My reading of #2 is that it's a response to the "Why didn't you just leave?" feedback that many people with mobility issues get when sharing concerns about being in a public space where people being inappropriate verbally or otherwise showing disrespect for their boundaries.
I don't think it really matters why why the discomfort happens, though.
Mobility-impaired people have are just as capable as a TAB of being homophobes or racist, for example. And even for bigots, being free to easiily leave a situation is still a privilege that wheelchair users don't have.
Number 15 is currently annoying me very badly. Recently moving to a suburb from the metropolitan area has been a big change for me, and probably feels more extreme because I used to be on a bus route just steps from my front door, and the street was a snow emergency route that was kept well plowed in winter. There were also well-plowed sidewalks and alleyways all around my house. Here I am blocks from the bus stop so I cannot get there in winter. There is a sidewalk on only one side of the main street and NO sidewalks whatsoever on any of our side streets, and the streets in our subdivision are only wimpily pseudo-plowed when the city has nothing better to do, thus leaving a thick layer of ice to form on the streets so that driving sucks and I can no longer get around at all using my walker or wheelchair. It's very unlovely. I am frustrated to realize that I will be essentially trapped in my home until spring thaw. >:o
( ... )
I'm sorry Number 15 is kicking your ass! It's pretty bad in the city right now, too. I hope when you get a power chair things will change -- most of the power chair users I know use them right on the street and get around that way. Not the most safe way ever, but at least they are not trapped.
I have to say, if you haven't seen anything about the disability rights movement, you will probably be heartened by this video. It's good to see people like us out there agitating, and it's good to see what progress has been made. And the interviews really are good.
Thank you for sharing the links--I've signal boosted the former on Dreamwidth, and seen it further signal boosted there, and very much enjoyed reading the latter. (I'd never heard of 'When Billy Broke His Head' prior to doing so; now I plan on tracking down a copy over the holidays and seeing it with some friends.)
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Mobility-impaired people have are just as capable as a TAB of being homophobes or racist, for example. And even for bigots, being free to easiily leave a situation is still a privilege that wheelchair users don't have.
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Damn.
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I have to say, if you haven't seen anything about the disability rights movement, you will probably be heartened by this video. It's good to see people like us out there agitating, and it's good to see what progress has been made. And the interviews really are good.
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