PSA: Some wheelchair users can *GASP* walk
Wheelchairs are used for many disabilities; it could be very painful to walk, one may lack the strength to walk, have hyperflexibility, shortness of lung capacity, fragility of joints, muscles, skin etc.
REBLOG so people STOP harassing wheelchair users when they stand up and even WALK out their chairs in public.
I hardly ever add comments to posts but i feel the need to add on. A couple years ago i was in a wheel chair because of my chronic illness. I went to an amusement park with my school and each time we’d go on a ride the people who work there must ask if i was able to walk onto the ride. A lot of people found this offensive (my sister is working at disney world and she told me that whenever there is a wheel chair the cast members must ask if they are able to walk.) I of course told them i was able to walk and when i got out of my wheel chair i got so many bad glares. After that field trip i was bullied the rest of my highschool life because people thought i was faking it. It got to the point where these girls from church ended up breaking my wheel chair. Please please stop harassing people who use wheelchairs.
There are many times when due to breathing difficulities I’ve had to use a wheelchair or motor cart in the store or other places. That doesn’t mean I can’t walk or others can’t walk but it does mean we can’t go far and we do need the assistance. It’s no ones business judging people who need the help. No one should feel bad for using what the need when they need it.
I grew up with a bone deformity in my feet in ankles that was not visible to the eye and I was still able to walk. After walling for any more than about 30 ft my feet would begin to hurt so bad I could barely function. My family took a trip to disney world when I was 9 and I needed to use a wheel chair. I specifically remember hearing a woman scoff and growl about how lazy and disgraceful I was but also my family for raising such a lazy child. And this was just because I got out of my chair to go hug Tinker Bell. Please stop harassing wheelchair users who can still walk. You made an 8 year olds first trip to disney a lot worse than it should have been.
Keep telling your stories ❤
I remember a trip to the museum back when I was 10 and my Complex Regional Pain Syndrome was just starting to spread. I hadn’t been able to be in school much, so I was so excited to finally be able to be a part of a normal, exciting day with all of my friends. I hesitantly borrowed a museum wheelchair in lieu of using crutches; I felt very vulnerable and sort of embarrassed needing to be pushed around, but I wanted so so badly to be a part of the big day. After a couple hours, I set the wheelchair aside to go to the bathroom, and then lowered myself into it when I got back out. A museum guard went fucking ham, telling me I was lazy and entitled. I hadn’t fully explained my disability to a lot of my classmates, so when they gathered around to watch the shit show, I was so crushed and embarrassed. Because of that one incident, for years, I was hesitant to ask for extra help when I needed it and I ended up worsening my condition long-term. Respect ALL wheelchair users. Treat everyone you come across with respect. You are not always entitled to an explanation.
Oh god, the stories I could add into here would take forever to type, and I have only had my chair for two years.
I have been abused for walking from the passenger seat of the car to my chair at the back of it. Because I was forced to park in a normal, narrow car space because people without disability parking permits parked in the disability space, or their just aren’t enough of them.
I’ve been grocery shopping, stood up to grab something off a shelf and been yelled at. Never mind the person standing there yelling at me for “faking it” didn’t offer to help reach the stuff on the shelf either. Just watched me test if I could reach it without standing.
Because I’ve been abused so many times for standing, or for sitting in a normal seat on the bus because the driver was being rough and making my chair wheelie.
On my second day of TAFE classes one of my classmates said to me “So can you walk because I saw you move your feet yesterday”.
I get looks and comments when people see me get out of my chair to get up rough terrain/curb cutouts or walk through a store that isn’t accessible. Which I can’t do often.
And the funny thing is that when I walk/stand you can easily see that I have trouble with it too. Especially when I hit my pain tolerance limit and spend the time walking/standing grimacing in pain.
I got a parking ticket from a patrol guy in a wheelchair. Yep from another wheelchair user. Why? Because I walked from the driver’s seat to the back of the van to get my wheelchair. So I obviously wasn’t really disabled but just fat and lazy. Even though I have a parking permit he still gave me a ticket, saying I borrowed or stole it. I actually had to go to traffic court with a doctor note explaining that I have severe arthritis and am in constant pain and can’t walk more than a few feet.
So even other disabled people can be prejudiced against wheelchair users who can still stand/walk.
Absolutely, wheelchair users still have the ability to be ableist and fatphobic, racist, sexist, etc. so thank you for sharing that! Part of humanizing disabled people is remembering that they are fully fleshed human beings, being disabled does not automatically make us “angels”. I’ve seen public essays written by wheelchair users that condemn invisible disabilities like yours (using handicap decals) and when I came for them they wouldn’t even try to see it any other way. And your situation is just so mind blowing because being a patrol means you should be able to match the decal with the driver’s license, like what are you even there for if you don’t do that? There are bigots everywhere :/
