I grabbed the trash bag by the door and headed out to toss it into the bin. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a regular everyday task. 

Whack! I feel the heat from the pavement, and I am lying on the ground. An immediate surge of pain comes from my ankle, and it starts to swell. I sit there for a moment clenching my teeth and wincing at the bulge where my ankle used to be. After a few minutes of gathering myself and my thoughts, I pull myself up, pick up the strewn trash as best I can and drag myself back to my apartment. I post in some WeChat groups asking where I could find a set of crutches, and luckily, a pharmacy just up from my house sells them.

I hobble out of my apartment, take a Mobike and arrive at the pharmacy where the crutches and ice packs only cost me 100 yuan altogether.

It is very unfortunate when you are stuck in the Beijing heat and hobbling down streets with two metal crutches shoved under your arms, going at the rate of a box turtle. Big cities are not as friendly to people with an injury or disability.

This made me think about how others with disabilities or injuries navigate the busy streets or rural towns in China.

Handicap International is one group that has been working in China since 2000 to support and organize programs to help people with disabilities.

Also, according to Into China Travel, a professional tour operator in China, in Beijing alone, there are more than 2,000 wheelchair accessible buses, 70 special taxis that can accommodate wheelchairs, and all of the city's airports, railway stations and subways are barrier free. Plus, each subway station has at least one entrance and exit that is wheelchair accessible.

I have also personally seen stair climbers in subway stations without elevators.

Although it can be tricky to navigate without the full use of your own two feet, I believe that Beijing, and all of China, is making an effort to create more suitable conditions for those in need.

Thankfully, I can hobble and use my Didi, a popular Chinese car-hailing app, to get me from one place to the next. So, if you find yourself in my position, hop online and see the resources available. It may be a little harder, but you can still live the big-city life even when you aren't as mobile.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.