I believe that everyone should have affordable access to custom wheelchairs and other mobility devices. For those who don’t understand this, or believe that this is not a necessity, let me paint a picture for you.

If you wear a men’s size 10 shoe, and I give you a men’s size 8 or 12 and ask you to wear it all day long, how would that experience be for you? Could you make it work? Sure you could. You could still walk, but by the end of the day, you would be in quite a bit of pain. You could have blisters where the too tight shoes rubbed your skin, or you could have a bruise on your forehead from where you tripped walking up the stairs in the oversized shoes. Sure, you could slit the toe of the shoes and duct tape them, or wear six pairs of socks for padding, but you will never be as comfortable or efficient as you would be if you had a pair of shoes that were the correct size to fit your feet.

Now imagine you woke up every day, put on your shoes when you got out of bed, and didn’t remove them until you got back into bed that night. And imagine the shoes covered more than just your feet. Imagine the shoes starting at your feet and touching your body all the way to your back, or even to the back of your head. The pain in your feet from your ill fitted shoes would now be exponentially worse as it affected the majority of your body.

That is the difference between a custom wheelchair and one that is “one size fits all.” Does wanting a custom wheelchair make me a diva? If so, then I am a proud diva, and you should be one too.

Oh, and by the way, if your shoes break down, or if I take your shoes away from you, you are unable to walk for the rest of the day, and you are at the mercy of others and their assistance for your care, because most people are only allowed one pair of shoes.

I bet you love your shoes now, don’t you?