Following the thread that was deleted about scooters, I thought that perhaps there are some things that simply do not occur to those who don't use wheelchairs/powerchairs/scooters or do not know someone who does..
Do feel free to ask questions or offer thoughts, I can only speak for myself and close friends here!
Look down!
Wheelchair users and scooter users are lower down than you, if you look over your shoulder you won't see us (particularly chair users) so if you hear a voice saying 'excuse me' consider turning/looking down, that'd be ace.
Otherwise what tends to happen is I am not heard, the person steps back, hits their ankles on my wheels or footplate and sits on my lap - this is mortifying for them and painful for us both.
Look before you change lanes!
When walking along, before you suddenly stop, step out etc, look down/behind you please.
Power chairs and scooters don't have brakes as such, they stop when the user releases the accelerator and the motor stops turning the wheels - this is rarely instantaneous and even less so on a slope.
On a narrow pavement or path (and a path can appear wide but due to the surface or camber or obstacles it may not actually all be useable to the scooter or chair user), we can't go around you and you stop faster than we do, even if we are moving at under 4mph (my scooter is set to 2.5mph on pavements!).
If the alternative to hitting you is coming off a kerb, we are going to hit you, because coming off a kerb at an angle in almost all chairs and scooters is going to mean the machine tipping over and falling into traffic/off the pavement and believe me when I say, Im going to take your ankles out before I throw myself into traffic!
Don't have your headphones in whilst walking along - the pavements are for more than just pedestrians and wheelchairs and scooters make less noise and are less flexible in their movement than you are.
We do say 'excuse me', sometimes we will use the silly piddly 'bip bip' horn but its very quiet (I am planning a thoroughly illegal billion decibel klaxon for my next power chair!) - if you have rendered yourself deaf through using headphones you could be in for a surprise, particularly if you stop suddenly whilst unaware of what is behind you!
Manual chair users ONLY have their hands for brakes - this means if I've just completed a hard push and my hands are out in front of me, it is going to take me a couple of seconds to get my hands back on the wheels to stop - if it's wet my stopped distance is greater still.
Whilst it might sound sensible to say 'well move more slowly' the fact is with my arms/shoulders as my source of power, I need to build up momentum to counteract camber (yeah those flat pavements aren't actually flat, at all!) and to get up hills - once I've slowed down because you have decided to step in front of me and move at a snails pace, I've lost that momentum and can't get up the hill or, it's going to cause me a lot more effort and pain.
Doorways!
Sometimes, help is appreciated, but be aware I may need more room than you think and if your feet are in the way, it's going to hurt... Ask, and if the answer is 'no thankyou' then give the person space.
For a manual chair user opening a heavy door that opens towards me, I have to roll back and swing the door at the same time - if you are crowded behind me, I'm going to hit you, if I move so slowly to take your presence into account, I don't have the momentum to open the heavy door - so if the answer to 'can i help' is 'no thankyou' you can still be helpful by giving me the space to open the door!
Power chair users won't need to roll back so swiftly as the weight of their chair will out weight the door, but they still need space and cannot look behind them whilst at the same time trying to look forward and manage the door.
If double doors need opening, often the wheelchair user can hold one door open whilst you open the other, you rarely need to hold BOTH doors and most people really don't like trying to get under your armpit and try to avoid your feet whilst you try to lean over and do both doors at once!
Disabled toilets!
Whats on the floor goes on our wheels, which goes on our hands- manual chair users are rarely fond of child pee and toilet water all over the floor so if you have used the changing facilities in the disabled loo, be a sweetie and wipe the floor after you?!
Disabled toilet doors open outwards - manual chair users need to shove the heavy door HARD so it opens and they can roll out, pushing gently means the door weight pushes the chair back.
Do NOT stand outside a disabled toilet within range of the door, they are heavy, will knock a child flying and will hurt an adult. Certainly do not let your child lean up against the door if you don't want them to hear a ton of swear words and be sent flying when I struggle to get out!
Going down a nice smooth slope in a manual chair can be a ton of fun - please do not glare disapprovingly as I take my hands off the wheels and scream WHEEEEEE or POWERRRRRRR... we all get our kicks where we can!
Not all chair users are unable to stand/walk - I think this one IS becoming more widely understood now, in fact MOST chair users CAN stand briefly and many can walk v short distances. Please don't look surprised when I stand to reach something off a high shelf!
Oooh and, I appreciate people keeping toddlers out of the way, I really hate running them over as they make a lot of noise and mess in the wheels.... but you don't have to shout at them angrily and apologise to me for their mere existance several feet away, I'd rather kids WEREN'T terrified of looking at or even existing, within range of a wheelchair user.. we don't generally bite!
I do come across a lot of kids who stare, and for smalls thats fine, I don't mind and I am not offended, I might smile and wave or pull a silly face even - but SO many of them are shouted at, because I assume the parent is embarrassed that their child has looked at me... there is no need :) I won't burst into flames!