How to Play with Someone in a Wheelchair
Interacting with someone who uses a wheelchair can be a rewarding and enriching experience. The key is to focus on the human being, their interests, and abilities, rather than the wheelchair itself.
Getting to Know and Respecting Your Friend
When playing or spending time with someone who uses a wheelchair, it's essential to start by getting to know them. Never assume anything about their abilities. Always ask how they would like to play and what activities they enjoy. Treating them like everyone else is crucial for building a strong and inclusive friendship.
Take, for example, my best friend from childhood. She attended a special school for students with disabilities, and they engaged in various sports there. If she wanted to play a game with me, she would guide me on what she preferred. This shows that you can play a variety of activities with someone in a wheelchair, from sports to simple games, as long as you align with their interests.
Seeing Beyond the Wheelchair
When you engage with a person who uses a wheelchair, it's important to stop seeing the wheelchair and focus on the person. Wheelchair users are not a single, monolithic group; there is a wide spectrum of abilities among all disabled individuals, and this includes wheelchair users.
People do not all use wheelchairs for the same reasons, and there is no correlation between cognitive ability and wheelchair use. What truly matters is the person's character, their age, interests, and personality. During my childhood, one of my dearest friends, Paul, was a wheelchair user. Despite his impairment, we had fun. I pushed him around, colored, rolled balls on the pool table, and read to him. These were simple activities that we both enjoyed, and I remember his face, smile, and laughter far more than his wheelchair.
Simple and Engaging Activities
Thinking about activities to play with someone in a wheelchair doesn't have to be complicated. You can stick to traditional table games like Spades, Air hockey, or simple games like categories and rhyming games. There are also card games that can be both fun and challenging, such as "Bullshit." Another excellent book to read is "Squeaky Wheels" by Suzanne Kamata, which offers valuable insights into this situation, as the author has a daughter in a wheelchair.
Overall, the most important aspect is to create a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone can participate and enjoy themselves. By focusing on the individual and their preferences, you can ensure that your friendship and activities are both enjoyable and meaningful.