cjsmith: (Default)
cjsmith ([personal profile] cjsmith) wrote2005-05-10 07:06 pm

Wheelchair vocabulary

I need vocabulary!

The person not in a wheelchair "walks"; the person in a wheelchair ___________ (rides, wheels, rolls, ???).
A person in a wheelchair is a ______________ (wheelchair user, ???).
A short word for a wheelchair is ______________ (???).
The act of controlling and steering a wheelchair is called ________________ (driving, steering, wheeling, ???).

I'm half tempted to say "wheelie" for just about all of these. I wheelie, you wheelie, he/she/it wheelies. (Or maybe just I wheel, etc.) I am a wheelie, I got my wheelie out of the car, I'm wheelie-ing (wheeliing? why not, "skiing" gets away with the double i). Tempting as it is, however, I couldn't possibly, you see. It would be silly.

[identity profile] datagoddess.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
Silly is as silly does :-D

In order:

[identity profile] palecur.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
'moves'
'rounder', 'rollie', 'good to have when you need parking'
'chair', 'wheels'
'steering', 'driving'.

[identity profile] genderfur.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
The person in a wheelchair - who can propel it themselves - does not ride. Perhaps they "go"? Perhaps they "use a wheelchair"?

Certainly they are a wheelchair user. Or (depending on sense of humor) a crip.

A short word for wheelchair is "wheelchair". Or perhaps "my chair".

The act of controlling and steering a wheelchair is called "using a wheelchair".

The problem is that wheeled chairs haven't been around more than a few centuries (if that), and it wasn't until a few decades ago that a person in such a chair could propel themselves. Before that, they were "invalids", and they got "pushed" by "nurses".

It's only been the last couple of decades that has seen large numbers of otherwise-able people using wheelchairs, because surgical methods have improved so vastly. So people who would otherwise have died from car accidents or mountain climbing falls* are now surviving to use wheelchairs and walkers and be other kinds of athletes.

Perhaps you can find a sports magazine focussed on wheelchair athletes - that will have all the good terminology in it.

(*I had a housemate in college in this situation.)

[identity profile] fuzzygruf.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
1. The person in a wheelchair...
...is coming right at you! Move!

2. A person in a wheelchair is a...
...bout to run you over!

3. A short word for wheelchair is..
..."chair." But who wants short? "Chariot of Love" sounds about right.

4. The act of controlling and steering a wheelchair is called...
...aiming.

Bloody brilliant!

[identity profile] just-cyd.livejournal.com 2005-05-12 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!

i fully expect Ceej to have this thing decked out with retractable wings, control console, unique "aircraft" number stencilled on the side/back (call number?) along with other aircraft-related modifications.

Re: Bloody brilliant!

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-05-12 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Y'know, I never thought of decorating it. I got it for free, I don't (yet?) NEED it... but hey. Yeah, I could paint it purple and put an aircraft "tail number" on it. And a G-meter. I even HAVE a G-meter. :-)

Re: Bloody brilliant!

[identity profile] just-cyd.livejournal.com 2005-05-12 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
well, if you HAVE the G-meter, then i think you HAFTA!

might i recommend colored tissue paper and mod podge for the aluminum parts?

and a horn or other "get outta my freaking way!" attention-getter.

[identity profile] queensheba.livejournal.com 2005-05-14 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
That was cute!

[identity profile] cyan-blue.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
I was thinking 'wheelie' too, before I saw that you'd wrote it.

You might post on some of the disability LJ channels - bet lots of people there know cool terminology. I like how HIV+ folks sometimes refer to themselves as Poz...

[identity profile] allanh.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
I've always a person in a wheelchair rolls or wheels.
A person in a wheelchair is a wheelie or a wheeler.
A short word for a wheelchair is: 'chair or wheelchair or racing chair.
The act of controlling a wheelchair is called piloting (hi, Rob!), steering, wheeling, or driving.

You might check out [livejournal.com profile] weelz's journal, and tell her I suggested you ask her, since she's in a wheelchair.

[identity profile] rampling.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
Cool questions! I don't have any real answers, just my opinions:

I'd say a person in a wheelchair wheels. "I'll wheel over there and get it."

A short word for a wheelchair is chair. "I'll take the chair over there."

I'd also say controlling/steering a wheelchair is wheeling. "I'll wheel over there...", "My arms are tired after all this wheeling around."

I can't really imagine a word for a person in a wheelchair user beyond "wheelchair user" like you wrote. Shorter might be "chair user". P'raps you could instigate "wheelie" or "wheeler".

Word questions are fun!

I hope if the wheelchair thing continues to work out for you, that you can get one of those cool racing chairs; that'd give you some fab exercise mobility, I'd think. And be so cool and fun!

[identity profile] aelfie.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, take this tounge in cheek as I was "stuck" in a wheelchair for a summer during high school (amazing football injury, ask me about it if you are really interested) and this is some of the terminology I used.

Non wheelchair bound people walk, the person in the wheelchair gets to where they need to go!

The person in the wheelchair is a gimp (I was in a hip to toe cast, and that was the nickname I earned.)

Act of controlling? scoring points hitting pedestrians (which was easy to do with that foot stuck way out there!)

I like silly, it makes the universe less serious!

[identity profile] quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 01:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I couldn't possibly, you see. It would be silly.

Your point being? :-)

[identity profile] gasslight.livejournal.com 2005-05-11 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Silly, yes, but I like it too.

[identity profile] sunnydale47.livejournal.com 2005-05-14 08:56 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, when you talk to a blind person you say, "Have you seen XYZ movie?" or "Have you seen Suzy lately?" When you say goodbye, you say, "See you later" if that's what you'd usually say.

When you talk to a deaf person you say, "Did you hear about Jack and Lulabelle?" or "Have you heard from Olga?" When a deaf person lectures, they are "speaking." If your child interrupts your signed conversation with a deaf person, you say "Not now! Jane and I are talking."

But I'm not sure how this would extend to using a wheelchair.

I know you posted this days ago (I'm struggling to catch up, at least with my most important friends), but I'll ask [livejournal.com profile] chungjik to take a look at this and give you his opinions. He and his wife both use wheelchairs.
redbird: closeup of me drinking tea, in a friend's kitchen (Default)

non-wheelchair using copyeditor here

[personal profile] redbird 2005-05-14 09:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't use a wheelchair, but I'll play anyway:

1: wheels or rides (the former if the person is it's muscle-powered and the person using the chair is providing that power; the latter for a powered chair or one pushed by someone else).
2: wheelchair user
3: chair
4: steering or wheeling feels best.

I'd also be a little careful, if the chair is being pushed by someone else: "pushed Chris's wheelchair" is better than "pushed Chris", though "the nurse wheeled my cousin down to the OR" is also reasonable.

I don't know how much distinction there is in usage between someone who uses a wheelchair longterm and someone who is using one temporarily or briefly: the hospital patient in the example above, or someone who ordinarily uses a cane or walker but is being pushed through an airport in a wheelchair.

And there's the usage I warned about a paragraph earlier, but "in a wheelchair" feels appropriate in that context and seems to call for that verb.

[identity profile] mactavish.livejournal.com 2005-05-14 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
For electric chairs, a slang term is "powerchair." Lots of people use that one to differentiate it from a pushed chair.

[identity profile] chungjik.livejournal.com 2005-05-15 06:22 am (UTC)(link)
I was directed to your post by [livejournal.com profile] sunnydale47. Both my Partner and I use wheelchairs for mobility. Anyway... here goes:

A person in a wheelchair is a person who uses a wheelchair. I know that is a bit wordy, but many people (including myself) strongly prefer to aknowlege the person first - and the fact that we happen to use a wheelchair next.

If possible, it is often best to specify the person's disabilty (if you know it)... of course using 'person first' language (sush as "person with Spina Bifida."

That having been saide, I have used the term "wheelchair user" at times.

A short word for a wheelchair is ______________ (???).

I usually say "wheelchair"... but I also say "chair."

The act of controlling and steering a wheelchair is called _______ (driving, steering, wheeling, ???).

I use "pushing" or wheeling... I "push" my wheelchair. Yet I frequently say things like "I went for a walk" even if I am not walking. I have also been known to go for a stroll too.

[identity profile] cjsmith.livejournal.com 2005-05-15 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi! Thanks for coming over to answer this!

I use a wheelchair for exercise. So far, I can still get around somewhat on my feet (though certainly not far or fast). But I'm tired of getting no cardio workouts pretty much ever, so I have a hand-me-down chair and am slowly strengthening my arms / upper back / the calluses on my hands. When those get good enough I can get my heart rate up, I hope I hope. Already I can move much faster in the chair than on foot!

I'm getting a lot more respect for the physical abilities of people who move around in wheelchairs all the time. This thing is not as easy to control as some folks make it look! For one thing, it randomly turns downhill all the time, with total disregard for where I *wanted* to go.

I suspect my vocabulary needs are a little different than many people's, because a) I might get away with more silliness and imperfect respect when I'm talking about me, and b) ideally I'd like the vocab to *distinguish* when I'm limping on feet and when I'm moving in the wheelchair. Of course, I'd like to avoid giving the impression that my silly words are how I think of others.

Anyway, this is a great education not only in what options I have for my own vocab but in what I should say when speaking of other people. I really like the concept of acknowledging the person first.

[identity profile] chungjik.livejournal.com 2005-05-15 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I started out using my wheelchair for extreme distances only, but when my Partner injured her back I started using my chair more often (when she has a back flair up, I often needed to get to her FAST and couldn't do so on foot). I am trying to start using my chair a bit less now.

If you're interested, I sometimes use weightlifting gloves to help prevent callouses. They are cheaper than gloves designed specifically designed for wheelchair use. You can get them in many sporting goods stores.

I agree - a wheelchair can be a bit tricky to get used to as they will start turning/moving from even the slightest incline. You'll get used to it though.

As far as vocabullary goes, we all get away with a bit more sillyness when we are talking about ourselves, but I tend to stay with specific words/phrases when talking about people with disabilities in general or when talk to people I don't know well (or large groups of people). A lot of it depends on my mood at the moment too. I often tend tosave my silly words for people who know and appreciate my sense of humor. :-)

Because I also walk a bit, I guess that I sometimes try to distingush walking vs. wheeling too. Unfortunately I can't come up with too many phrases (other than the ones in my last reply) that don't sound incredibly cheesy - LOL.I don't often tend to worry about (distinguishing) wording if my mode of movement isn't important to the story though. - That's just my take on things.

As far a the "person first" language in general conversation, I find that although wordy, it tends to teach people about societal attitudes -- and sometimes teaches them a thing or 2 about attitudes they grew up with and might not have even realized it.

It bugs me when people see me as a lot more dependant than I am - or when they see me as a medical classification first and a person second. Some medical professionals are "famous" for this. They get so used to simply keeping us alive that they sometimes forget about dignity or privacy.

And by focusing on the fact that I am a person first (who happens to have a disability), it often lossens people up a bit... such as people who are afraid they might "break" me if they aren't SUPER cautious.