Wheelchair skills you’d never imagine!

Even after writing thousands of disability-related articles, I’m constantly discovering new wheelchair skills I find. The impressive, “Wha? You can do that?!” thought process never ends. What I love about these wheelers is that they show we can do a whole lot more than our therapists expect. Check ‘em out!

The first video is so amazing you’ll want to watch all of his videos. jabouteur is a C5-6 quadriplegic from France who still plays the piano, which he does by hitting the keys with the edge of his hands. I know, sounds crazy, impossible even, but he proves it can not only be done, but he can play full-on songs. He’s created dozens of videos showing him playing, and inspiring/shocking quads along the way. I honestly thought I would never play piano again (not so!). Watch him play U2’s “With or Without You”

The second video shows another thing I thought a wheeler could never do – perform grand illusions on stage. Jim Passe, a T12 paraplegic from North Carolina, has been a professional magician for years. He performs in a standing wheelchair (with several sexy able-bodied female assistants who help out). Watch him perform a complicated stage illusion on the Fox network; aired a few years ago.

And the third video shows something you should definitely not try at home, but should definitely watch – a very buff paraplegic climbing a ladder to get onto his roof. While I know paraplegics can be crazy strong, this just blows me away.  The sheer amount of strength it must have took to hoist himself up that high is…wow. Watch him climb a ladder quicker than you can say ‘be careful’

The moral of this blog post? To show there are always going to be new things you’ll discover after being paralyzed that you can still do and wheelchair skills you can develop. And if you ask me, that’s a pretty awesome thing.

What unexpected wheelchair skills have you discovered?

Watch the videos of these wheelchair skills!

– C6 quad wheelchair skills : plays U2’s “With or Without You” on the piano

– Paraplegic wheelchair skills : magician Jim Passe performs on Fox

– Paraplegic wheelchair skills : climbing a ladder