The lecture when all of us, or at least everyone who wanted, got the chance to try out a manual wheelchair and an electric one was a very interesting and informative experience. It’s actually a lot more work than one might think to only use your arms as a means to propel yourself forward, especially if the surface you were on was uphill or on uneven ground like grass or gravel. So it’s quite understandable that people who use wheelchairs regularly get really strong arms, not necessarily big arms but always strong persevering arms.
Another thing that I think we all noted was how a person somehow seemed to be impaired in some way as soon as he or she sat down in the wheelchair. This phenomena was especially prominent with the electric wheelchair. I believe it has something to do with the fact that one looks a bit passive while driving around in that wheelchair.
But one thing is for sure, no one looked passive while driving the ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). So what is it that makes people look passive in a four-wheel electric wheel chair but extremely active and kind of cool when driving a big motorized ATV? Is it the sound of the ATV? Is it the size? Of course it has more horse power, and probably a bit too much for it to be used indoors like an electric wheelchair. It would be great if the electric wheelchairs were designed in a way to avoid the person looking a passive in it, but without us having ATV’s driving around indoors in high speeds.