In 2018, we published a collection of essays from wheelchair-using parents, all at slightly different stages of their parenting journeys. Now, Parenting from a Wheelchair is back. Six years later, the same cast is adapting to new challenges. Scroll down to see each of the new essays, followed by the originals. Sections are organized by the same logic as playing a board game with your child: youngest first. 

Parenting From a Wheelchair: The Elementary School Years 

Lessons About Frustration, Disability and Wanting it All 

Seth McBride’s children are seven and three years old and becoming more active every day. As he teaches them about sports, managing frustration and other emotional outbursts, he learns a few lessons for his own life and how he thinks about the various annoyances of living with a disability.  

Safety, Boundaries and Fun as a Wheelchair Using Parent 

Stephanie Arrache, her husband and 8-year-old son recently traded the concrete jungle of Southern California for a less hectic lifestyle in Wyoming. With her son learning to swim and enjoy the wide-open spaces that surround them, Arrache has had to learn how to set boundaries and keep him safe, even when she can’t be right next to him. 

Navigating an Inaccessible World with My Son 

When Teal Sherer’s son was a baby, she struggled to take him anywhere independently. Things got easier as he grew more functional, and now that he’s 9 years old, Sherer finds her son to be incredibly helpful when navigating all the pockets of inaccessibility — from too-high store shelves to airport security — that they encounter in their everyday lives.  

Parenting From a Wheelchair: The Early Years 

Year One of the Ewan Experience 

When his first son is born, McBride has no idea how, as a C7 quad, he’s going to manage the everyday tasks of caring for a newborn. From changing diapers, to picking a baby up off the floor, to getting him strapped into a car seat, follow along as McBride learns to adapt to dad life, one messy step at a time.  

Keeping Up with a Mobile Toddler 

As a wheelchair user, Arrache wasn’t sure how she would keep up with her son once he started walking … and running. She explains how she taught him — with the help of games, her lap and a hand leash — to stay close in parking lots, grocery stores and anywhere else they find themselves.  

Explaining Disability to our Kids 

When Sherer’s son asked her why her legs don’t work for the first time, she hesitated. Even though she’d answered this question a hundred times to strangers, explaining disability to her child felt like a big responsibility. After talking to other wheelchair-using parents, Sherer found they all had similar advice: Be straightforward. Be honest. And don’t forget to share the positives of living with a disability.