It was my first time at the Rave/Eagles Club in Milwaukee. I went with my friend, Lauren. They had originally told me that the Rave had wheelchair accessible seating and I was very excited to see Matt Stell. He sings a song that I’ve decided will be played at my wedding someday, when I finally find that special guy!
Lauren and I did the whole girl thing. We got our makeup done, did our hair, rushed from school, and went to dinner at this secret hole-in-the-wall place that had amazing food. It looked like a place from the 1950s and there were no other customers but us. My grilled chicken sandwich was amazing! And Lauren’s hot wings were juicy and tender and made her very happy.
So, we got to the Rave and we were shocked to learn that we couldn’t even access the building from the front. We were led to the back and went through a creepy hallway and up a steep ramp. We got inside and we showed them our tickets and told them that we needed the wheelchair accessible seating. They said sure, so someone took us in the elevator and once off the elevator, we were directed in and told that we would find it ourselves.
Well, we discovered that there was no section of accessible seating anywhere. We were left to fend for ourselves in a crowd of people in front of the stage about four rows back. For an able-bodied person, this worked just fine. For me, however, it was very uncomfortable. All I could think was that as more people came, I would be trampled, and I would not be able to see the stage because of the height I am when seated in my wheelchair.
Lucky for me, I had iLevel® technology. I elevated my seat and raised 12 inches so that I could see the stage and watch all the artists perform. This was an amazing experience. I never would have been able to enjoy it without iLevel. Although I still had to deal with people trying to sit on my lap, I was grateful to have my iLevel wheelchair. Otherwise, I would have paid for a concert and then missed the whole experience.
About Amy Bleile: Amy is a former Ms. Wheelchair Wisconsin and special education teacher. She resides in Whitewater, WI, and participates in wheelchair basketball. Amy also enjoys attending concerts and experiencing everything that the world has to offer. Click here to learn more about Amy.