Hi, Mamas! I am writing a middle grade adventure novel, and one of my main characters is a kid in a wheelchair. He's about 12 yrs old. I need to learn the ins and outs of everyday life for a kid in a wheelchair so that what I'm writing sounds normal and natural, but I'm not sure where to look or who to talk to. Is there a website or organization or a person I should talk to? Thanks, mamas. =)
Update: This character will have been in a car wreck when he was a bit younger, and he will be paralyzed from the waist down, essentially. Minimal sensation/function of the lower limbs. I was hoping to actually meet/talk to a kid or adult with this particular problem. This will not be a book that directly addresses the struggles of children with disabilities (though there will be some of those issues), as this character isn't the protagonist. He is, however, a very important character in the book, and I want to make him as realistic as possible. Sorry, I didn't narrow it down enough in my original question. =)
There's a nonprofit in our area that goes to schools and talks about disabilities. Here's a link to their website:
http://www.touchofunderstanding.org/
oh, oh, can i answer this one ??? WHERE is my coffee ?? probably the best thing to do is to talk to someone who is in the same age group, with the same disability and ask them. if you dont know a a child personally
who has spent a good deal of time in a wheelchair then you might want to consider a different topic or tackle the topic from a different angle. children, unlike adults, can be very cruel to children with disabilities( ask me how i know)and they not going to fess up about it, either, unlike adults.check the americans with disibilites website/children and explain what you would like to do, and ask them for information. most people with disibities dont mind if you ask questions as long as you are arent rude or condescending about it
K. h
I would suggest volunteering in a Children's Hospital. Most have 3, 6, 9, and 12mo volunteer slots.
You'll learn a LOT about kids in chairs and traumatic injuries and recovery there, and the 1st hand experience will translate a lot in written form (like it's reeeeally difficult, but not impossible to transfer a child from point a to point b who is in a chair, with an iv stand, on an o2 tank by yourself. Usually, it's a 2 person job... but parents in the middle of the night do that sort of thing all the time, and when you're home, that's your only option). Another is that "new people" often put a wheelchair into an elevator the 'wrong' way (ditto rooms, etc.) so the person isn't facing out.
There are also MANY kinds of paralysis. Legs only (can urinate and deficate on their own), waist down (cannot... will have bags), some can have erections, some can or cannot perform sexually... some cannot. Yeesh. DOZENS of kinds of paraplegis. What kind your character has will come along with the specific injury AND other contributing factors. Knowing which part of his spine was damaged and the resulting effects (and life expectancy... many who have 'waist down' parpalegis have shortened life expectancy, because of all the organs that aren't properly ennervated. This is a HUGE problem with quadrapalegics, but also with parapalegics depending on where their spinal collumn was severed or damaged.
There are several different disabilities that require wheel chair use. I would narrow your ideas down to a certain disability or, if it is just the daily struggles of wheel chair use your searching for then I would suggest to go to a center for disabilities, here it is Melwood. I'm not sure if that is nation wide. Online I am sure you can find forums as well expressing how every day life is good & bad.
Contact Special Olympics and do some volunteer time with them. It will give you perspective on a large range of disabilities. I know that events for Special Olympics have been held at UT Arlington.
Contact a volunteer coordinator or social worker at one of the large children's hospitals in Dallas or Fort Worth. They may have ideas for you too.
