A disappointing disability tale...

[Fishaholic]

I know most people with lupus do not get disabled the way I have. But anyone who has had to use a wheelchair might appreciate this tale!

On the way back from work today, I went to the library in Roadrunner (my electric wheechair) and handed some books back. Our library has a sort of narrow corridor with the desk on one side. So only one person at a time can file through in a line.

As I was waiting, I heard a woman and a few children behind me, probably between 4 and 7 years old. They could only see the back of my big powerchair and I was hard to see.

Kids (all talking at once): "What's that?" "Is it a really really really big pushchair?" "Oooh, look there's someone in it" "I think she's a grown up" "Maybe it's a Dr Who machine!" "Is she someone's granny?" (At 27 I wasn't impressed by that comment! But remember they could only see my headrest and the back of my head)

The woman didn't say anything at all, so I looked round as best as I could, gave the kids a grin and told them "This is a really big wheelchair. It is electric which means it has motors so I don't need to push it along with my arms. I use it because I can't walk very well. If I try, I fall over a lot."

The kids laughed. One of them asked if they could touch the wheelchair. But the woman completely ignored me and said to the kids "You mustn't talk to her". The emphasis on "her" was a tone of complete and utter disgust. And then she looked away from me into the distance while the kids recoiled and hid behind her.

Great! I don't bite! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif So much for disability awareness!


Hugs from scary Sarah you mustn't talk to!

[Clare.T]

Sarah I don't know what to say.

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hugbetter.gif

Wishing you all the best

Clare

[pebblesyowi]

Some people like that u just have to say style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/shrug.gif cause when something bad happens to them maybe u will be recalled into there memory and they wont react like that when they see another disable person. Sorry u have to go through it. I had this one older person talk about me in my face to her daughter while at a dr appointment once and i felt like a kids being picked on in school.

But u have all of our support here and we luv u and u're road runner anyway style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif


style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/foryou.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hugbetter.gif

luv pebbles

[CarolMc]

Sarah, I'm speechless! Doesn't it make you want to style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif ? How on earth are the children expected to learn about equality, when the parents are bigots?!
Hugs Sarah.
Be well,
Carol Mc.x style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/foryou.gif

[lisade]

I can't add anything other than to echo Carol's comment.

There really are idiots in this world.

[goats]

what a terrible experience for you and the children.to think that she is responsible for teaching children
more the pity for her. can you imagine going though life with a closed mind like that.. she must not have any friends, or know how to smile.. what would there be to smile at.. if she only wants to see prefection, as nature is never perfect. so she must also not l ilke herself..
keep smiling as we know how the real world is

[pauline1946]

u should have ran her over, just not in front of the kids.

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tantrum.gif

[Fishaholic]

I wasn't upset by the experience. I've had far worse! I was just terribly disappointed and saddened by her attitude. I was particularly saddened because of the kids. They were just being naturally curious. I was quite happy to show them the wheelchair and they could have learned that disabled people are just people with extra "bits". Instead they will probably be quite scared of disabled people or look down on them. As for long term, I hate to think what they will grow in to. It is just sad.

[Christine UK]

<span style="font-family:Comic Sans Ms"><span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">
whoops sorry mother did i reverse over your toes...but them i am in a wheelchair so must not be all there grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
big hugs Sarah x x x</span></span>

[Joandublin]

Oh Sarah style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/crying.gif

Sometimes it is just an uphill battle. Peoples attitudes are so strange at times and the sad thing, as you rightly pointed out, is the messages that are passed down from parent to children style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/crying.gif

I have a little foster son who is colour blind (quite profoundly so) and when I discovered that he had a colour problem I fought for a long time to get someome to check it out. At times I felt like a neurotic! Anyway end result of all that fighting is that he has been 'formally' diagnosed as colour blind and because of this I could talk to him about it..... He is quite proud of the fact that he is colour blind because he constantly says 'doesnt that mean I am special!'.... Of course, as an indulgent foster parent I say 'Yes'. He has linked the word 'special' with all sorts of other disabilities, including a kid he knows with autism.

Now all his friends keep saying that they are colour blind too because they want to be so 'special'!

Its really easy to formulate kids attitudes.....Such a shame we dont always do it.

Luv n stuff
Joan style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/flowers.gif

[Jen79]

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif I am sorry to say there are some idiots in this world that will have to go through something before he/she leaves this world and it may not be nice. I am sorry you had to go through that style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wub.gif

[zara]

I think I would have "accidentally" backed over her foot too. Oh and, oops, dropped my books on her. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif

[Angel_Baby]

(((Sarah)))
What a rude ignorant woman!!! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif Kids need to be taught about disabled people not that you "don't talk to them" like it is contagious or something!
(((morehugs)))