Some suggestions for how to handle special events if you have a neurological condition--from Brain & Life (June-July 2023), "Expert Tips for Navigating Special Events with a Neurologic Condition":
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I went to my children's high school graduations with MS and my wheelchair. It wasn't easy but I got there. One of the hardest things about attending any social event if you use a wheelchair is that you're almost bound to be conspicuous. This situation was about as extreme as possible during one of the graduations. I parked myself in my wheelchair in a fairly inconspicuous part of the auditorium for the ceremony but afterwards, on the way out, I ran into a problem.
For some reason I was using a door where there was a large ramp on the way out, and for some reason I'll never understand, when I came down that ramp in the wheelchair, there was a huge crowd of people on all sides, seemingly staring at me. I'm pretty sure it was just a situation where those in attendance at the graduation happened to be milling around outside and happened to notice that ramp with me on it but still it was embarrassing, particularly since I knew that some of the people might have been classmates of my son, who was graduating.
I felt as if I was on display. It was not fun but it's what is apt to happen if you have a wheelchair.
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...
I went to my children's high school graduations with MS and my wheelchair. It wasn't easy but I got there. One of the hardest things about attending any social event if you use a wheelchair is that you're almost bound to be conspicuous. This situation was about as extreme as possible during one of the graduations. I parked myself in my wheelchair in a fairly inconspicuous part of the auditorium for the ceremony but afterwards, on the way out, I ran into a problem.
For some reason I was using a door where there was a large ramp on the way out, and for some reason I'll never understand, when I came down that ramp in the wheelchair, there was a huge crowd of people on all sides, seemingly staring at me. I'm pretty sure it was just a situation where those in attendance at the graduation happened to be milling around outside and happened to notice that ramp with me on it but still it was embarrassing, particularly since I knew that some of the people might have been classmates of my son, who was graduating.
I felt as if I was on display. It was not fun but it's what is apt to happen if you have a wheelchair.