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  • Cynthiapointysticksncoffee@wandering.shop
    Oct 29, 2026, 8:53 AM

    Wheelchair users, how does one get over an obstacle like this: a pretty high treshold or curb where the ground level drops after the treshold (usually with a doorway to pass through as a bonus)? I find it tricky, if not impossible to wheelie over, and going backwards is downright terrifying/asking for a crushed skull. Nicely Halloween appropriate, but I get enough stares as it is.
    Any tips or tricks other than praying or having someone there to help? 1/2

    #accessibility #wheelchair

    Wonky line drawing of a wheelchair in front of a treshold/curb where the ground before the curb is higher than after.
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Replies

  • Cynthiapointysticksncoffee@wandering.shop
    Oct 30, 2026, 8:07 AM

    2/2 Adding after a tip:
    I use an 'active' lightweight wheelchair with a rear power assist (Smoov). I'm fairly agile, most curbs don't bother me at all.

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  • Cynthiapointysticksncoffee@wandering.shop
    Oct 29, 2026, 3:35 PM

    @chasalin and there's a surprising amount of them populating the semi-public buildings of this country. And since they're semi-public, there's usually no ramp. Fun times.

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  • DysguFi 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿AngleseyStick@toot.wales
    Oct 30, 2026, 7:35 AM

    @pointysticksncoffee as a child I remember being impressed by tank traps - even something as powerful as a tank could be stopped by a simple change in levels. What you are describing seems to be a wheelchair trap - designed to prevent access. To be more efficient, the lower floor (which could be even lower) should be a soft surface to ensure that the wheelchair tips up at this point. Only a short section of soft, of course, because we want the occupant's face to make contact with

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  • Megan Lynch (she/her)meganL@mas.to
    Oct 30, 2026, 7:52 AM

    @pointysticksncoffee

    Looks horrendously inaccessible.

    Not a wheelchair user, but have known some and am familiar with some of the accessibility issues.

    To increase the likelihood of getting a pertinent answer, I think it would help if you edit your post to add in what kind or even what brand of wheelchair you use and your level of disability when it comes to operating it by yourself (that is, how much arm and hand strength/dexterity you have for either a manual chair's wheels or a power chair's joystick). Do you use any extras with your chair like a front or rear e-assist?

    An athletic paraplegic is going to have more options than, for instance, someone with advanced muscular dystrophy.

    I'm sorry you're encountering this. Things everywhere should be more accessible than this.

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  • Cynthiapointysticksncoffee@wandering.shop
    Oct 30, 2026, 8:03 AM

    @meganL So far, wheelchair users seem pretty non-existent here, I have zero responses with tips so far. It is inaccessible, totally. But since that isn't going to change any time soon, I'd rather find a way around it that doesn't involve 'bring your own ramp' 😁

    Thanks!

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  • Megan Lynch (she/her)meganL@mas.to
    Oct 30, 2026, 8:25 AM

    @pointysticksncoffee My impression is that there are probably a fair amount of ambulatory wheelchair users due to hEDS and other conditions, but it's true that the most easy-to-find disability subcultures here are blind folks and folks with ME.

    @Aubrie uses a powerchair and perhaps knows of more wheelchair users on Mastodon.

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  • Aubrie LeeAubrie@aubrielee.com
    Oct 31, 2026, 2:31 AM

    @meganL @pointysticksncoffee Hello over there! The only other active-on-Mastodon roller friend I have is mastodon.social/@lizzard

    I have no brilliant solutions for the original question, unfortunately. Every workaround that comes to mind involves putting something down (like an additional block or platform to raise the inner floor level) or relying on physical ability (like standing up and moving the chair, then sitting back down—I am non-ambulatory but have seen people stand up to nudge their scooters around tight turnarounds).

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  • lizzardlizzard@mastodon.social
    Nov 1, 2026, 12:20 AM

    @Aubrie @meganL @pointysticksncoffee agreed. I would get the owner of the property to buy a shor folding metal ramp. The 3 foot ones are under $200. And then custom make a little wedge for the shorter bit from wood or even cut a rubber threshold thing to fit

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  • always tiredproject1enigma@chaos.social
    Oct 30, 2026, 12:46 PM

    @pointysticksncoffee @meganL I've got no good idea. I used a manual active user wheelchair for nearly 3 years. I tried something like that once and failed unhappily. (In my case afterwards the level was the same as before, but the in between thing was higher and not large enough to get up and then down in separate steps.)

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  • Ryelleryellity@mastodon.social
    Oct 30, 2026, 8:30 AM

    @pointysticksncoffee Probably not the answer you're looking for, but if I encounter this (and nobody is pushing me) I get out of my wheelchair, push it over and get back in. But if you'd be comfortable doing that, you'd probably not ask the question here...

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  • Cynthiapointysticksncoffee@wandering.shop
    Oct 30, 2026, 8:35 AM

    @ryellity It's what I do, too, kind of. I end up using a foot or even both, but I end up very uncomfortably winded and dizzy with a high heartrate, and would love to avoid that.

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  • mozzribozenbeater@beige.party
    Oct 30, 2026, 1:39 PM

    @pointysticksncoffee @ryellity

    Would it make sense to have some portable ramps with you?

    Perhaps a small threshold ramp on your side to get the casters over the lip (like some rubber), then a folding ramp running down to the lower ground?

    I've no idea about the realities of using a wheelchair, so sorry if this is nonsensical... I know this solution is additional weight.

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  • Ryelleryellity@mastodon.social
    Oct 30, 2026, 2:02 PM

    @zenbeater @pointysticksncoffee Thanks for thinking with us.

    I usually bring my husband that works 😉

    Also, luckily I can walk and stand for short periods of time, so getting out of my wheelchair is not usually a problem for me. It is funny how surprised people are to meet someone who uses a wheelchair, but looks perfectly healthy and can sometimes walk short distances. (I have a problem where I can't process information and walk simultaneously, and I tire super fast)

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  • Elizenerylisettedeboer@mastodon.social
    Oct 30, 2026, 8:47 AM

    @pointysticksncoffee We had those at the kajak club where I'm a member. One of the few things we had to fix immediately when a (very agile) wheelchair user joined. More comfortable for everyone really.

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  • fritzoidsfritzoids@mas.to
    Oct 30, 2026, 9:09 AM

    @pointysticksncoffee

    I am going to make 2 assumptions:
    1) these are privately owned places that welcome the general public in, such as a shop or a doctor's office.
    2) the Dutch are as reluctant to raise a fuss as the Germans are (if not more so).

    I help my neighbor who is a wheelchair user with some of her errands and appointments. She has gotten two places to acquire fold-away ramps by asking them to either help her into the store (so they can see how difficult it is) or having them bring out their wares to show her on the sidewalk and then mentioning that she is not the only person with this issue and that these fold-away ramps exist.

    Maybe someone has an answer that does not rely on the store/ doctor's office valuing its customers/ patients.

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  • Cynthiapointysticksncoffee@wandering.shop
    Oct 30, 2026, 11:10 AM

    @ticho @mees fun fact: I encounter these constructions most often in emergency exits - which I get to use fairly often because those are usually at street level. Bonus points for uneven pavement because ‘it’s just a back alley’. Main entrances often still involve high and/or multiple steps leading to the door or non-electric revolving doors in these kinds of buildings.

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  • Mees 🔻mees@sunny.garden
    Oct 30, 2026, 11:43 AM

    @pointysticksncoffee @ticho so much fun it is maddening. Really, all architects should spend a week in a wheelchair each year, just to see how much of their work is plain inaccessible. Oh, and city planners as well.

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  • Cynthiapointysticksncoffee@wandering.shop
    Oct 30, 2026, 11:52 AM

    @mees @ticho preferably on a max of 1,5 hrs of sleep a night while hungry. Because that’s comparable to a how a lot of disabled people feel on a good day. (‘Just go around the block to reach an accessible entry’ gets old really fast when you’re running on fumes.)

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  • kimukimu@wandering.shop
    Oct 30, 2026, 4:05 PM

    @pointysticksncoffee I’m a temp wheelchair user (non weight bearing on one leg while it heals). I haven’t encountered anything quite like this where there’s an up directly before a drop. How high are the parts? I generally find drops really hard and scary to navigate (even without the threshold part), even with someone helping since I’m using a manual chair. I’m assuming you’re finding this while on the go vs a scenario where you could have something like a stool to help transfer across it?

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