Angela Sullivan is an advocate for equity and inclusion within the disabled community. She enjoys going out with friends to a restaurant or the movies. Angela likes bowling and Italian food, and has a special place in her heart for small dogs.
My name is Angela Sullivan and I haven’t been able to walk my entire life. I got my first wheelchair right before I
started kindergarten. I’ve used manual chairs most of my life, but now I have a new, motorized chair and it has really made such a difference in my life.
I’ve had the Quickie Q700 M Power Wheelchair, which is manufactured by Sunrise Medical, for a little over a month now. This chair has so many features that allow me to do things I was unable to do in a manual chair, including raising the height of the seat, turning on lights, sounding a horn, and tilting to my desired position. And before I got this wheelchair, I was putting a lot of wear and tear on my arms. However, the last couple of years, I’ve had a wonderful team of people helping me advocate for something better than a manual chair because my shoulders just aren’t what they used to be 12 years ago.
With the help of my doctor and my physical therapist at The Arc of Monroe’s Article 16 Clinic, I was eventually able to receive this chair. It’s fully paid for by insurance, however my physical therapist Kristina Brown and my Rehab Specialist had to submit various forms of documentation to medically justify my need for the chair. Once that documentation was approved by my doctor, it was submitted to insurance. As you can imagine, it was not an easy process, but I am grateful for all the effort.
The chair has the ability to raise the seat height and tilt the seat back, as well as includes lights and a horn. This allows a person to raise the height at which they sit so they are able to better reach items on higher shelves. It also allows a person to lean back in their seat so they can sleep in the chair or just get more comfortable. The lights and horn help the person in the chair to be seen when out in the dark.
My new chair has opened up so many possibilities for me. It has given me a greater sense of independence, respect, and safety. This chair has given me the opportunity to now live on my own. I’ve been living by myself in my apartment for two years now and I can’t tell you how much better I feel knowing I don’t have to rely on a neighbor or a roommate to be around when I need to reach something from a high shelf. Before my chair, I had to keep most of my belongings on lower shelves and sometimes in boxes around the house, just so I could reach them. With my chair’s ability to raise up, I am also able to go to the grocery store unassisted and can reach groceries that are above the third shelf. And when I have to cross the road at night to get home, I can turn on my chair’s lights to let drivers know I’m crossing the street and can use the horn if someone doesn’t see me coming. Before I got my chair, it was dangerous to cross the street, but now there’s no excuse to not see me coming. Having this chair solves a safety concern.
In addition to the problems it solves for me physically, the chair also brings me a new level of respect. Being able to raise my chair up to eye level with another person has been life changing. I’m no longer needing to strain my neck to have a conversation with another person and they’re no longer having to look down on me. Many people who are in wheelchairs often feel like they’re being treated as a child when they have a conversation with someone where they have to look up at them. Being able to bring myself up to the same level as another person puts us on the same level of listening and respect. This chair has truly enabled me to receive a new level of equity.
I feel as though it’s really hard to change the perception that the government has on people who have a disability or are in a wheelchair. I believe they see having an incredible chair like this is just bells and whistles. I feel like they don’t see the need and we should be happy to get what we get – we should be happy to have a chair at all. I want to change that perception because a chair like this really brings us to the same level as everyone else. It allows us to reach taller shelves like other people are able to do, it allows us to speak to one another at eye level, and it ensures our safety when we cross the street. I want to speak up as someone who has a power wheelchair and knows the benefits and impact it has had on my daily life.