Reply #59: Here's an interesting perspective on how people view the disabled [View All]

[zbdent]

My wife was born with cerebral palsy. You might consider her high-functioning, since she walks with canes, and you wouldn't know any different if she was sitting next to you.

A few years back, a school friend of our niece's was involved in a major car accident. Was not expected to live.

He did. But it left him having to re-learn how to walk, talk, and do things.

He and my niece were supposed to graduate the same year. In fact, his name came right before my niece's. This person got a standing ovation as he was aided in walking across the stage to receive his diploma. Mind you, due to the amount of time he missed in school, this was a symbolic graduation. He ended up legitimately graduating two years later.

Not long after his graduation, we had my niece's graduation party. This courageous young man attended in his wheelchair. (The graduation had him almost carried across the stage - but it looked like he walked with aid).

My niece wanted me and my wife (whom the niece had known all her life) to meet this young man.

We had a good conversation, but it was tedious listening to his responses. He had to speak slowly and deliberately, due to his recovery. Thankfully, I have acquired much patience since those days when I was a kid.

My wife excused herself to use the facilities. She got up and, using her canes, walked into the house.

Once she was out of range of hearing, the young man asked ME what was the circumstances of my wife's condition. !!!!!!!!

My thought at that moment was "Someone like you probably has experienced being ignored while the person pushing your wheelchair is asked questions that you normally would answer! You idjit!"

But, of course, I guess that this guy was "normal" too long to have learned how to talk to people as if they were people . . .

BTW, my younger niece graduated this year, the same as this young man's official graduation. He was a friend of my younger niece also. He attended her graduation party also. He is still moving and talking slowly, but he is no longer using the wheelchair for shorter jaunts.

(My nieces were by marriage - no blood relation to me).