Wheel Chair Experience

My partner and I experienced what it is like to be in a wheel chair. Our experience is only a little of what someone in a wheel chair deals with every second of everyday. I have to say design should revolve around them. Not every person will be in a wheel chair in their life, but may know someone who is in one. To watch them suffer in their day to day activities is not okay. From my wheel chair experience I learned that rooms should have enough turning radius, which is five feet. It is also very hard to open doors or a refrigerator. Some are too heavy, while other have are hard to reach spaces once the door is open. You also need lots of upper body strength to pull a door open and move the wheel chair back. I would highly recommend automatic opening doors. Ramps are another issue because they are not always pointed out to people not in wheel chairs. It would be time consuming to go between classes and not be able to find the elevator or ramps fast enough. The hills in Pullman are hard to avoid and are scary when that is your only option. Reaching for books in the library was difficult and the copy machine was hard to reach into. The restrooms were a plus because there was enough space for toilet transfer. The sink, soap dispenser, and paper towels were also very accessible. My partner had issues with the wheel chair in the restroom she entered, it had no turning radius. She also went to a coffee stand and the counter was so tall she could not reach the cashier. From this experience I learned that good design is not just about whether something looks good, but that it needs to be functional for every person.