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Thinking about being carried ( in my last blog) reminded me about the Geography field trip I went in when I was in year 7 at school.

 Whenever there was a trip the OSO had to take me in our van (the OSO called her Vera, she gives EVERYTHING a name; bless) because I couldn’t get onto the coach which took everyone else there. This was always a bit of a pain because I couldn’t be with my mates, but I got very used to things having to be a bit different and at least the OSO could take me as she worked at the school, so it wasn’t all bad.

Anyway we were going to a local village to look at ‘settlements’ and such daft things and on the way we stopped to look at some rock stratification or some such thing. This involved everyone piling out of the coach, climbing over a style and walking up a very rocky path until they got to the top of the hill where the rocks and great views coulkd be seen.

The Geography teacher said to Mum and me that he was very sorry, but I wouldn’t be able to get my wheelchair up there as it was too narrow and steep so I wouldn’t be able to do the worksheet. As you can imagine, I wasn’t exactly mortified at the prospect of not being able to do my worksheet, but I was a bit miffed at the prospect of having to wait whilst all my mates were having a good time.

Of course I had forgotten that I was with the OSO!

She was also very determined that I wouldn’t miss out on anything, so she unfastened me out of my wheelchair, somehow got me onto her back and set off up the steep narrow path until we got to the top of the hill! I suppose I should have been embarrassed, but I wasn’t because I knew from experience that as soon as somebody said to my Mum I wouldn’t be able to do something because of my disability it was red rag to a bull! Actually I was quite proud of her, she left the other members of staff standing as she powered up the hill with me on her back; that’s my Mum!

So I did manage to do my worksheet along with all my mates and got round the rest of the fieldtrip. I think the school learnt from that and knew that the OSO would always get me round all of any trip we went on.