rachelmanija | (Reply)

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I definitely advocate forearm crutches as easier to use all round. My experience during the decade I was using them daily is that I didn't get much in the way of openly negative behaviour (about one incident a year of heckling from strangers on the street, and one deliberate attempt to knock me over - don't hit the guy with the four foot club who saw you coming), but did have more problems with people who insisted on opening doors and standing in the ways, including ones who would not listen, even when told repeatedly. Attitudes to the chronic pain, the reason I was using the crutches, were less common, but significantly more negative.

Since I've been using the chair, I find the intrusive helpers who don't ask are both more intrusive a problem, and more likely to resort to abuse. Two friends have had expensive chairs destroyed by people not asking how to help, or whether help is even needed.