Wheelchair attribute

[+chameleon77]

Looking for clarification on the wheelchair attribute.

I recently hid a cache, and was a bit stumped on whether to add the wheelchair accessible attribute to the page. The cache is hidden at the base of a tree, about a metre away from a concrete path, which one could easily get to in a wheelchair (flat terrain). However, cacher would have to get on the ground and reach into the base of the tree to retrieve said cache. Does this constitute a wheelchair accessible cache? Are there any written criteria for how to judge a wheelchair accessible cache?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

[+sledgehampster]

However, cacher would have to get on the ground and reach into the base of the tree to retrieve said cache. Does this constitute a wheelchair accessible cache? Are there any written criteria for how to judge a wheelchair accessible cache?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

 

Can the person in the wheelchair retrieve the cache without leaving it (chair) or putting them at risk of falling out or turning over? Would they need to have help or a reaching device? If so, I consider it not wheelchair accessible. That is the criteria I use.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Looking for clarification on the wheelchair attribute.

I recently hid a cache, and was a bit stumped on whether to add the wheelchair accessible attribute to the page. The cache is hidden at the base of a tree, about a metre away from a concrete path, which one could easily get to in a wheelchair (flat terrain). However, cacher would have to get on the ground and reach into the base of the tree to retrieve said cache. Does this constitute a wheelchair accessible cache? Are there any written criteria for how to judge a wheelchair accessible cache?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

It sounds like the cacher would have to get down on their hands and knees to retrieve the cache. That doesn't seem very handicapped accessible to me. Now if you can get to the cache and reach it from your wheelchair, then it is handicapped accessible.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Can the person in the wheelchair retrieve the cache without leaving it (chair) or putting them at risk of falling out or turning over? Would they need to have help or a reaching device? If so, I consider it not wheelchair accessible. That is the criteria I use.

 

That's your answer.

 

It can be a tough call on if someone can wheel that chair across a lawn for the last 3'. Most could, but the lawn can't be soggy/spongy and you can't have a big lip where the sidewalk hits the lawn, and it's not going to be easy just the same.

[+StarBrand]

I know everybody has differnet abilities from a wheelchair so I go with: if they could go in Wal Mart and retrieve it - then it is wheelchair accessible - anything more is generally not.

[+*mouse*]

Is the wheelchair attribute specific to wheelchair users or is it a broader symbol to represent all disabilities? Obviously not everyone with a disability uses a wheelchair.

 

This is why sites like handicaching.com are so much more useful than one little attribute symbol. I say that the more detail you can provide on the cache page the better so just explain the situation as you have on this posting in you cache and let those with disabilities decide for themselves.

[+StarBrand]

Well said

[+Renegade Knight]

Is the wheelchair attribute specific to wheelchair users or is it a broader symbol to represent all disabilities? Obviously not everyone with a disability uses a wheelchair...

 

It's specific to wheelchair users. It's a lot easier to figure out what a wheel chair can and can't do and where it can and can't go than the specifics of the person using it. It's hard enough to figure out the wheelchair itself.

 

If anyone has a chance to tool around in a wheelchair I'd strongly reccomend it. Iv'e designed for wheelchair users for 10+ years and still learned a lot just by trying to wheel the thing across a campus.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Ditto the mouse on recommending handicaching.com, and the hampster on if they have to get out of the chair it's not accessible.

 

I cache on crutches and sometimes in a wheelchair and struggle with this rating issue myself. It's a tough call, and I finally decided to go with the lowest common denominator - to me a cacher must be able to unload his chair from the vehicle, roll it all the way to the cache and retrieve the cache from the wheelchair.

 

That definition is not too narrow, I have seen hundreds of caches where this is possible.

 

I personally don't update handicaching.com because of all the variables involved, making accurate rating of all but the most accessible caches very difficult.

 

As far as the non-wheelchair-related disabilities, that is even more problematic! I lost a leg, broke my neck, suffer extreme chronic pain, but can get to almost any cache either in my wheelchair or on crutches, and I have cached with two blind people and a whole bunch of brain-injured patients with varying levels of capability, so it is impossible for me to evaluate who can do what cache except on a one-by-one basis.

 

A determined person can do most anything, but how do you rate determination?

 

Ed

[+chameleon77]

Thanks to all for the input, comments,and views.

I find it hard to try and determine whether something is wheelchair accessible, as basically, I have no experience of wheelchairs.

I generally err on the side of caution and make it a rating of 1.5, but then I feel like I'm being discriminatory towards wheelchair users. But then I don't want to say something is wheelchair accessible, and then have the person suffer frustration in not being able to get to it.

Again, thanks to all for the input.

[+michigansnorkelers]

Thanks to all for the input, comments,and views.

I find it hard to try and determine whether something is wheelchair accessible, as basically, I have no experience of wheelchairs.

I generally err on the side of caution and make it a rating of 1.5, but then I feel like I'm being discriminatory towards wheelchair users. But then I don't want to say something is wheelchair accessible, and then have the person suffer frustration in not being able to get to it.

Again, thanks to all for the input.

 

One possibility is to stick with the 1.5 rating and mention in the description what the actual retrieval will entail. Or an offer to relay specific information by email.

 

When I broke my leg geocaching this summer, I found it extremely difficult to get around on crutches initially. Even going up a curb was difficult and dangerous. Even lamp post caches in parking lots were difficult if they were situated on a curbed landscaping. It was frutrating to hobble several hundred feet down level trails only to find the last 30 feet of the approach impassible to me.

[Keystone]

When someone submits a cache in my review territory, rates it one star for terrain, but doesn't use the wheelchair attribute, they receive the following notice:

 

Your new cache submission will be published momentarily, but I would ask you to please double-check to make sure the terrain is rated properly. If you used the cache rating system link ( http://www.clayjar.com/gcrs/ ) when you submitted the cache, you will note that a 1 star terrain cache should be wheelchair accessible. If that's the case, great! (Please consider using the handicapped accessible "cache attribute" to let people know this.) If it's not wheelchair accessible, then the terrain should be at least 1.5 stars. For more information, please see this article: http://www.todayscacher.com/2004/sep/outdoors.asp#disable

 

Thanks,

Keystone

Geocaching.com Volunteer Cache Reviewer

 

I commend the linked article for everyone to read.