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Inclusion in action!
Taking on challenges together as a team – to the North Cape in an electric wheelchair
In the summer of 2016, I went on an electric wheelchair tour from Bielefeld to my dream city, Hamburg, with my assistants and friends. We completed the tour in five days – and in very extreme weather conditions. We experienced everything from two days of continuous rain to temperatures of 7°C at night while camping. In addition to numerous minor mishaps, when we finally arrived in Hamburg, my electric wheelchair broke down completely due to water damage. We received an incredible amount of support from the Facebook community and various local newspapers. At the end of the tour, I made a promise that the campaign would be repeated on a larger scale in order to raise awareness of my message in society. Now I want to keep that promise and am turning to the public for help.
The following idea came about during the five-day tour: I would like to travel from Hamburg to the North Cape in about 90 days. Daily stages of 50-70 km are planned. A good friend and assistant of mine would like to accompany me on the entire route by jogging. To ensure that we are well looked after and supplied, two further assistants will accompany us in a camper van. The tour will take us through northern Germany via Fehmarn, across Sweden, a short way through Finland, and finally through Norway. Much of the route will be uphill and downhill through endless forests and, at our pace, we will be away from civilization for days at a time.
I want to capture all of this in moving and still images. The resulting film and presentation will not only focus on the beautiful aspects (which there will undoubtedly be) of such a journey, but also show the difficulties and obstacles that the project entails.
I am primarily interested in the political and social aspects of this project: one message I want to convey is that people with disabilities should be shown more acceptance and that they do not belong in a “disabled world.” On the contrary, I want to show that with the right support, people with disabilities can achieve just as much as anyone else. Normalization, not tolerance, is the keyword here. The word “inclusion” is currently on everyone's lips, yet few people can take the mental leap to accept people with disabilities in their circle and not just integrate them benevolently.
So that you know who you are actually dealing with, here are a few words about me: My name is Matthias Klei and I was born near Bielefeld in 1970. Due to my tetraplegia, I have limited mobility in my arms and legs. I find it difficult to control my movements and my fine motor skills are severely impaired. This affects all areas of my daily life. However, I don't want to let this restrict my freedom to plan and carry out activities as I see fit.
I have already been able to experience many adventures in my life and see some breathtaking places on earth. From Norway to Poland to Spain, and from Thailand to Laos to the Philippines. I have also been able to discover the east and west coasts of the US and Canada on foot, by ship, and on wheels. So my life has already taken me all over the world, but of course there are plenty more destinations to explore.
Now I'm working on achieving my next big goal – a trip to the North Cape. The word “working” can be taken literally here. For me, this trip is by no means a vacation. Embarking on this journey presents me with many diverse challenges that I will have to overcome.
Just operating the electric wheelchair over such a long distance is a huge challenge for me. It's a challenge that I've taken on with the help of my assistants and my physical therapist. Thanks to a device I built myself, my arm is comfortably secured to the backrest of the electric wheelchair, which should allow me to keep the throttle steady at speeds of up to 12 km/h and complete the tour without any accidents.
On such a long trip, with a daily workload of seven to nine hours, there is always the risk that physical discomfort will arise due to the high level of sustained tension in my muscles. This would force me to interrupt my tour, which I naturally want to avoid at all costs. The best possible preparation therefore includes my assistants being trained in advance by my physical therapist and learning techniques that help me relax physically.
In addition to the many organizational hurdles that need to be overcome, there is of course also the need for material preparation. Without the right equipment, I cannot even start the trip: the support vehicle, weatherproof clothing, spare parts for the wheelchair, tent equipment, radio equipment, camera equipment, and much more.
To ensure that every sip of water I want to drink on the road doesn't mean a stop and a loss of time, I had to find a suitable solution here too. To relieve my assistants and not waste any precious time, I have purchased a hydration pack, similar to those used by cyclists or hikers.
We will be living in the motorhome throughout the tour to take care of ourselves and the two assistants. In the evenings, hopefully after completing the planned day's route, we will relax our tired bones at deserted lakes and forest clearings.
It may be that the path will ultimately prove too steep and rocky, and that obstacles will force us to abandon the project. My team and I will certainly reach physical and mental limits that we may not be able to overcome. But it is precisely to explore these limits that we want to undertake this journey. After all, my motto in life is: There are no problems – there are only solutions!
I would like to invite you to accompany me on this special journey. Travel with me and share the experiences that such an undertaking brings to a person with a disability!
Over the next few months, I will keep you up to date here and on Facebook. The preparations are starting now.
I would be delighted if you would support me financially. You will find a link here shortly.
Everyone who supports me will receive a product resulting from this project (e.g., film DVD, postcard set, high-quality framed fine art prints, etc.). More information will follow.
