Twice a week, I stop at my local Dunkin Donuts to grab a large hot tea for my train ride to the city. In order to get inside of the location, I have to open two sets of doors. When it is cold outside, my muscles tighten up. One of the things I have noticed when I go get my tea during the summer is that I have no problem opening these doors. However, during the winter, the cold makes my arms feel like I have 50-lb. weights on them when I try to open the doors. When I elevate in my electric wheelchair, I can open these doors because when I’m elevated because I have the leverage. I place my left hand on the door handle (straight in front of me), and with my right hand on my joystick, I drive backwards opening the door. If I was in the lowered position and tried to do that it would not work. I wouldn’t even be able to lift my hand up to reach the handle. Having iLevel is crucial for me to independently access this Dunkin Donuts location to enjoy my daily cup of hot tea. Otherwise, I would be outside waiting for someone to open the door for me.
When I hang out with my friends, we usually go grab a bite to eat, have a drink and relax. Sometimes, I go on walks or strolls with my friends and have a quick catch up session. I’m always elevated in my power wheelchair when I go on my strolls. This allows me to be social with my friend or friends when we are next to each other. We are close to the same eye height, so talking while in motion becomes natural.
A few weeks ago, me and my friend made plans to attend a holiday party. My friend was out of work at 4 p.m. and had to go home to change for the party. I told him I would meet him at his place. When I arrived, we decided to walk five blocks to get a drink at a local restaurant before the party. We talked the entire way there.
When we got to the restaurant and went to the bar, it was packed. I was able to get my chair up close to the bar and order our drinks. I was elevated in my electric wheelchair and my buddy was standing next to me. A couple of people noticed my chair and we started talking with them. These guys actually worked for Google! We talked with these guys for an hour and ended up being late for our party. It was cool that being elevated at iLevel allowed me to be noticed by others and I wasn’t given any special treatment because of my wheelchair. This special treatment happens sometimes, and it makes me uncomfortable. On this night though, that wasn’t the case! With iLevel technology, I met some new people and had some great conversations. iLevel allowed me to have a great experience that I never expected!
About Josh McDermott: Josh is a brand ambassador for Quantum Rehab®. He is a public speaker and has served as a goodwill ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Josh lives in New York and loves to travel. Click here to learn more about Josh.