Work In Progress … I Love My Ventilator

Do you love your wheelchair? Or, your scooter, crutches, walker, or cane?

I love my ventilator. “Love”, of course, might not be the right word, but it’s close enough. I feel good about using it. I feel a bit insecure when it’s not accessible to me for awhile. I am grateful for it because I know how it helps me, but it also feels comforting. Even though technically I rent it, it I feel like my ventilator is mine.

When I used an electric scooter in college to get around campus, I loved it, too.

When I was in grade school, and had to wear ankle and foot splints for a few years, I hated them, mostly because they hurt. I don’t think I ever felt stigmatized by any of the disability-related “gear” I have used.

If you use any kind of adaptive equipment, do you love it, feel attached to it, hate it, or tolerate it? Do you feel stigmatized by it, or do you make it a fashion accessory? Or, do have no feeling or opinion at all?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and I will include them in a more complete post on how we think about the devices we use.