Do you know what it is like living with a disability? Have you experienced it? And do not give me some story about how one time you twisted your ankle and were on crutches for two weeks so you know exactly what it is like. I mean a real disability. Something like blindness, loss of a limb, deafness, spinal cord injury or anything else that falls into the category of a "disability." If you are not within the 19 percent of American citizens with a disability (thank you, Google), then I assume you do not have any idea of what it's like.
Going out in public is hard.
For those with disabilities, going out in public can be a stressful thing. Why? Because not every single place is accessible for everyone. Some places have stairs, bumps, cracks, packed seating, no handicapped parking or Braille markings—all of which hinder those with a disability from being able to do the things they would like to do. Without proper accessibility, the disabled are singled out and discriminated against. This is almost like segregation. If some establishments are not accessible, it is like they are saying they do not serve or welcome those who are disabled. They pretend that disabled people do not exist, therefore meaning that the disabled are less of a person than those who are able. This is not right.
Stop staring; it's rude.
I know that the first thing you want to do when you see someone different than you is to stare because you are curious. Well, this does not mean that you have to stare like we are some kind of animal displayed at the zoo. And we certainly do not need you to come up to us after your 30 minutes of staring and tell us that we are an "inspiration" to you and that you are so sorry that we are the way we are. Let me tell you something. Those words may help you feel better about yourself, but they certainly do not do anything for us. You get to walk away afterwards and go on with your life without any restrictions at all. We, on the other hand, have to live like this. We are constantly reminded of our disability from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed. We do not need you to also remind us.
Do not glamorize our disability.
I've had people say things like, "It must be nice to sit down all day" and "At least you get front row parking." And what I would like to say back are things like, "It must be nice to run" and "I'd pick walking an extra few feet instead of rolling a few less feet." Being a disabled person is not all handicap parking and bigger stalls. Just because we need extra room or special devices in order to do the things normal people do, does not mean we live a life more luxurious than yours.
Oh, and please stop being selfish by parking in handicap spaces and using the handicap stall in the bathrooms. That's what really makes us mad. There's nothing worse than having to pee and someone is in the only stall you can fit into.
