Cache on Wheels

Thatis fantastic news. Sometimes it takes for someone to point you in the right direction to be positive about what you can do- sounds like you are the best one for the job! Well done and keep up the hard yet rewarding work. Heather

Thatis fantastic news. Sometimes it takes for someone to point you in the right direction to be positive about what you can do- sounds like you are the best one for the job! Well done and keep up the hard yet rewarding work. Heather

I so pleased at all the response this post is getting. I have had a few people contact me to say they have erased their caches and added extra information to their profile pages for their GC. Some have handicache rated their own and some they have visited. One friend that saw my post has asked me to go out and check out her newly set cache to rate it with het. This is all very positive indeed. Thank you, keep your comments and questions coming. I know it is difficult as so many people have different limitations and good and bad moments throughout the day. But by putting things like: you may need help to retrieve the GC due to the height it is at, feel free to contact me if you want further info... Is good. That way it doesn't give it away to everyone and also if you reply that it's on the floor or chest height, the individual will know if they can reach it. Personally I never cache on my own, but many people with disabilities do. Have look when you are out next GC and take a note book with you to record the terrains.. You will be surprised at what you notice when your eyes are open to looking out for these things. I used to be extremely fit and active so it is something I have had to get used to over the years, so I know it is not easy. Maybe you know someone who is in a wheelchair or who needs to use one when out for a walk, why not think about inviting them out with you, ask their opinions. We are all learning from each other and that is fantastic. Thank you Heather

Hi there Re grass If it is short grass and fairly flat, then my mobility scooter and my friends wheelchair with her cool trike wheel adaption that turns her wheelchair into a powered kinda trike would have no problem. Such as a football field. Just think about pushing a buggy along it. If it is unkept grass like a farmers field,, you may consider ground clearance for scooters. You can always add photos to your GC profile page of terrains you are unsure are suitable and them the individual can decide. I think the important message is to make sure people know you are happy to answer questions if they have the via message service. A cache I visited on Monday, had a small area of say 10m that had a muddy puddle in the way and to go round it was really uneven, so as I can also stand and walk with crutches, my husband wheeled my scooter through the short rough terrain, then helped me through after.

Have you had a look at my bookmark lists on my profile page? See if you can see them as I am a premium member. I have a few bookmark lists such as: Wheelchair friendly Wheelchair plus helper Wheelchair plus crutches - no slopes The above plus helper. I think theain thing like someone else mentioned, is to put 1/1..5 but also add in your description why you have rated it so. In my eyes, rating it W/C attribute is saying you can get a wheelchair round the route. You can add that depending on your abilities, you may need a helper to retrieve Tge cache due to: a- height it's at, b- you can't get W/C right up to the GZ etc. That's why I think it's good to handicache rate and GC you visit or set up. If you don't want to rate it, just add the info on the GC profile page. Thank you for your input. Heather

It can be a tough decision. I have a fair amount of caches that I think a person in a wheelchair can do, but since the cache is at ground level, I don't know if it should be rated a 1 or a 1.5 star. If you aren't sure about putting the handicap attribute on your cache page, then it should be rated a 1.5. If you are upfront in the description about why it's rated a 1.5 instead of a 1, then handicapped people can read through that and make their own decision. It just depends on how much you want to reveal in the description. I think one thing you could write is: The route from parking is wheelchair accessible up until the last 10meters at Tge GZ. Depending on your abilities at that moment eg if you can also use crutches, bend down, reach up... You may need help to retrieve the GC. However, if you have any further questions, please feel free to message me. I wonder if that may be something you would consider writing. If you handicache rate a GC, There is also space to add a description, just as I did as well as using the drop down boxes. Hope that helps Heather aka Cache on Wheels.

Good thinking, thank you. Here is my handicaching rating for my GC. Handicaching rating for my GC The Square GC38AZQ in Puddletown, UK There is ample suitable parking for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV's) at the coordinates. I understand that disabilities can vary from moment to moment and not just from day to day. All the information you need is easily accessible if you are in a wheelchair or on a scooter. I too am disabled and I find it difficult to concentrate myself due to my own disabilities. Many multi caches or puzzle caches are beyond me, so I have set this GC with this in mind, therefore working out the coordinates for the GZ from the clues is fairly easy for anyone making it also a good one for children. You may need help to retrieve the cache depending on your abilities at that moment. I can achieve this GC using my scooter up until the last few meters at the GZ, then by using my crutches. Depending how i feel at that moment, i would sometimes need help to retrieve the cache, given the height it is at. Please let me know how you get on and if this info has been helpful. Happy Caching Heather B aka Cache on Wheels Cache Owner

That is just what I have added in the description, all those headings such as ground surface, gradient, distance to cache, obstruction... Are on the ratings part of the HC review with drop down list of options on each one. Have a look at my GC the square to see what I mean. There are some great comments so far - thank you to everyone. I have invited a friend of mine to join Tge conversation who is a reviewer and also my friend who introduced me to HC, so it will give us some more feedback from their experiences too. Try rating a cache you have been to that you could get a scooter or wheelchair round. Sone comments may include: suitable for wheelchairs and scooters, however, if you do not have a powered W/C, it may be tough on the atendant who is pushing due to some slopes.

The simple answer is you can't. The only thing we can do is to rate the Terrain for what it is and let the cacher decide for themselves if they can do it. As I understand it, the rating system that we use today came from the forums. What could be done is for some of us to start adding another small section to their listing. Here is something just off the top of my head... Ground Surface - Hard dirt with small pebbles. Ground Slope - 90% of it is level with a few easy short hills. Obstructions in route - None within 5 feet of trail. Obstructions near GZ - Small trees and a few large rocks. Weather Considerations - If it rains, a 1-2 inch puddle will form on parts of the trail. Light Considerations - Nothing special. I'm sure someone could come up with something better, but it's a thought.

The good thing here is that there already IS a site that allows us to rate the GC and add comments. Everyone is different so it's always good to add a comment. I am not suggesting that GS change the rating system, they already have the wheelchair attribute too: that's great! By one reading from the handicachig rating (HC) one can see for themselves what they may be able to achieve. My main thought is I would like Groundspeak (GS) to link up with HC so when people set or visit a GC, there is a button to give you the option to review the GC via HC. We can always add quick comments on terrain.. When we log the cache. If you look at my GC that I set it gives quite a good all round description along with the rating I believe which would help people with most types of disabilities: Handicaching rating for my GC The Square GC38AZQ in Puddletown, UK There is ample suitable parking for wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV's) at the coordinates. I understand that disabilities can vary from moment to moment and not just from day to day. All the information you need is easily accessible if you are in a wheelchair or on a scooter. I too am disabled and I find it difficult to concentrate myself due to my own disabilities. Many multi caches or puzzle caches are beyond me, so I have set this GC with this in mind, therefore working out the coordinates for the GZ from the clues is fairly easy for anyone making it also a good one for children. You may need help to retrieve the cache depending on your abilities at that moment. I can achieve this GC using my scooter up until the last few meters at the GZ, then by using my crutches. Depending how i feel at that moment, i would sometimes need help to retrieve the cache, given the height it is at. Please let me know how you get on and if this info has been helpful. Happy Caching Heather B aka Cache on Wheels Cache Owner

90 angel: thank you for your thoughts, together we will help spread the word. I am so pleased that the info has been beneficial to you. I would live to hear back from people of how extra info from this site has helped with GC too. You could join me in being a handicaching evangelist and help spread the word. Why not put a bit about OT on your profile page too. Have a look on my profile page - I am happy for you to copy and paste any relevant info to this for your profile page.

Hi to the VanDucks I have clicked on the link and it does work, it brings up all the details too! Thank you and well done. I was unsure too with copy and pasting the link, I couldn't believe it would be that easy, but it is. You could join me in being a handicaching evangelist and help spread the word. Why not put a bit about OT on your profile page too. Have a look on my profile page - I am happy for you to copy and paste any relevant info to this for your profile page. Thank you

Is it possible to link the handicaching.com (HC) site with geocaching.com (GC) so that we could log in with our GC username and have a button that we could press to say 'review this cache with handicaching.com' please? This could also be there when we are logging a cache we have visited, found, DNF... Also when CO set up their own GC, there could be a button or link for them to add a HC rating to it, tho not essential. This link would then take us directly to the HC site with the GC code already entered in. Alternatively, could you make it possible for us to be able to copy and paste the GC code on GC.com site? At the moment, it just copies a link which does not even include the GC code. For example, here is a copy of the GC code I tried to paste for a GC I set: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=405f9148-b2ce-4dee-a2a6-7c0197f943d6# This would br a great opportunity for all involved to help provide more accurate details for disabled people / children alike. I love GC as it helps me to set small achievable goals that with more accurate info can more easily be achieved. Thank you for your time and I look forward to your sensitive replies. Yours faithfully Cache on Wheels

Dear fellow GC. Being disabled myself I find some GC are not adequately rated for wheelchair / mobility scooter accessibility: both ways. Some I missed out on my husband said I could have gone along but would have needed help to retrieve the cache. My aim is to promote the site my friend Wendy introduced me to. So far, CO have changed descriptions eg w/c friendly to last 10m, may need help to retrieve cache. This is great and makes a huge difference to me. It means I can enjoy many more GC trails and hides. I have also emailed CO prior to setting out to check on suitability. For those who have not heard of it, you can log on to handicachig.com and review your own and other GC in far more detail, so easy to use too. Please can you give positive feedback on your ideas of this above and following post idea? Please keep it supportive and positive to help more disabled people to get out and about GC. You can see more detailed info on my profile page.

Hi there, sometimes people can hold on to TB as sometimes I do but ONLY WITH THE OWNERS PERMISSION and for a specific reason like when we were going on holiday to France a month after we got one and it linked with it's mission. Other ones I have at mo, I have contacted Tge owners to request that I hold onto them for a couple of weeks for eg BUT, I make sure they click up earth miles whilst I have them. If it was me, I would contact the reviewer in your area and ask their advice or if they would be prepared to contact them for you. Have you asked if Tgere is a reason why they have not moved them on? Have you looked at their profile to see if they have been GC since having them? I aak as I had a long period of in activity before I branched out on my own acc. This was due to severe illness and disability. I really hope you can find a way for them to move your TB on. Good luck