#i also rented partially bc i sprained my ankle and it was hurting especially bad

[cavityinmybrain]

i rented a wheelchair at my citys pride festival and this was what i noticed (as someone who hasnt used a wheelchair before):

wheelchairs are hard to maneuver. there were a lot of spots on the concrete where a wheel would just spin out bc it wasnt level, people also didnt realize how much space i would need to turn and back up and would stand too close

i saw a handful of people with aids, mostly canes with some other wheelchairs (rented, custom, and powered) mixed in

people often didnt look at me, pity stared at me, or disgust stared at me, especially if i would get up from my wheelchair for a booth that wasnt very accessible

most of the booths were not accessible. if i could fit a wheelchair in there, no one else would be able to enter the booth. many booths had tight corners that i wouldnt have been able to maneuver around in a wheelchair

people often got in my way on purpose? they would see me going a certain way and we would cross paths, they would often choose to cut in front of me instead of waiting or going behind/around. i had to start and stop a lot

i really had to make my presence known to people because people had NO self awareness of where they were in relation to the paths people were walking on. i had to yell “excuse me” so much

there were so many people who stopped me to ask if i was alone/had someone pushing me when i was self propelling around the grounds. often times it was when i was doing just fine (one lady stopped me while i was in a line??)

festivals with stage performances are NOT wheelchair accessible. if i wanted to see what was on stage i functionally couldnt because people were standing in front of me and there was no space to get to the front. even getting to the front didnt help because then i was stuck with crowds of people around me

some strangers are way too comfortable just grabbing your wheelchair before you say its okay. a lady tried to help me get to the front of the stage crowd and grabbed me and started moving before she asked me if it was okay

none of this is groundbreaking shit. pride NEEDS to be accessible for people, and while organizers need to do a lot of it i feel people who attend also need to be aware and courteous to people who need mobility aids.