Welcome to episode two of my desperate attempt

to find a power mobility aid that works for me.

And in the process, hopefully share some info

that may be helpful to others.

Or just weirdly entertaining.

Oh, believe me, there is some info in this video

that I really wish I had known earlier.

And that really makes me look like an idiot,

but will probably make you really laugh a lot.

If you're new to my channel,

and you've only seen videos

in which I'm spinning around in heels or dancing,

you may be thinking,

"But Jessica, why do you even need to use a mobility aid

"if you can walk?"

Well friends, I'm what's called

an ambulatory wheelchair user.

That's a person who has limited mobility,

and needs an aid to move around,

but is capable of walking in some circumstances.

The reasons for having limited mobility can vary,

from fatigue, to joint pain, unsteadiness and injuries,

to yes, being paralyzed.

I personally am very unsteady on my feet.

I suffer from fatigue and pain,

and I have a neurological condition

that means I occasionally paralyze my limbs.

(bell dings)

Bingo.

Episode one is linked in the card above,

and should also be in the description below.

In this episode, however, I decided that the best way

to get a feel of do I buy a power chair,

or do I buy a mobility scooter

would be to rent one of each

and try them out for a week.

And not just going to the shops try them out, no.

I decided to take the power chair

to the YouTube convention Summer in the City,

and the mobility scooter to Brighton Pride,

which was a really great idea.

Until it really, really wasn't.

Honestly, that mobility scooter caused the first bit

of actual marital strife my wife and I have ever had.

And I thought at one point

she was going to push the scooter into traffic.

Not with me in, calm down!

So what is a mobility scooter?

Well, it's kind of a one-person golf buggy,

crossed with a motor scooter.

They're battery powered,

and can be recharged using mains electricity.

Although there are different types available,

all mobility scooters have bike style steering

to direct the wheels.

They have padded up-right seats and very simple controls.

The maximum speed for the road scooters

is eight miles an hour.

And you don't need a license to drive it,

so go me, even on roads.

When driving on pavements, however,

you should limit yourself to four miles an hour.

It has taken me months and months to make this video,

because whenever I think about it, I panic.

I panic that I'm going to be spending lots of money

on the wrong thing.

I panic that I don't actually know what the wrong thing is.

I panic, because I feel guilty that I want the option

that looks more stylish, but is more expensive.

Even though I know that if I get something that's ugly,

or it looks medical.

I have a lot of issues with things that look medical,

it's a thing.

I won't actually use it.

And I also panic,

because I know that as a human with brain damage,

I'm actually not at best place

to choose the thing that works for me.

Because A, I'm aware I have an inability

to tell scams from genuine shops.

And it paths the way,

I swing from assuming everything is a lie

to being far too trusting.

And also B, I actually don't really know

what's best for myself.

Remember, just because I can list the kings of England

doesn't mean I can cross the road safely.

And then, I feel this huge amount of guilt

for not being able to look after myself,

and make these very important adult choices

and having to get help.

And wow, this is not where I saw this video going.

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Now while we're here, move on.

I have to say, using the mobility scooter felt amazing.

It handled pavements in a way I hadn't expected it to.

It didn't make me feel weird.

It was great being able to easily move around without pain,

and it had this pretty little basket,

where I could store bottles of Diet Coke, vital.

I mean, what more could you ask for?

I mean, okay, it was actually pretty terrible

at getting onto a bus.

And you'll see.

There was a thing.

All right, we're now gonna try and get on the bus

with the scooter.

What do you think?

- Fingers crossed.

- We can see it coming,

and there are an awful lot of people on it already, so.

(upbeat music)

Things we've learned in the expedition on the bus.

It is very hard to maneuver.

I kind of had largest thing off the bus,

it's a very tight turning circle.

I very much failed to do so,

hit the wall,

and the bus driver, bless him,

just came and like picked up the back of the scooter,

and essentially dragged me off,

whilst telling me how to maneuver and turn.

And I was like, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

And just continued to bash into him.

Thank goodness, Brighton Buses, A+, you did really well.

I failed to drive well, but that's on me.

This is new, I'm learning.

It'll be fine.

So it'll be interesting to see

whether that's any different with a power chair.

I imagine somewhat easier,

because the turning circle is it.

It just turns on itself,

rather than you having to do a big loop.

Also, there were so many people on the bus,

because, obviously, it's Pride.

So it might be easier with this,

just day to day shopping, going into town.

(bright upbeat music)

Very steep road.

Aw, can you see?

And normally, I would be really struggling going up here.

But no, who's struggling?

- I am.

- Yes, you can do it.

Go, go, go.

And I'm very calm.

Thank you, scooter.

Okay, so the weirdest thing just happened.

Sat outside the court,

waiting for call checks to my little scooter,

looking at my phone on Instagram.

And then this entire crowd,

I don't know, students, just came and like stood around me,

talking to each other, completely ignoring my existence.

Like looking literally over me.

I was jut like hello.

(bright upbeat music)

So I walked around without the scooter for ages,

because it's way too busy to be going around

with the scooter.

And now we're trying to leave the park,

on the scooter again, obviously,

'cause my legs are so tired.

But the only way to get back home really quickly

is up an incredibly steep hill,

so we'll see how we do.

So we decided, we could get a taxi,

and take the chair apart and put it in the taxi.

But that would require cash,

and all the cashpoints

have like a half hour queue in front of them right now,

so that's a bit much.

So no, we're gonna go on an adventure

and get back home ourselves.

Hopefully, it won't run out of charge.

Yeah, that's right, women power.

We don't need taxis.

Oh, oh, and we're down to one.

We're down to one.

Are you pushing me, Claud?

- No.

(laughs)

- We've run out of battery half way up the hill.

That's how much more we have to go,

but this is how much we did.

So that's not bad.

Turned it off.

Hopefully when I turn it on again, there will be something.

Up the hill. - Maneuver it, darling.

- Made it up the hill.

That hill.

- And I push it.

- It's terrible.

You did really well, baby.

Is your heart still beating terribly?

Doubt that it has this automatic breaking system

where if it's going too fast.

And we're trying to go down hill,

so Claud doesn't have too push so much.

But the automatic breaks mean it does that

if it's going too fast.

So Claudia's decided we're not buying this.

Okay, look, we're going slow, we're fine.

Wait, is it starting to rain?

I think I just felt a raindrop.

Thank god, I'm married to an able-bodied woman.

I'm getting, am I getting off,

so you can go over his hill?

Okay.

Maybe, also we don't get this one.

So what have we learned from this scootering experience?

Well, I have learned to take a charging cable with me

everywhere I go.

And also that distance apparently really, really matters.

It might seem like it doesn't,

because you think, "Oh, I mean 30 miles, that excessive.

"When am I going to go 30 miles in my mobility scooter?

"I wouldn't, it's only a mile and a half

"to where I want to go,

"and then a mile and a half back."

But that's 30 miles on the flat.

I live in a place with incredibly steep hills.

It really cuts down, really cuts down on your tiring,

so here we are.

I've also just managed to run my own mobility scooter

over my own foot.

I injured my foot with the mobility scooter.

I got overwhelmed making this video, can't lie.

I have about 50 tabs open on my laptop.

And it's a lot of information,

and it feels very important.

Hopefully, we can dive in together,

but if you start feeling overwhelmed,

just remember that it's okay, and I am right there with you.

A special mention must be given

to the scooters that offer something more

when it comes to looks.

The scooters that really go all out,

and look stunningly vintage.

I really want these.

They're so impractical, again, but I really want them.

Anyway, price of a mobility scooter.

Clearly, some of them look quite cool.

They are generally cheaper than electric wheelchairs.

It was really handy having handles in front of my body

when I was trying to push through the crowd at Pride.

Tilly could sit on my lap when she got tired.

I put my handbag between my feet,

so it didn't have to be on my lap and getting in my way.

I felt more secure on the four wheels,

even though the base was quite thin.

If I was larger, or that there were only three wheels,

I think I might've felt it was a bit wobbly.

I did go to the park though,

and it happily trampled over sticks and leaves,