Terrain + Flooring

Terrain and flooring - it’s not sexy but it needs to be talked about. For me, it was really one of the first things I took into consideration while wedding planning. As we all know, not all terrain and flooring is wheelchair friendly. Friendly, being the key word here.

Now we’re all different and our set up is different. Even people with the same injury level will have different features on their wheelchair to accommodate how their injury has changed their body, something that is comfortable for one person won’t be comfortable for another..

So here’s the list but remember to talk to your peeps. Power wheelchairs may maneuver some terrain better than manual wheelchairs. I’ve never used one though so I’ll ask around and see what info I can find out.

I’ll start with one we can all agree on- carpet should return to the ninth circle of Hell from which it came.

tile/stone with deep/wide grout or grooves - Often found in Spanish style venues, this tile kills my vibe. My biggest grievance is the vibration. First, my feet fall off my footplate. I could not hold my feet and a bouquet at the same time and even if I could I should not. Second, I find it pretty loud and distracting, wheelchairs are made out of metal, and you can definitely hear it on this type or flooring. Third, and perhaps the biggest problem, the spasms those repetitive little jolts give!

If you don’t know, many people with spinal cord injuries experience spasms after their injuries. There are different types that happen for different reasons but ultimately they all result in involuntary movements. These movements can range from small movements and tightening to literally falling out of ones wheelchair. I bring this up because guess what triggers those spasms?..Well for me its; light touch, sudden touch, cool touch, hot touch, weather changes, wind, temperature changes, clothing that is too loose and you guessed it bumpy flooring.

packed dirt/trails: Packed dirt is underrated. Ultimately, our wedding was off a trail and in packed dirt. Apart from some shoes getting dusty it really worked out well. I was able to push myself on it and my friends who walked me down the “aisle” were able to maneuver my wheelchair just fine ( we did this with one person pushing from behind and the other person by my side incase there was a hole or bump and she needed to lift the front of my wheelchair ever so slightly).

Sand: Sand itself is a hard no. Regular, manual wheelchairs cannot get through much more than a dusting of sand without help and that help has to have some pretty serious strength. There’s good news though, AccessTrax exist! These portable, modular mats can be placed right on the sand making the beach far more wheelchair accessible. Now, I’ll give you that aesthetically they might be more suited for surf competitions, and until I can convince them we need them in fancy prints (I’m not giving up on the marble you guys, even if it is faux) remember how I said wheelchairs can get through a dusting of sand? Dust her up, you wont even know she’s there.

rocks/gravel: Access Trax could be used here too but they couldn’t be hidden in the same way. For me, aesthetics are important. Rocks and gravel have also had a tendency to pop my tires so I just avoided venues with it- even if it was like in the parking lot… Yeah I literally went to a place where there was a concrete island for the wheelchair accessible parking and it was COMPLETELY surrounded by gravel… I CANNOT you guys…ugh.

grass: For me, grass has always been okay. I will say though the shorter the grass the better. The shorter the grass the less it works against you. You can also see what’s coming next, be it a hole or a dip or whatever.

Any time you rent any type of flooring to make up for the floor or terrain that is already there you need to really look at how much space that will allot YOU. Is this making it so you will be able to move around your wedding and reception with ease? Can you greet all your guests on your own without them having to come up to you? Can you make it around to the tables for photos? Can you make it to the bathroom easily? If the answer to any of these questions is “no”, I fully suggest you move on. Weddings are expensive and you deserve every amenity they are offering everyone else, you are paying for it.