I never gave this much thought until I read a recent article about the New Year’s dilemma faced by a young lady and wheelchair user in the UK.

New Year’s Eve, and people all over the world are heading out with friends and lovers to clubs, pubs, and hot spots for a good time and an opportunity to break some of their newly pledged resolutions.

But if there is a wheelchair user in the gang of merrymakers, things can become confusing, the pace and merriment can be dampened, and some of the gang may find their jovial feelings changed to guilt.

What or who is throwing the wet towel on all of this fun? Who is the wheelchair user. What is society by way of inaccessible environments. Imagine being a wheelchair user in a group of celebration planners. Plans are being made regarding the fun clubs and spots that will be hit. Yes, up until the wheelchair user pipes in about wheelchair accessibility being non-existent in this or that spot or only by way of carry in and out muscle power.

OK, these are your friends so they understand, at least for now. So you hold a communal rethink but no matter how hard the best thinkers and most adept party animals try, they can only come up with the same old accessible places that you have been haunting all year.

No, it’s not your fault at all. Some of the most fun places are just not accessible or for that matter wheelchair friendly. They’re upstairs in older buildings. There are no accessible bathrooms. They’re ultra tiny (although fun), with absolutely no traveling room at all for wheeled guests. In past visits staff have been bent out by the assumption that the wheelchair user will require some kind of extra attention that they are not quite ready to provide on the busiest night of the year (or any other night).

Well hell, who wants to go to those dumps anyway? Some of your friends that’s who. Yes, they’re your friends and they should understand. I’m sure they do understand but it will be you who will have the feelings of guilt because your friends missed out on the party night of nights by hanging with you at the Busy Bee Bar & Grill. If some of them succumb to their craving for pleasure and take off on their own then it will be they who feel guilty about dumping you and you feeling guilty about splitting up the gang.

Quite the dilemma for a wheelchair user to face on any given day. What did the woman in the journal article do? She intends to spend the night celebrating with family and friends at a house party. After all, it’s safe, and no one gets the guilt trip.

A happy and guilt free New Year to you all.

Ziggi