I am amazed at how rude and disrespectful people can be
toward the disabled. Too many times I have heard stories of disabled people who
have experience situations like this. Contrary to what some people believe disabled
people are not invisible or stupid. It’s
no wonder some of us retreat from going out in public or don’t even consider
applying for a job for fear of rejection or disrespect.
While talking to a couple Facebook friends, they were telling
me about their jobs. One friend, who has Cerebral Palsy, was treated as if she
was not even there some days. She was given less and less responsibility and
eventually pushed out of her position. This is someone with a bachelor’s
degree.
Another friend, who
uses a wheelchair, works for a movie theatre in his area. He’s the guy who rips
your ticket in half and directs you to which theater your movie is showing. He
tells me all kinds of stories. Some are funny or interesting, while others are
a lesson in patience and self - control. He gets talked down to, ignored,
disrespected and even tripped over! People walk right past him without
stopping to get their tickets ripped, he gets talked to as if he doesn’t know
what he is doing or in a very patronizing manner. And my favorite example he
gave, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.” Seriously? You can’t see a big
‘ol power wheelchair right in front of
you?!
I have noticed since the introduction of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, people are responding better to the needs of the disabled.
More consideration is given when we apply for jobs and with regards to
accessibility into areas of the community. But we still have a long way to go
to truly be accepted into the non-disabled world as a whole.
I would like to encourage all of you to share your experiences
on this topic so we can learn from each other and find ways to handle
situations like these in the future. Thanks.
