10 Things Disabled People Definitely Understand

I’m going to do this post in a list format because I believe that most of these are self-explanatory. If they are not 100%, I will explain under that number.

1. It is hard enough when you go to a public place and none of their bathrooms are wheelchair accessible, but it is even more frustrating when you go somewhere and there are plenty of open stalls and someone who is not disabled takes up the only accessible one.

2. One of my readers brought to my attention that she finds having the changing table in the accessible bathroom. It is perfectly understandable that children need their diapers changed, but what happens when the child is with the father? Or, what about creating a separate area in the bathroom so that the wheelchair accessible stall isn’t taken?

3. One last note on public bathrooms is the possibility of putting a rail in all the stalls. Some people are amputees or even the older population and just need that rail to help them up. This forces them to use the accessible stall when just putting a rail in other stalls could be the answer.

4. Many stores, and I can think of a few in particular, make their aisles incredibly narrow, making it almost impossible to get a wheelchair through.

5. Other stores don’t provide baskets that you could put on your lap, forcing you to either put everything on your lap or push a cart.

6. Many stores and restaurants don’t have accessible doors and the people who work there don’t always help in opening the doors. This causes the possibility of falling out of your wheelchair, losing your balance with a walker, or just plain not being able to get in the facility.

7. My biggest pet peeve is when I go shopping by myself, which happens quite a lot, and something that I need is high on the shelf and I can’t reach it. There may be customers or even workers around watching me try and reach what I need, but they wait until I ask. I completely understand that people don’t want to intrude but it would be nice every now and then for people to offer to help.

8. Curb cutouts…or lack of. Need I say more?

9. Maybe someone can explain this to me because I don’t completely understand. When I’m at a mall, which is obviously highly populated, there are elevators and escalators. Why do people who don’t need to take the elevators take them, so then people who need them, such as those with strollers, walkers, wheelchairs, etc., have to wait?

10. Last but not least, I love when kids ask questions and aren’t afraid to approach me because I’m different. They are young and learning. What I don’t like is when parents pull them away like I’m going to hurt their child. It’s all about education, and that’s why I’m happy to be Ms. Wheelchair Illinois 2014. This gives me the opportunity to educate people that I’m the same as they are, I just use a chair.