Wheelchair User Goes Viral After Climbing Stairs at Train Station — ‘You Can Be in a Wheelchair and Not Need It 100% of the Time’

A video shared on X has sparked discussion after it showed a wheelchair user navigating a broken elevator and chairlift at a train station. The creator explained that neither the station's built-in chairlift nor a portable lift worked, leaving her with no option but to climb the stairs despite relying on a wheelchair.

The video was made by a wheelchair user, who said she was making this video to show what happens when a lift (or elevator) does not work and there is no other option to get up the stairs at a train station.

The user said that the built-in chairlift was also broken, as confirmed by employees of the station. The second option was a small portable chairlift, which also wasn't compatible for the wheelchair and its attachments. She and her boyfriend had also just gotten off a flight, she said, so they could not remove one of the wheelchair attachments to make her chair smaller.

In the end, the user was able to make it up the stairs by walking, which she confirmed that she luckily had the energy for that day.

You can be in a wheelchair and not need it 100% of the time

As users online began calling the person in the video a fraud for her mobility, others jumped in to her defense.

"I knew a girl with muscular dystrophy who had to use a chair for long commutes, but could make it up a flight of stairs if necessary. Loss of muscular endurance is a common symptom of degenerative disorders," said one.

Another poked fun at the title of the post, saying, "Absolutely nothing will prepares you for what this 70 IQ twitter user says when a person with a physical disability is forced to walk up stairs with difficulty due to needing a wheelchair for regular transportation."

Many conditions can require people to use mobility devices while still allowing them to walk short distances. Though they may not rely on them all the time, that does not mean that they do not still struggle with being able to walk.

In fact, as others have done in the comments, you can go onto her TikTok and see that she used to be able to do things that she cannot anymore, but that she still retains the ability to walk.

"She has relapse-remit pattern MS. Her body is destroying her nervous system in waves. Each remission allows for some healing, but it can’t fix all of the damage. This causes disability to grow with time. Yes, she can walk for a short ways, but not far," confirmed one user in defense of the woman.

The video continued to spark debate, with some viewers questioning the woman's mobility while others defended her and explained that many wheelchair users can still walk short distances.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the circumstances shown in the video or why the station's elevator and chairlift were reportedly out of service. The discussion is based on the viral clip and comments shared on X.