I only had my sitcar for an hour as I have scoliosis (and possible muscle issues-Dr still checking into it) and today was a bad pain day. Hubby thought it would be fun to put my 'hippie-stick' (cane) down and drive around today. It was truly an awakening experience! There are several different types of people that I never noticed before.
The Sympathetic People:
My favourite people are the ones in this group, sometimes. These are the people that nonchalantly stepped out of the way. As if I was no different than anyone else. Although the reason for that might be my lack of surety when driving the machine. I only knocked over one display! Thankfully the personnel were kind about that! Also, trying to see ahead so as not to run over anybody at the end of the isle was impossible. They should put mirrors on the front of those things for taking corners! I digress...
The point is, these people were aware but kind. They sometimes gave a sympathetic nod or smile in my direction. They would take a step to the side without huffing at the inconvenience. These people were kind enough to grab things off a higher hook for me. The sympathetic people at least TRIED to show some kindness.
The Angry People:
These people are just annoying. Apparently, I was driving around to just make their lives horrible. These are the people that swore at me. I even had one particular man place some sort of voodoo curse on me! It was so strange. I literally laughed right out loud! It was quite a surprise.
The angry people seemed to have a tendency to believe this minor inconvenience of seeing me in a sitcar was somehow insulting to them? As if my requirement to breathe the same air was repulsive. These people did not make any effort to step out of the way, in fact it was quite the opposite. One particular person actually back stepped directly in front of me. That's when I used my horn. Those motorized wheelchairs have horns! How cool is that? After he shared a few words, I smiled, and was able to drive around him. It's not like the isles were close or anything. There was room to get around without taking over. I found the angry people amusing. However, if I had to live in this environment (rather than my 1 hour), that type of person would greatly frustrate and sadden me.
The Onlookers:
These type of people are the ones that stare. I'm okay with curiousity. There were children that stared blankly and one child gave me a, "WOW, COOL!", he was about 4 years old and you could tell he wanted a ride! Adorable. There was a little peanut that asked, "Why?" but was ushered away before I could answer. Mom was clearly embarrassed. I love children. They are so honest and pure! I love it when children ask questions. My son once asked a man what happened to his leg (as he didn't have one) in line at a grocery store. The man happily shared his story of driving a motorcycle and how safety should come first. He wasn't ashamed to be asked at all. Children can get away with that.
However, adults handle curiousity differently. The 'stare' was done outright with no admission of embarrassment or it was given out of the corner of their eye. These onlookers also seem to be filled with 'judgers'. Since they don't have an answer to squelch their curiousity, they seem to come up with entire reasons of their own. I could read it in the face, "Oh, she doesn't really NEED a chair." Probably since my hippie-stick was in the basket, it showed I could walk fine. I found that to be a lack of thought considering if I couldn't walk at all, wouldn't I have gone to the store with my own sitcar instead of using one the store provides?
The Invisible People:
These type of people were the most revealing. The invisible people just didn't see me. I was invisible. Apparently backing up in a dead-end isle (the picture posted) and knocking over boxes at the end on a turn, then almost running over a store representative later on, doesn't bring any attention. I find that interesting because if I was walking, someone would have said something or offered to help.
I was down one particular isle where a shopper was looking at the shelves. She was backed up so she stood right in the middle of the isle, giving her a good view of everything in front of her as she scanned the goods. I have done that many times, as I price out items and make a decision on what I would like to purchase. I came around the corner slowly, stopped and looked. As I inched forward, she didn't move. I inched a little closer, she still didn't move. As she was in the middle of the isle, there was no room for me to just go around her. I began to wonder if maybe she was deaf and didn't hear me. I should point out that I think the store lady gave me the LOUDEST sitcar on the planet. It came complete with squeaks and squelches! I called out, "Excuse me please!" and she turned and walked right by without even glancing, until she was almost past...that's when I got the look. That look of contempt. That look that I am beneath her and how dare I, the lowly peasant, speak to such as her, the queen.
That's when I realized what true discrimination was, and is, against people with disabilities.
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