Wheelchair users hear a lot of stupid comments from curious people. Whether sitting in line at the grocery store or playing with one’s children at the park, people who use wheelchairs are often confronted by strangers who feel like they are entitled to more information about one’s “condition.” 

Wheelchair Users Want Normal Etiquette to Apply
Maybe the person is uncomfortable and trying to make conversation. More than likely he or she is projecting their own discomfort onto the wheelchair user who is just trying to get out of the grocery store to make it back home for a son’s birthday party. Whatever the reason, people are people, and strangers should not assume that disability is an open invitation for conversation.

Top Ten List
Warning: Making one or more of the following comments will likely end with a tire running over a foot.

10. I had to use a wheelchair once.

9. Don’t you get tired sitting down all the time?

8. How’s the weather down there?

7. What’s wrong with you?

6. I bet you have really strong arms.

5. I wish I could sit down all the time.

4. Your legs sure are skinny, how can I get on that diet?

3. It’s so good to see you out of the house.

2. I couldn’t go on if it happened to me.

1. How do you go to the bathroom?

When a nonwheelchair user asks such questions, he or she may receive a polite smile and nod, perhaps even an uncomfortable laugh, but a person who uses a wheelchair is under no obligation to respond to these ridiculous statements. So when that nonwheelchair user is ignored after making such a statement, the wheelchair user should not be perceived as an “uppity cripple.” 

Use common sense when striking a conversation with a stranger. Is it something that one would normally do even if the person is not a wheelchair user? If the answer is “no,” then don’t do it. People who use wheelchairs are not looking for “special” treatment, just a level playing field.