by Dimitri Holliday Shroder High School Grade 12

 What are your thoughts about wheelchair bound?

 “Wheelchair Bound” is an inaccurate phrase used to refer to an individual in a wheelchair. It is objectionable because it creates a false impression that they are stuck in a wheelchair.  Instead, we can say people who use a wheelchair.

 The majority of people in a wheelchair have an degenerative muscle disease.  There are many symptoms of degenerative muscle disease that lead up to loss of muscle mass and function.  These symptoms include walking disabilities.  Many people that are wheelchair bound, also have other illnesses such as hiring impairment, autism, and mental retardation.

 Therapy is the most common treatment for those people in a wheelchair.  The treatment tests the strength of the patient and then it helps them walk with assistance.  Therapy allows those people who are in wheelchair a chance to walk again.

 People say that those who are wheelchair bound, do not have a life like us, like “normal people.”  What people fail to realize is that those who are in a wheelchair have the same life as we do; they just live their life a different way.

 Life is very different for those who are in a wheelchair because they can’t do the things that we are used to doing.  Ex: walking, running, driving, etc.  Many people that are in a wheelchair find ways to to enjoy life just like us, such as playing sports and other recreations.  There is an Olympic basketball league for those who are in a wheelchair.

 We can treat people that are in a wheelchair the same way we treat each other.  Many people treat those who are in a wheelchair like they don’t exist because of their condition.  All people in a wheelchair should have the same amount of respect as we do, because they are no different than us. They are just in a wheelchair.

 “Push Girls” is an new reality show that follows the personal lives of four women that are wheelchair-bound as they negotiate familiar struggles, from relationships and break-ups to motherhood.

 How would your life be different if you were in a wheelchair?