Out and About with AT

Thank You for Sharing Your AT Stories!

Here are some of the highlights from the amazing entries we've received. 

AT Chatter Tracey

I was born with Spina bifida. Up until about eight years ago, I was able to walk unaided.

These days, I need a walker to help me. When it was first suggested to me to get a walker, I was hanging on to people, I was losing my balance and having several falls a day… up to about 100 falls a week. I'm lucky I didn't break anything.

With a walker, I have been able to go to Rottnest with my best friend, I have still been able to attend my gym, I get to go in the spa with my best friend, with a walker I can walk around the shops and if I get tired, there is a seat I can sit on.

Using a walker keeps me mobile with a little bit of help. I have a photo of me when I first got the walker with a not so happy look on my face. To still be able to live my life, getting a walker was the best thing I could do for my independence.

AT Chatter Pat

Being mostly house and semi bedbound has been isolating.

Recently my partner and kids (teens) have been using WhatsApp to include me on adventures. The picture here shows our conversation from their visit to Taronga Zoo on Saturday. They also rang and did a live video of the bird show while it was happening.

Last year when they were in NZ, they used the video call to take me on walks, visiting tourists' sites etc, to talk to the family they were visiting etc and included me as much as possible. This was the first time we had used WhatsApp a lot but it made such a big difference. I felt way less isolated and while I wasn't there, I felt included.

I will admit to feeling a little seasick at times when the kids are trying to show me things or take me on walks with the camera going everywhere.

It's great to be able to participate in real time rather than just look at photos after. I also use slow TV or Google maps to follow along with them if possible.

AT Chatter Lesley

My CT3 Coyaltix cart is a Disability friendly cart that allows me to continue to drive my horse, for pleasure & shows. Sadly, I’m having trouble getting into it now and need to find $25,000 to get a wheelchair accessible cart.

Being with my horses makes my heart sing, keeping me sane, I’ve been involved with horses since I was eight years old and I’m 73 now. I’m struggling to save up for the cart, NDIS just told me that I should give up my hobbies!"

AT Chatter Nihal

I’ve been meaning to share this - It’s a small gadget that I hold in my hand while walking called a ' Miniguide'. It vibrates if I go too close to a solid object like a car, tree, building, etc.

It’s good in shopping centres in for example to find the gap or the pathway. I also use it walking along Albany Highway on the footpath to avoid all the outdoor furniture in front of the restaurants and cafes, trees and light poles.

It is used together with the white cane and does not replace it.

Where I live, every unit has a designated car park in their garage. As I do not have a car, my car park space is empty, but I have a storeroom there. I use the Miniguide to find the door of my storeroom in amongst all the cars.

AT Chatter Jodi

 Here’s my fancy bit of AT! My  Duratec tandem bike. I’m on the back as the vision Impaired stoker. My amazing front rider and I have done 2 community rides, another coming up soon, Qld state road championships. We ride 3 times a week.

AT Chatter Julia

This is my crutch. I put bling on it to jazz it up a bit.

I have found that decorating it has made it easier for people to start a conversation about mobility and the tools we use to get out and about.

AT Chatter Bryan

"My Batec Scrambler is simple and fantastic." I didn’t really know how good and useful my Batec would be until I actually got it. The idea was for when going away, we could cruise pathways together, Julie my wife on her bicycle and me getting towed along by my Batec.

Well, once I realized how good it was, plans started ticking over in my head about the possibilities this new AT was going to open up. First up was Mountain biking with my daughters on outback dirt roads, the freedom and joy this gave me was priceless, and to be sharing these moments with my daughter’s was so special.

We then made plans to do the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, 160km’s off road. The decision to do it in three visits made for a social day out basically. Starting at Yaraman we stayed at the caravan park as there was an accessible cabin and close to where the trail starts. Heading off at 7.30am got us to Blackbutt for Brunch, my two daughters, a brother and two friends rode their bikes with Julie driving my van and my friend’s wife driving their van. We were able to cruise along at about 15 to 20kph, so the 50km’s to Moore would be about 3 hours.

The vans were able to leapfrog us along the way capturing the odd photo of this first amazing experience. To be cruising along in the bush, seeing all the different wild life was more than I ever expected possible after first injuring myself, becoming a Quadriplegic (C6) and thinking life would be over for exciting things like Mountain Wheel chairing (sort of). It was only some gullies that I required assistance, my preparation was fitting a set of 24” mountain bike wheels with 2.3” mountain bike tyres at about 18psi, this made for a comfortable ride as the fat tyres socked up the bumps. We completed the 160km journey in the 3 visits, 50km Yaraman to Moore, then 50km Moore to Esk, then 60km Esk to Ipswich.

Since then, my Batec has completed 2000km with a fair amount being offroad, but most of all, my wife loves it as she no longer needs to push me anywhere, priceless.

AT Chatter Maree 

My out and about AT is the Incognito Walker. Converts to a shopping cart when I don't need the walker.

It's super easy to move around and turn and handles grass and gravel paths quite well.