Making your medical office accessible

The experience of going to the doctor’s office is challenging and frustrating for power chair users. From the moment we enter the office we know…this space is “not designed for me.” In today’s installment of “Chair With Me”, we discuss the doctor’s office and how to help power users and people with complex disabilities access everyday healthcare services. Buckle up, and "Chair With Me."

Being able to get into the building itself, is critical. Common sense?  You might be thinking, “Andrew, isn’t that common sense?” You’d be surprised at how few smaller doctor’s clinics don't have door-opening buttons or automatic doors, and this makes entry into the office impossible without help.  So, you sit outside the doctor’s office waiting for someone to see you from inside, or hoping another patient walks through the door–soon. It’s dehumanizing. Making your entry accessible sends a message to power wheelchair users that they have been considered–and that’s half the battle with accessible healthcare.  Push-button door systems on Amazon are priced as low as $1,000.

I recently booked a physical with my GP knowing she didn’t have a lift–but I needed to be seen. It’s difficult for her to assess my whole body because she can’t get me out of my wheelchair. What should have taken 20 minutes took us two hours to accomplish simply because I couldn’t transfer out of my chair.  Doctors, please install patient lifts in at least one exam room. Disabled bodies need proper physical exams, particularly because of the tendency for us to get bedsores or pressure ulcers on our skin that we can’t readily see.  Ceiling track lifts cost approximately $2-3K and portable lifts are even less expensive.