Sabine, a white non-binary femme, wearing a black tank top with a skeleton on it that says “BE GAY DO CRIME!,” a yellow a-line skirt, a black and white checkered fanny pack, black socks that say “fuck off,” and yellow pointy boots with buckles and cut outs. They’re posing using two chrome spiked forearm crutches in a backyard with a big succulent bush and red fence. The photo only shows from their neck to their feet.
My name is Sabine Grohowski. I’m a queertrans Disabled punk and I own and create everything for Hell On Wheels Design, a tiny shop where I modify mobility aids with spikes, studs, chains, and more for people who are tired of the hospital grey and silver option.
After launching Oct 1 2021, the shop kind of blew up all over social media but especially Facebook and Tiktok. I learned really quickly where I was doing well and what I could do better.
Early on, I got some excellent feedback asking for a wider range of weight maximums on the canes and crutches I offered. So now the highest maximum is 600 lbs instead of the non-inclusive 250 lbs that it was before. I also received a helpful DM from someone in the community requesting that I not use #cripplepunk on Instagram since it was for a business and not a personal / community post. I think that’s completely reasonable and I actually don’t use any tags anymore because, even though I am just one Disabled person, I don’t want people to feel like I’m encroaching or taking advantage of a space meant for the community.
It’s really important to me that the website, packing materials, and social media accounts are all as accessible as possible. I add image descriptions to all my social media posts, offer large print options for packaging material, and I’m continuously working on making the website as screen readable as possible (which is a little harder because of how often it’s updated).
Right from the first day, Hell On Wheels Design has had a sponsorship program to make things more monetarily accessible. People can donate money to partially or fully cover the item, materials, labor, and shipping costs for a low-income, Disabled person’s modified mobility aid. No one gets turned down for sponsorship so long as they’re Disabled, low-income, 18 or older, and live in the US so it functions more as a waitlist.
In the coming months I’m hoping to include fragrance free options for orders. I consulted with a member of the community with severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Since I use industrial glue and live with other people who are not completely scent-free, they told me about what they do to neutralize something that has fragrances in or on it.
Owning a business that I want to be truly as accessible to as many people as possible is a practice in thinking of as many perspectives as I can and then listening to people when they say I’ve messed up, sometimes in not-so-kind words. But access is more important than my feelings and I can’t wait to see what the shop looks like a year from now.
A digital line drawing bust of Sabine, a white non-binary person with a shaved head, floral chest tattoo, and multiple facial piercings. they’re wearing big pointy eyeliner, dark lipstick, teardrop shaped earrings with a doodle of a person on each one, and a chain necklace. they’re smiling big with their eyes closed. The whole drawing is in black ink and the background is white.
About the Creator
Sabine Grohowski (suh-BEEN grow-HOW-skee) is a queertrans Cripple punk and self-described exhausted optimist. They are based out of El Cerrito, California. You can find them on Tiktok at @sabinemags or check out Hell On Wheels Design’s website at www.hellonwheels.club. All business inquiries can go to sabine@hellonwheels.club.