Tyler Redway
AS last week was Spinal Cord Injury Week, ParaQuad South Australia (PQSA) gathered for their monthly meeting and continued to encourage others with a spinal injury to come together at the Mount Gambier RSL.
Event coordinator Ruth Mott said the meeting was mainly to come together for the fellowship and that it was a peer group where everyone could be themselves.
“Usually we are in hospital for six to eight months minimum and you’ve met people where they have the same thing,” Ms Mott said.
“It’s a chance for us to talk about things we have found that have been happening or maybe we found something that makes it easier for our daily living.”
Ms Mott said some of the topics discussed during the meetings can range from depression to the struggles and frustration some people may have in trying to cope with a spinal cord injury.
“Depression comes into it a lot and the things we can’t do, so it’s a lot of frustration and this is a way to let that out,” she said.
“We go for everything personal through to general stuff; it was a chance for people to be a bit more aware of spinal cord injury.”
Ms Mott said most spinal injuries were not something a person was born with and it could happen to anyone and at any time.
She said there were people ranging from sprained backs to people who had been in motorbike accidents, while she also explained how she injured herself.
Ms Mott had been casually walking when all of a sudden, she slipped in an awkward position which caused permanent damage to her spine.
Ms Mott added it was helpful that PQSA was able to keep track of smaller things such as fueling cars.
“In Adelaide there is one particular petrol chain that if you are a para or a quad, you have a little thing on your window and you can just scan it and someone will come out and fill up your car for you,” she said.
“Those sorts of things I would love to see in Mount Gambier, to be able to have access to buildings and just to be able to make it inclusive and not exclusive.”
She said there were some things people wouldn’t understand how difficult they really were for people such as herself until they had been in a wheelchair as well.
“The tiniest little step could be a massive inconvenience and it could mean you’re not allowed in that shop or area,” she said.
“The other thing I find is parking, you can have a disabled park but it’s right on a curb which is just ridiculous.
“There’s things like that where the meaning is good but it just hasn’t been thought through.”
Ms Mott said a good way to help people with a spinal cord injury was to ask if people needed help and to practice better “wheelchair etiquette”.
“By that I mean don’t quickly walk in front of us, don’t think you’re being good and pushing us or touch the wheelchair, it’s like going up to someone and touching their body without consent because it’s a part of us,” she said.
“Just general courtesy, don’t go mad at us if we’re slow packing at the supermarket or getting into cars, we are going as fast as we can.”
