See just the other day within two minutes of rolling down the sidewalk, just ahead I noticed an obstacle in my way. It was a lady who thought it was a wise decision to completely block the sidewalk
with her pick up truck. She did this so it would be easier to take her
groceries inside. This meant I had to go down someone else's driveway onto the
street to get by. Then to my surprise a few minutes later had to deal with another pickup driver
who clearly saw me coming yet still decided to park blocking more than half of
the sidewalk in front of me which meant I had to squeeze past partially on the grass.
Now I know this happens all the time but it is true some have a complete lack of care for
people with disabilities often placing their own personal needs before everyone else's.
Sure some may think blocking a sidewalk is no big thing but it definitely helps
to expose the selfish and inconsiderate people of the world. Even when they see you coming never offer to quickly move their vehicle and no apologies for being in your way. They think it's okay to do this since they will only be a few minutes but it is
in these moments when we tend to be rolling down the sidewalk.
This same attitude is often applied when these same type of people quickly stop illegally in an
accessible parking space to run in a store or like I saw years ago an UberEats
driver using these spaces to pick up someone's delivery order. It all
comes down to respect and in many cases this isn't something people with
disabilities receive.
Let's be honest most people don't care about us, they aren't concerned about us
struggling to survive financially due to Government Disabilities Supports
Programs that take away a large part of our income support if you are lucky
enough to find someone accepting enough to marry you. No one cares about the financial stress this places on the marriage especially when people with disabilities tend to face inflated costs in obtaining everything we need just to survive. Then they wonder why it
seems like so many people with disabilities are in need of help.
Just think the same ones calling us lazy or telling us to get a job don't
understand the discrimination we face, many of us not even making it passed the interview process. Plus if these same people had a company
they wouldn't hire us either. These are the same people who refuse to clear
their sidewalks during the winter time yet wonder why we're always focused on
the need for improving accessibility.
Well it looks like this post turned into a rant but these are the kinds of
feelings that get stirred up when facing these types of situations. I just wish more
people would take the time to consider our needs and start showing us the
respect we honestly deserve. I also wish more people would practice kindness
instead of selfishly remaining focused on their own needs.
Simply put, some people need to start doing better.