People Who Sit In The Disability Seats When I’m Standing On My Crutches Dot Com

[populistdriven]

A progressive friend showed me this today:

http://www.peoplewhositinthedisabilityseatswhenimstandingonmycrutches.com/




Hmmm. Maybe I Should Get Up. Nah.


3 Disability Seats Are So Much Better Than 1


Hi, I’m An Asshole



more ... http://www.peoplewhositinthedisabilityseatswhenimstandingonmycrutches.com/

want a bonus link? That is NOT a Cat http://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahmorgan/that-is-not-a-cat

[flvegan]

1. Okay, this will make me a bad person, but

were I on public transport and I saw someone without obvious disability sitting in a seat that a disabled person should be sitting in but can't because it's occupied, that joker would likely get asked a quick question before he got yanked the hell out of that seat by his collar.

That question: "what's your disability, mate?" Seems fair to me.

[MADem]

2. I'm with you--or, would you mind pushing over so I can sit down?

(I see that there's room for one more in some of those pictures)

I hope my crutches don't bother you too much!

For all we know, those sitting guys could have a prosthetic leg--they're making them better and better these days.

[47of74]

10. Obvious disability??

And what if the person had a disability of some sort that's not obvious just by looking at the person? And what if you aggravated the disability by roughly treating the person like that? What are you going to say then?

[ejpoeta]

21. maybe it should be like a car, where you have to have a sticker or a placard or

a tag hanging from the mirror. I never thought about anything like this as I have never been on a subway or a train. I was on a bus once!! but I never thought about that!! I think maybe some insignia is in order. there are those who are disabled who one cannot tell by looking at them ,but in my experience I see a lot of people who don't really care and just park in handicap spots, so i will assume that the same is true for trains or buses.

[47of74]

22. I wouldn't be comfortable with that

Making people wear a tag or insignia doesn't sit all that well with me just because of the history of what happened to people who were made to wear things like that.

[ejpoeta]

28. i see what you are saying. besides, how hard would it be for non disabled to

snag something.

[roguevalley]

29. agreed., both my parents had disabilities but not obvious. they

would have been abused. the assholes that have none give these people a hard time.

[pnwmom]

11. Should you be yanking around a person who might have a bad heart?

I haven't seen one of those signs around here, and I'm not sure what the rules are. Are they supposed to always remain empty unless someone with a disability is sitting in one, or can they be used until someone with a need shows up?

[EFerrari]

13. My ex had an invisible one that he couldn't even describe.

It led to a lot of unfortunate social stuff. Sometimes, you just have to roll with it.

[Gormy Cuss]

24. Okay, that does make you a bad person.

The person sitting in that seat may have a less visible disability and there is no requirement that the person announce to you or any other passenger why s/he's sitting there. That question need only be answered if asked by someone asking it on behalf of the transit authority.

When trains/buses are crowded persons without disabilities are allowed to sit in those seats. It's pretty much expected during rush hour. They are however expected to watch for passengers boarding who have priority and to jump up and offer the seat immediately. It's perfectly dickish to sit in those seats with your head down pretending that you don't notice the standing senior citizen or the guy limping on with crutches.

on edit: the last shot in the OP? The guy isn't an asshole until the seats on either side are in use and he's still got his head down.

[dysfunctional press]

25. if you did that to me, you'd likely end up in jail for assault.

i have a severe disability that probably wouldn't be noticable to most people, especially if i'm seated.

[michreject]

37. If I had a disability that wasn't apparent

I would tell you it was none of your business.

[snot]

3. ok . . . so what happens when the disabled person says, excuse me, i'd like to sit down?

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Having been there, done that, though temporary

buzz off is a common response

Though I should mention two things

There are people with not so obvious disabilities, that don't look disabled

Chrons disease comes to mind. You'd never know just from looking

Some prosthetics are so good these days that you'd never be able to tell

And of course Down syndrome kids (though those are easy, or should be easy to spot) also can take those seats

But yes, I have been told by perfectly able bodied people to ahem buzz off

Thankfully happened by the Transit officer. who proceeded to kick guy off seat and give him a hefty ticket

[populistdriven]

5. thats a good transit cop!

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Yep, he was

[snot]

7. I agree the scant help is appalling --

I was disabled for a while, and was shocked at how hard it is to function, and how inconsiderate some non-disabled people are.

But I'm sure at least once, before I was disabled, I sat in those seats without even noticing the signs. I wasn't a total creep; I hadn't ridden the bus lately, had a lot on my mind, didn't notice the signs.

I know it's hard to have to keep insisting on our rights; but that's what EVERYONE, disabled or not, must do; and we start losing ground the moment we stop.

Waiting for others to figure out what OUR rights are or should be never works very well. The more we stick up for ourselves, the less we have to -- because more people WILL already have gotten the message.

[pnwmom]

12. And the signs say "priority" which seems to imply that non-disabled can

sit there unless a disabled person comes.

Same as disabled-ready bathrooms that can also be used by non-disabled.

[silverojo]

17. As a disabled person, here's what I do

"Excuse me, I need to sit down before I fall down...thanks." The lout either moves, or gets the most unpleasant lap dance of his/her life. ;)

[Toucano]

8. Wait a second...

In two of those photos there are seats available in the priority section.

The seats aren't reserved for disabled people like parking spaces at the mall. They can be used by able bodied people UNTIL a disabled or otherwise qualified person needs them.

The guy with his feet on the seat is a jerk, but the one reading the newspaper is doing nothing wrong.

Overall, there's a huge lack of courtesy, however.

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. agree. Those seats are avaible if no disabled need them. n/t

[pnwmom]

14. While we're on this topic, one situation that makes me uncomfortable

is when I drive my disabled m.i.l. to an appointment and drop her off. When I park in a disabled spot and accompany her with her walker, it's obvious why I have the disabled tag hanging in the car. But when I walk out without her -- or when I come back by myself to pick her up -- I look like an able-bodied person who's cheating by parking there.

So people should think about the possibilities before they go around accusing someone of not being entitled to use those spots.

[pnwmom]

15. Question I would like to ask the young guy on crutches:

has he ever given up his seat for an obviously pregnant woman?

Just wondering.

[CreekDog]

33. i witnessed a situation where a pregnant woman got on a BART train

the only person to offer her a seat was the one with the artificial limb. he clearly looked at the others (they weren't all disabled) to see if they would move first and when they didn't he did. :rant:

[pnwmom]

35. It's terrible that the only one with some empathy was the one

with the artificial leg.

I guess that's why "polite society" used to have "rules." We can't count on simple empathy or compassion, apparently.

[Luminous Animal]

16. The guy is an asshole...

Some of those pictures have an empty seat, so I can't figure out why he's complaining and, as for the others, if he needs a seat, all he needs to do is ask. I have no visible disability, yet I am disabled and I've never been rebuffed when I've asked.

[ColbertWatcher]

19. Good point. i would think people with disabilities would be more sympathetic ...

... to someone on crutches being forced to stand.

I think the people in the pictures are either assholes, or actors posing for a picture for the website.

[CreekDog]

36. are you kidding? it's completely normal

riding BART for years i would see pregnant women standing while college students who walked on the train with no issues whatsoever didn't bat an eyelash. i would see very elderly and unsteady individuals standing while businessmen that gave no appearance of mobility issues sat in those seats under their chins.

i see this over and over and over again.

people are louts, not all of them, but people who sit in those seats when there are others available anyway while the people intended for those seats have to stand on a rocking train --well those people suck, plain and simple.

[FloridaJudy]

18. Some of these people may be jerks

Particularly the creep with his feet on the seat - that's disgusting no matter what the seat next to him is designated. But the last guy hasn't taken up all the seats: I see two still available.

What I resent is when I offer my seat to someone who's obviously in more need of it than I, only to have some able-bodied jerk slam his butt down first. Sir, if you're hale enough to elbow a pregnant woman out of your way, you're well enough to stand!

[Uben]

20. When I broke my leg.............

....I noticed that the electric carts at Walmart for the disabled were all being used by obesely fat people. Is that considered a disability? I hate to be insensitive to their condition, but it seems to me what they need is more exercise, not less. More than once I was relegated to shopping on crutches because of the lack of availability of a cart. I just sneered at them as I was hobbling around the store. Since, I make it a point to help anyone (including obese people) who are in an electric cart by offering to get something they cannot easily reach from the cart.

I know some obese people would not be able to shop if not for these carts, and I am glad Walmart provides them for anyone who needs them, but I do believe some people just use them because they are lazy.

[dmallind]

23. Is it perhaps possible to be both obese AND disabled?

Yep. I think it is....

[mentalsolstice]

27. Sometimes the disabling condition leads to obesity

Not being able to exercise and all.

[BreweryYardRat]

26. That's...remarkably passive-aggressive.

I've been known to slump into a disability seat on occasion, but if someone asks me to move, I'll be out of there as soon as I can grab my bag, even if it means I have to stand.

The key is in the word "ask": I don't care if I'm sleeping, reading a book, got my headphones on, whatever -- they've got every right to ask me to move, and I'll move. Hell, tap me on the shoulder if I'm sleeping. But I think it's unreasonable to expect me to break concentration and look around every five minutes -- especially if I've got my nose in a textbook.

If he's asking these people to get up, and they're refusing/ignoring him, then he has every right to take pictures. If not, then he should really try asking. I suspect most people would move in a hurry. I know I would.

P.S. I have never, to paraphrase a poster, been the "able-bodied jerk who slams his butt down first even if it means elbowing a pregnant woman out of his way."

[FloridaJudy]

31. I never said you were

But I've encountered enough of that type on public transport. I put them in the same category as those people who leave their shopping carts smack dab in the middle of the handicapped parking spots. The ones left to the side of those spaces might have been used by someone with limited mobility - for whom returning them could be difficult - but those left in the middle are mostly likely the result of sheer thoughtless laziness.

[BreweryYardRat]

32. I didn't say you said I was.

I was trying to deflect the inevitable flames from people who have a holier-than-thou complex, and would have leapt to accuse me of it if I didn't say something.

We're cool -- you could hardly offend me when you posted before I did.

[CreekDog]

38. you shouldn't be in those seats if disabled or elderly are standing

and need a seat.

it's not their job to figure out whom to ask.

you want to sit in those seats, don't plan on sleeping.

seriously. this is a BIG problem.

[SteelPenguin]

30. Ayn Rand woudn't get up

Just to point out the absurdness of Objectivism and Ayn Rand at any time i can...

If Ayn Rand were sitting in a seat on a subway and an obviously pregnant woman or person with disabilities got on the train, she wouldn't give up her seat.

[dem629]

34. Where's the proof these people are not disabled?

[CreekDog]

39. people who walked onto the train just fine sit and look away when

clearly disabled or elderly get on the train and have no place to sit.

i've seen it all the time. there are exceptions but they are exceptions.

and i'm in the enlightened Bay Area.