It is hard to imagine being in other people’s shoes, but it is even harder to imagine being in someone else’s chair. 

For Frank Petrie, the most common phrase he hears from non-wheelchair users is “I can only imagine.” This expression was the inspiration for “The View from My Chair,” a point-of-view short film shot by Frank that follows him from his studio apartment to a bar across the street, where he navigates a sea of bodies to get to the counter. Frank says that people often ignore wheelchair users who need more room to maneuver through crowds. In fact, the way that people reacted in the footage is atypical for Frank to experience. “It turns out that all those people had just graduated from a fire department academy, so they were quite conscious and quite polite about moving,” says Frank. “There have been nights where I went there and it took me 20 minutes to go from the open of the house to the end of the bar because people just couldn’t be bothered.” 

Frank has always had a knack for creative projects. “If I’m not creating, I’m not breathing,” he says. Frank has been a musician since age 5, and in college, decided to continue on an artistic path by pursuing a career in filmmaking. Aside from film, he is also a computer expert who runs a blog called Freshly Squeezed. The blog reviews a variety of computer devices and also includes opinion pieces reflecting on the state of the world. You can check out his blog here.

Next, Frank is considering filming a video series that teaches viewers how to make D.I.Y accessibility devices for cheap. As for his recent video, “The View from My Chair,” Frank hopes that it encourages non-disabled people to be more conscious about the way they interact with wheelchair users. “Take a look,” he says. “Next time you see someone in a wheelchair, what are you going to do?” 

Transcript from Video follows:

[Silence]

[beep, beep]

[rumbling sound]

[door opening]

[rumbling sound with whirring in the background]

[ button clicking ]

[elevator door squeaking]

[beep, beep]

[rumbling sound with whirring in the background]

[beep]

[beep]

[door opening]

[rumbling sound]

[door opening]

[rumbling sound]

>> Hey, have fun.

[car driving by]

[rumbling sound]

[indistinct chatter]

[slow, dramatic music]

♪ Talk to me ♪

♪ Spill the secrets you’ve been keeping ♪

♪ Life cuts deep ♪

[indistinct chatter]

>> I worked all day.

[indistinct chatter]

>> [indiscernible] I’m sorry. Hold on. [laughing]

[indistinct chatter]

>>Clear the way!  Clear the Way!.

>> Clear the Way!.

>> Comin through Down Below!

>> Comin through Down Below!

[indistinct chatter]