Monday, September 23, 2013

Ride,Don't Walk

     Before I used the wheelchair for this assignment, I just think some troubles that a person in a wheelchair will face generally and roughly. However, after I experienced the wheelchair, I got more tiny details that a person in a wheelchair will need and those things may be overlooked by people who can walk normally.
     For examples, when I used the wheelchair to go to the elevator, I was scared that the door would suddenly close and clamped my arms. So, I need my partner to push the button for me. In additional, when I get in a bathroom without the wheelchair accessibility in Daggy Hall, it was so difficult to me to turn around inside the stall and I couldn't even open the door very smoothly. Luckily, things got easier when I was in the coffee area in Carpenter. I think that area designed very properly for a person in a wheelchair. The order menu is located below the order station, so it was convenient to look. I tried to reach the napkin from the coffee cart and it was not hard. The only thing I found that might trouble people in wheelchair is the garbage has a little distance from the pick-up counter, so if people in wheelchair want to throw the wrap of the straw, it might be bothering a little. On the way from Carpenter to Daggy, the road is so bumpy. A few times I lost control and I felt like I was going to fall. The refrigerator in the faculty/staff kitchen in Daggy is designed very reasonable, it is low so I could grab things from it very easily. One thing I found when I open the door of the refrigerator was that I need to leave space between my knees and the door, as a result, the door wound't be blocked by my knees. Moreover, I got hot and sweaty after I sat on the wheelchair for about half and hour because the material of the wheelchair is leather, so the material of the wheelchair should be one more important consideration in order to make people in wheelchairs more comfortable.

Open the refrigerator

Leave space between my knees and the door

Sketches: