What is he/she doing?
I often get that look - the look that says, "What is she doing?" It's usually when I'm wheeling along and make what appears to be a strange movement or even a determination to stick to my chosen path. I got that look yesterday, whilst wheeling along the promenade next to the beach.
There was a lot of thick sand on most of the path, but a narrow section that was sand free. I charted my course so that I was on concrete rather than sand as much as possible.
Sometimes it's the camber. Camber is the way the pavement slopes to one side or the other. Sometimes it does both, creating a small section down the middle that is like the top of the mountain. Camber is effectively a sideways hill. Gravity means that I will automatically descend a hill, unless I work hard to fight against gravity. So I usually plot my path to avoid unnecessary effort.
Broken glass and dog-poo are often obstacles in my path. They aren't pleasant for anyone, but for me and for Liggy, glass is a danger and poo could end up on my gloves, wrists, clothes and then, anywhere I touch. Not nice. So I'm constantly scanning the path to avoid them.
Look for the reason
So you're walking along and a wheelchair user does something unexpected... swerves suddenly or takes a certain part of the path. Rather than silently cursing them and assuming they are stupid, look for the reason. There will almost certainly be a reason. Ask yourself what is on the path that they might be trying to avoid? What might cause them difficulty? How can you help them to navigate the path without difficulty?
