![Page 1: Alfie, Caroline and Jess - Intervention Four/Fun in a Wheelchair](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022070322/55904c6c1a28ab380e8b45ae/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Caroline, Alfie and Jess’ final intervention
![Page 2: Alfie, Caroline and Jess - Intervention Four/Fun in a Wheelchair](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022070322/55904c6c1a28ab380e8b45ae/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
What?
We travelled around campus in a wheelchair, occasionally getting out,
stretching and walking around as
well as having footraces from a wheelchair start.
![Page 3: Alfie, Caroline and Jess - Intervention Four/Fun in a Wheelchair](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022070322/55904c6c1a28ab380e8b45ae/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
We also tried to go up some stairs that were hard to avoid
![Page 4: Alfie, Caroline and Jess - Intervention Four/Fun in a Wheelchair](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022070322/55904c6c1a28ab380e8b45ae/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
And abandoned the wheelchair in strategic places
![Page 5: Alfie, Caroline and Jess - Intervention Four/Fun in a Wheelchair](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022070322/55904c6c1a28ab380e8b45ae/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Why?
Two main reasons:Neither Caroline nor Jess
had any experience of being ‘disabled’. We wanted to see how we were treated and what the physical barriers were to wheelchair users.
Secondly, we wanted to test the public’s reaction when wheelchairs were not being used for their primary purpose – to help someone less abled.
![Page 6: Alfie, Caroline and Jess - Intervention Four/Fun in a Wheelchair](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022070322/55904c6c1a28ab380e8b45ae/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
What we found…People tended to direct questions
to the person pushing the wheelchair, not to whoever was in the chair, even if it was about them.
When we got out of the chair and walked around, people were confused, frowning, as if it wasn’t acceptable to use a wheelchair if not disabled, even though many users are partially mobile
People weren’t happy to interfere, even when someone was seemingly ‘tipped’ from the wheelchair. It took a good few minutes for anyone to ask if help was needed and people literally crossed the road to avoid it.
It’s very difficult moving around in a wheelchair, not simply traversing the built environment tailored for taller, more nimble users, but steering, pulling your weight and so on.
![Page 7: Alfie, Caroline and Jess - Intervention Four/Fun in a Wheelchair](https://reader035.vdocuments.site/reader035/viewer/2022070322/55904c6c1a28ab380e8b45ae/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
So…
Notions of: Abject behaviour – when wheelchairs aren’t
used for their supposed purpose The body in space – how the built environment
assumes ‘able’ bodies