I’ve realized that many people don’t know what it’s like day-to-day for a person in a power wheelchair. People assume that I spend most of my day in bed or staring at my iPad. So, I am going to share with you my schedule for a typical week.
Attending Virtual School
On weekday mornings, I wake up between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. I brush my teeth, get dressed and get ready for virtual school since I am currently home for school because of the pandemic. At 9:15 a.m., my school nurse comes and stays with me for a few hours. I log into my first meeting, homeroom, and then proceed with my morning classes. I have my regular 30-minute classes in the mornings and shortened classes in the afternoon. From 1:15 to 2:00 p.m., I take my lunch break. I usually like to finish up homework, catch up on extra work, stretch, and sometimes I’ll even work on my blog! If I don’t have anything to do, I’ll take a break from technology and read. I love to read! The last book I read was “The Night Diary” by Veera Hiranandani. I would recommend it to any middle schooler!
At 3:45 p.m., school ends and I have a little bit of free time to do what I want before therapy at 4 p.m. I usually lie down and rest during this time since we’re logged into school the entire day. Some days, my nurse comes after therapy and she helps me with most of my ADLs, helps me shower and does my feedings. Sometimes she helps me play board games or organize things in my room, which I love doing! This gives my parents a break and she can help me do my homework or we watch television together.
Hanging with My Mom and Brother
After I’m done with everything, I go downstairs and spend the rest of my day in my Quantum® Edge® 3 Power Wheelchair. Once I’m in my power wheelchair, I like to help my mom make dinner and do my chores. I help her fold laundry, cook dinner, clean or babysit my brother. Being an older sister means I get to boss my brother around (just kidding!) I like helping him with his homework and finding ways to keep him off technology! I like to finish my homework early so I have time to catch up with my friends. We play Roblox or just FaceTime each other.
Baking
I love baking. So, when I have time during the week, my mom and I bake cookies or cupcakes. The latest thing I made was hot cocoa bombs and they were so much fun to make and eat! After dinner and dessert, (which is usually one of the yummy desserts that I made), my brother and I like to play video games together. During quarantine, I’ve gotten really good at it and we have a lot of fun together. It’s been challenging coming up with ways to stay busy during quarantine because we’re stuck at home. We try to make the most of it. On the weekends, we drive by and say hello to our family and friends while safely remaining in the car. I love to do puzzles and watch old family videos from when we were younger!
Using Technology
My iPad has always been my way to do a lot of things and lately, everyone is in the same boat. I get in my power chair and my iPad is mounted to my chair and I can control it using my joystick. I can play games on it, call my friends, draw and write when I feel creative. As you can see, the weekends are my favorite because we get to do more fun things together as a family whereas during the weekdays, most of my day is spent doing virtual school.
I hope you enjoyed seeing what it’s like day to day for someone in a power wheelchair. reading Now, you have an idea of how I spend a typical day.
About Sakina Shamsi: Sakina lives in New Jersey with her parents and brother. Although she has spinal muscular atrophy type II, Sakina lives a full and independent lifestyle. She is active in the disability community and enjoys horseback riding, baking and crafting. Click here to learn more about Sakina.