be fully pink?
We should have that choice with our aids, they are our personality, they help us stand up in the world, and they should reflect our character. They shouldn’t be viewed as a negative thing, a colour says to everyone, this is who I am!
