The curb in front of the intersection isn’t all that high. For most people, it’s not an obstacle. For Hannes Hönes (small image), it is. He stops briefly, listens, lets a car pass. Then he moves to a lowered section, gathers momentum, and reaches his destination via a small detour. “Sometimes I have to get creative,” he says with a smile. “There’s often no other way.”
Hannes is 23 years old and has been using a wheelchair since early childhood. At three months old, he suffered a lack-of-oxygen incident that damaged parts of his brain responsible for motor functions. He received his wheelchair at the age of three. For him, this is not a tragedy but part of everyday life. “I have no problem accepting the situation,” he says. “I accept myself as I am.” This attitude has helped him become independent. Even as a primary school student, he sometimes traveled alone in road traffic. His journey to school took about half an hour. At the age of nine, he took part in special wheelchair and traffic training courses. They laid the foundation for the confidence with which he moves in traffic today.
Learning to Assert Oneself Early
Even though Hannes’s primary school was barrier-free, the route to get there remained a daily challenge. Curbs, poor visibility, unexpected obstacles. If an area is not clearly visible, he listens more closely. “Then I rely more on my ears,” he says. Curbs are still a problem today. “One of my greatest wishes is that they would start more gradually.” In addition to listening carefully and taking small detours, Hannes also solves problems by asking passersby for help.
Many families share these experiences – including those with children for whom road traffic is a challenge for other reasons. In the first two episodes of the MobileKids series “Inclusion in Road Traffic”, we looked at the situation of children with intellectual disabilities and of blind children. Children using wheelchairs inevitably move through traffic differently from pedestrians. Downhill they are faster, uphill slower, and often less visible. This is exactly where mobility and traffic training comes in, such as the programs that Peter Richarz has been offering for many years as a freelance trainer, including for BG Klinikum Hamburg. “People in wheelchairs are often not seen in traffic, which makes attentiveness especially important,” says the rehabilitation and parasports specialist. Among other roles, he served as head coach and led two wheelchair basketball teams to the world championships.
Safety Comes Through Practice
In Peter Richarz’s training sessions, children learn how to handle curbs, sloped sidewalks, short traffic light phases, or parked cars. Traveling by bus and train is also part of the training: making eye contact with drivers, correct positioning, and handling ramps are practiced in a targeted way. Training starts in a protected environment, followed later by real-life situations in public spaces. Parents are involved with younger children, and progress is made step by step.
Just like the MobileKids traffic initiative, Peter Richarz does not see mobility as a minor issue but as a prerequisite for participation. Hannes’s path shows how important it is to empower children at an early age. Today, he navigates road traffic confidently, works as a self-employed photographer, and follows his own path. Safety does not come by itself, but through experience, practice, and trust in one’s own abilities.
