Walking on Wheels
Friday, July 16th, 2010
Eva McCracken tells Mobilise the inspiration behind her book, Walking on Wheels, a guide for wheelchair and electric scooter users who wish to access and enjoy the Scottish countryside.
When people ask me why did I write Walking on Wheels, I have a stock answer. “Because it was needed”, I say. There was a complete dearth of information on barrier free countryside paths accessible to those of us requiring wheels for our mobility. That, of course, is only part of the story but the more I think about “why” the more confused I get.
Was it in my nature? Was it my upbringing? Would it have happened had I lived a century ago? Perhaps I was just part of our early 21st century, “go-for-it” attitude and saw an opportunity?
What I know for sure was that Walking on Wheels was part of my journey through life living with MS. It would never have happened had I not become an ‘MSer’, dependent on an assortment of wheelchairs and scooters for the past 10 years. I feel very fortunate in my nature and my nurture. I’m an optimist by nature and a problem solver by education.
But enough of soul-searching. By the mid-1990s I took early retirement from my final post as a part-time typist. Although I did not realise it at the time, this job was part of my journey towards becoming a published author. It gave me the basic computer skills.
Scottish Disabled Ramblers is born
Five years into retirement and I was becoming just bored enough to rise to the challenge of problem-solving my way back into the countryside but this time in my wheelchair. I discovered there was a group in England called the Countryside Access Group run by the inspiring Dr Mike Bruton. I soon found myself organising a similar group in Scotland.
First of all a group of service providers and disabled friends met together. In January 2000 we had an inaugural meeting and set up Scottish Disabled Ramblers (SDR) which was to be run by and for disabled people. For nearly five years I lived, breathed, ate, slept and dreamt of all things pertaining to wheelchair countryside access. I was, perhaps naïvely, very keen to promote an ethos of self-reliance and to encourage responsibility for oneself. In an era of health and safety I felt I was walking a tightrope. It was, perhaps, that tightrope that led to the demise of SDR but ironically it was also that ethos which allowed the growth and development of four autonomous disabled rambling groups in Scotland – all of which are still functioning to this day.
What next? What to do with all this information I had collected? The next stage of my journey began. I had new skills to learn, not least Multimap (a computer programme). I had new funds to find and for this I am most grateful to Workability run by Leonard Cheshire. I had a publisher to seek.
A eureka moment
Finding Bríd Hetherington, owner of Cualann Press, was the eureka moment. And it all happened through serendipity. I was looking in my local directory for a printer and after ‘printer’ saw ‘publisher’ listed. There was only one publisher so I gave them a ring and left a message. Several days later Bríd came to see me and took me on. She turned my sow’s ear into a silk purse.
The journey has not stopped. New paths open all the time and I mean that both literally and metaphorically. New all-ability, countryside paths are opening up all the time. And new paths on my journey through life as an MSer continually surprise me. Having been asked to write this article is just one of many.
The success of my book, Walking on Wheels, of which 1400 have been sold, raising nearly £6,500, now means the Trust has the delightful task of distributing grants. For years I have been applying for grants and now the table has turned and I am part of the team awarding grants.
More information:
For more information on the book see: www.walkingonwheels.org
Scottish Disabled Rambler Groups
Forth and Tay Disabled Ramblers www.ftdr.com
Highland Disabled Ramblers www.highland-disabled-ramblers.org
West Lothian Disabled Ramblers Bathgate office : 07521320680
Angus Disabled Ramblers Chairperson : 01674 830328
This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.
Tags: disabled ramblers, scooter, sport, travel