Sporting Wheelies CEO Challenge

BY SDA Services CEO Amanda Dodds

Introduction

I recently took part in the Sporting Wheelies CEO Wheelie Challenge, so please get ready for a very raw and real take on my experience!

I decided to join the challenge as I am the CEO of SDA Services, an organisation that assists eligible NDIS participants to gain Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) funding within their NDIS plans. I believed this challenge would give me a small glimpse into how life in an inaccessible world can be a huge factor in our clients motivation to engage our services. But, what I got from the experience was so much more.

The Purpose of the Sporting Wheelies CEO Wheelie Challenge

The purpose of the challenge is to give people the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of people living with disability by improving access and inclusion and raising vital funds. It also aims to push some real conversations and take action on inclusion and accessibility. Another reason I decided to take part is that our client and COO of Sporting Wheelies was recently successful in enrolling his SDA home and gaining a level of SDA approval so he can live in his home with his loved ones. This was a 5-year journey for Dane, with the assistance of our founder Greg Barry and SDA Services.

The Challenge

In the beginning, the challenge sounded pretty simple…. spend a day using a wheelchair at the office and at home to gain a better understanding of the day-to-day challenges of people living with disability may face and experience first-hand how simple things may be incredibly difficult for someone with a disability, such as navigating into the office, getting to your desk or accessing facilities like bathrooms. Simple? Not quite!!

A Breakdown of My Day!

I woke up at my usual time of 6.45am, transferred myself into the chair, and rolled into the kitchen. First challenge, breakfast. A meal I usually can knock over in about 10 minutes. Not today! Should I boil an egg, no, I can’t reach the eggs. Should I make toast, no I can’t reach the plug. Should I skip breakfast, no, I will be too hangry. So I ended up pouring a bowl of cereal that is usually marked for my 5 year old son, simply because I could reach it. But how do I get from the kitchen to the table as I need 2 hands to push my chair and no way of keeping the bowl of cereal from spilling over my lap. I chose to eat the cereal, staring at the fridge. No morning news for me! I also soon remembered how lactose intolerant I am when I drink milk, but I will spare you those details!

Next it was time to get ready. I approached the bathroom and soon realised that I could not access the shower. For me, a morning shower is something I NEED to get moving. So this was a real blow. It also made me think of how much I take for granted about being able to choose when I shower. I could just see over the sink to do my hair and makeup in the bathroom mirror. And I mean just!

Back to the kitchen to prepare my lunch box. By this stage, my morning routine has taken roughly double the time, so I am already running late for work and getting really stressed and anxious. I also can’t reach my morning tea in the pantry, so I just make do with what I can reach and get going.

Oh wait, I can’t even open the front door to my apartment! The door is too heavy and opens inwards, so I was essentially stuck. Luckily I have a lovely neighbour who was able to assist. I live in a six-story apartment building, which luckily has a lift, so getting downstairs was relatively easy, the first (and only) easy thing of the day!

I arrive at work and can’t open the front door or get over the lip on the floor. I bang on the door (pretty aggressively, I might add) and am let in by my colleagues. I was running extremely late, noticeably flustered, feeling really stressed… and it was only 9.45 am. At this point I am thinking, what have I got myself into!!

I had a few meetings throughout the day with various clients and my colleagues (some who are also wheelchair users) and found that instead of talking about what was on the agenda, we talked mostly about this challenge and my experiences so far! Which was the entire purpose of the day, so I felt really proud of that.

I was able to prepare my morning tea and lunch in the office kitchen with a small amount of ease, leaving my dirty plates for others to clean up since I could not access the sink (and any excuse for that, really!).

I left work and met my boyfriend Matt at the local cinema. Now, I am one of those people who hate sitting through the cinema ads, so naturally, I arrive my usual 15 minutes past the movie start time. I usually park in this spot that gives me direct access to the cinema, so I can just run up, grab my popcorn, and take a seat right as the last preview or two are on. But wait, I realise my direct access route is actually a flight of stairs! So, that was not an option tonight. At that exact moment, the thought about wheeling myself around the “long way” and knowing how long this would take gave me physical anxiety. But I pushed on. All of a sudden, a tiny slope in the terrain looked like Mount Everest. I had to keep stopping to take breaks, and at one point, I got stuck in the garden! I made it to the entrance and again faced the dreaded door! Luckily, Matt was able to assist, and we were in. I made it to the theatre with about 1 minute to spare. The reserved accessible seating was right at the front. Now, I am a middle of the theatre seat person, so I was not overly impressed with the allocated seating!

After the movie, and after drinking a large Pepsi Max, I was busting for the loo. I thought it was the perfect opportunity to check out the accessible toilet. But I thought wrong! Accessible?? I think not!! I could not physically open the door and push it wide enough to then wedge myself in, all while trying to wheel through. I am unsure what accessible means to this toilet, but it was most certainly not! Again, Matt to the rescue here.

We then headed to Grilld’ for dinner. Not the most spacious arrangement when it comes to seating. I had to apologise to about 5 people as I navigated my way through to our table, because I either ran into them, or over them! Another perfect opportunity to chat about the challenge though!

One thing I was really grateful for was the QR ordering system. I guess we can thank Covid for that. But I really did a little fist pump when I saw that, as the thought of trying to get to the counter to order was not something I was keen to do. I imagine this was a relief to all the people I injured on the way in too!

Home time, and I could not wait to get to bed. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I slept for a solid 11 hours that night.

I woke up the next morning and felt a sense of immediate relief that I was able to get up on my own 2 feet and go about my morning, like usual. This relief had a huge impact on me. I could not stop thinking about the people that can’t get up and do that every day. It played on my mind a lot. The whole experience did. And I have been reflecting on it ever since.

How SDA Housing Assists Those Living with Disability

Upon completing the challenge, I decided to reach out to my friends and colleagues Jack and Emma. They live in an SDA home, and we actually met them through their journey to get SDA funding. They invited me over to their home so I could experience how an SDA home, specifically designed for people living in wheelchair, can make some of these tasks I attempted easier. 

The first thing I noticed, and gave out a verbal WOO HOO was the automated door! Who would think that a door that self opens could bring someone so much joy! But boy oh boy, it did! The other thing I also noticed right away was how the apartment was designed in a way that I could easily move around. 

I hit the kitchen to see how perhaps making breakfast may have been simpler in an SDA home. I could reach the plugs! I could access the pantry! I could reach the microwave! But, wait for it, I could use the sink! The way the sink is designed in Jack and Emma’s house means that the tap is on the other side of the bench, meaning that I could reach it to turn it on and off. What a thrill! 

I then ventured into the bathroom and was immediately impressed that the shower floor was all on one level, I could fit under the sink and see my whole face in the mirror! 

I could go on and on about all of the WOO HOO moments I had while visiting Jack and Emma’s house all day. It has all the features that could be considered life changing to someone living in a wheelchair. I am so happy that something like SDA exists, and that we are able to support people to gain SDA funding within their plan. 

Conclusion: An Eye Opening Experience

So, all in all, my experience was extremely positive, however, a complete eye opener to the world that over 180,000 Australians face every single day. I will never take for granted the fact that I can do so many of the things other people can’t. Like choose when I shower, make the meals I actually want to eat, allow me to do things in half the time, and simply, and I mean the most SIMPLE thing of all, open a bloody door! 

Thank you to Sporting Wheelies for providing me the opportunity to take part in this challenge. I would honestly challenge each and every one of you to do the same one day. I am proud of myself for doing it, and I will do it again (and reposition a few things first!).  I am also very pleased to have raised $568 for Sporting Wheelies in the process!