4/17/26 - Friday Video Share: "How I get my wheelchair in my car!"

Andrew Pulrang

17 Apr 2026 — 3 min read

Simple illustration of an online video screen

How I get my wheelchair in my car!
jesi stracham - March 7, 2026

There seem to be dozens of videos on YouTube showing how wheelchair users drive and get in and out of their cars. This happens to be one that popped up in my feed, so I'm going with it. I share it for two reasons. First, I'm just interested in how disabled people use YouTube to explain the mechanics of their everyday lives. But second, and maybe more importantly, I am fascinated by the comments in these sorts of videos. With this one especially there is a huge tonal difference between how neat, simple, and seemingly easy the video makes the process look from my perspective as a disabled person with my own car routine with my walker – and how "amazing" it seems to look to the average viewer. It's not at all surprising. But it is interesting how persistent this idea of certain disabled people being courageous super-humans seems to be.

Next Friday I plan to share another "How I do it" video involving a different set of disabilities and a wider range of adaptive techniques. It will be interesting to see if it hits differently, and whether there is a notable difference in the comments.

I hope you all have a nice, restful weekend!

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