We'll run over your toes if you're not nice to us

As I was getting ready for class this morning and going over the assigned reading I realized that I just didn't want to talk about Locke today. This is a rarity for me since I am all about philosophy and having conversations with my students. I don't know, it wasn't the day for Locke. Instead, we talked about Brian Sterner, the man who was dumped out of his wheelchair by Tampa sheriff's deputies. Only one of my students had seen it, so one student had everyone watch it on his cell phone. These kids with their new fangled devices. They were horrified, of course.

We spent the class talking about the way people treat the disabled in our society. One young man blames the institutions in our society for not teaching us that people with disabilities are worthy of respect and, perhaps, patience. The last part is a bit of a fine line, I know. I asked them how many of them knew someone who was disabled and about three fourths of the class raised their hand. When I was their age I didn't know anyone. I think this is a good sign that things are changing, however slowly.

One of the issues brought up by several students was that they never know how much help to offer. I've been griped at for holding the door for someone in a wheelchair. It's something I would do for anyone but the man in the chair thought I was being patronizing. I understand that feeling as I get frustrated when people grab onto me when I am wobbly in an attempt to help me. No, I need to stabilize myself, it makes me stronger. I've also had people go out of their way to be nice to me and people treat me with contempt because I was using a cane/walker/chair.

All of this made me think that we might need some sort of mission statement. This is what we are, this is what we expect, this is what we would like. I know we'll never agree on it 100% in the disability community, but it might be a jumping off point for us. Some people confuse the parking places and bathroom stalls for special treatment, not understanding that they are necessary for us to be "normal." That might be something we could explain a bit more.

One funny thing came out of this class today. I have a wheelchair but I rarely need it anymore. I hate it. I realize that my attitude about the chair is not healthy or useful, but I've been unable to come to terms with it, so far. I tend to call it the stupidchair, one word. When I was telling my students a story about a time when I was in the stupidchair they all looked at me with shock and said, what's a stupidchair?! They thought I was actually talking about a chair for the stupid. HA! If only there were such a thing, life would be so much simpler.