Disability is More Than Wheels

Disability is more than wheels. There is no convieniant way for your business or organisation to define disability.  That’s like trying to define all of humanity into your neat tick boxes.

My major disability is fatigue, or rather an inability to exert myself in any form without a real impact on my health.  Physical, mental and emotional efforts are challenging for me - too much of any and it leaves me with debilitating symptoms for hours, days, weeks, months.

When I use a wheelchair you can see a disability and you prickle into action with your policy fuelled by correctness and duty.  When I need you most is every other day when I am (to you) invisibly disabled.

When I talk to your call centre staff and am bombarded by questions like machine gun fire, my brain becomes foggy and my glands start to ache. My body begins to crumple.  Your tick boxes do not fit me. You’re impatient when I don’t understand on first explanation or when I need clarification.  You speak to me like I’m a child when all I need is a different pace.  Your script doesn’t fit with my life and my needs - yet you get frustrated with me.

I need rest and peace and medication because you and your staff don’t understand that disability is more than wheels.

[IMAGE] Disability is More Than Wheels - 1 May 2008

When I visit your building or your cafe, your shop or your venue my disability is more than the walking stick I use for balance or the wheelchair I use to conserve energy.  Your design and lighting makes my head spin.  Your music system or your television in the corner muddles my mind.  Your layout makes a simple task a physical and mental challenge.  Your stairs are like mountains, you expect me to reach and duck and dodge.  Everything is now, now, now and when I move at a different pace you are suspicious, impatient or rude. My body begins to crumple. 

I need rest and peace and medication because you and your staff don’t understand that disability is more than wheels.

I’m not asking for your pity.  I’m not asking for anything expensive.  What I want is something simple. 

I want your understanding.  I want you to see individuals and not masses.  To have respect and kindness as key to success in your organisation.

You will discover these adjustments are of benefit to everyone not just those with wheels and not just those with a disability.  You benefit people in all their shapes and sizes, with all their needs and aspirations.  Be they eighty years old or with an eight year old in tow.  Your service delivers and attracts a friendly positivity, your building becomes a better place to be.  Your staff and your customers benefit - with or without wheels, with or without disability.

Disablity is more than wheels.

You don’t have to know everything about my illness or my limitations to understand my needs. 

You just have to want to understand.

 

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This blog post is part of Blogging Against Disabalism Day 2008 hosted by The Goldfish

You can see a full list of bloggers participating in BADD

Here are some posts that caught my eye:

• The Perorations of Lady Bracknell: Hello? HELLO?
• Wheelchair Dancer: Disabled people aren’t human, are they?
• Miss Nomered: Pity, Tubes and the meaning of “Hope”
• Remembering the Ability in Disability: Attention Authorities!
• Pitt Rehab: Blogging Against Disablism
• Jenelle’s Journal: Coming to terms with Normal
• Wheelchair Catholic: Don’t Enable and Ableist.
• This is My Blog: Different but Equal
• Hoyden About Town: Mental Illness, Stigmatisation, Coming Out
• Charlottesville Prejudice Watch: Psychophobia 101
• Ballastexistenz: Excuse to be a jerk
• DotComMom: This is a person
• Chewing the Fat: Blogging Against (My) Disablism Day
• Midlife and Treachery: BADD Juju
• This is My Blog: A Gorilla in Your House
• All 4 My Gals: Blogging Against Disablism