Hawke's Bay student volunteers for wheelchair | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

A Hawke's Bay boy has spent a week in a wheelchair to try to better understand the challenges faced by paraplegics.

Thomas Hughes, a Year 13 student at Taikura Rudolf Steiner School, spent last week wheelchair-bound as part of his Recreational Therapy studies at the school.

He said he wanted to challenge himself and raise awareness of people who required wheelchairs for their whole lives.

"I am in no way now saying I know what it is like to be in a wheelchair, but I can say that I have been given a small taste of what it is like," he said.

Thomas said the task was difficult but he had a lot of support from family and friends. On Friday, he also garnered the support of the Napier-based Kiwi Adventure Trust and abseiled down Napier Hill in the wheelchair.

"I found the week very hard but, at the end of it, when I went abseiling in my wheelchair, it made the whole five days worth it," he said. "I seriously think that there should be as many wheelchair programmes as possible because, for the people who are in them for life, they would offer an immense sense of achievement, increase confidence and an awesome thrill."