In a meeting I was in recently, when discussing advocating for the disabled community, I explained to the group that what disabled people are looking for regarding accessibility is a seamless experience. I always like to preface those types of broad statements with that is just my opinion as one person with a disability, but I believe I can confidently say that is the wish from many of us who live disabled.
Like anyone else, we want to attend a public event or go to a public place and have an experience just like anyone else. Without causing a scene and having a spotlight on us.
I would love to breeze into a place completely unnoticed. That would be a dream.
I was recently with a friend and had a comical experience upon our exit of the place. Since my recent injury of my ribs from my fall, I have had to make all kinds of adjustments to how I get up from a seated position, plus many more daily activities. I made the comment, “I am always causing a scene wherever I go.” I made a joke of it, but deep down I know there is a lot of truth there. Painful truth.
I find myself at times avoiding public spaces or events that I am not familiar with because I am just not in the mood for the scene that may occur – just by trying to have the same experience as everyone else. Sometimes, it feels easier to stay in my safe little bubble.
Not to mention the guilt that I feel when I affect the other people who may be with me. Funny how we assume the load of guilt for things that are beyond our control.
It reminds me of the memory that haunts my son from our trips to amusement parks when my kids were younger. The hurtful comments made by people as we walked by “cutting” the line as we were instructed to do since I was in my wheelchair.
We had not asked for that; we were just doing what we were told to do. We were at the mercy of the accommodations they had in place there. Yet, there we were, assuming the guilt felt by the anger of those who had to wait a little longer in line. It was anything but seamless and the spotlight could not have been brighter. Yet, it is what their policy was that they had adopted, and it did make sense and was helpful to me in many ways.
Last week I was doing another freelance assignment, this time reviewing The District in Fishers. Their sidewalks are designed so that even when crossing the street, everything is level, there are no curb cutouts or ramps to try and roll up. It is seamless. It is beautiful and everything felt free that evening, as I was rolling around. It just freely flowed. I told my husband, “This is what I mean when I say seamless.” Things can flow without interruption, and my wheelchair is not viewed as the enemy of a space.
Yes, those little things you may not even think of are BIG things to someone like me. It means the world when I can go out and just enjoy my time instead of being anxious about how things are going to work, or if they are even going to work.
At a recent meeting with my writers’ group, who happen to be other talented columnists for this newspaper, their words were an encouragement to keep fighting and keep writing.
They mentioned that without someone writing about the things I have written about, they would never have thought of many of these things. They reminded me of the importance of sharing my story and assured me that it does in fact matter. Even the things I think others would not care about, matter to someone.
Another reminder of how important community is to our purpose in this life.
So, I will keep fighting, fighting for a seamless world for all.
Until next time …
Amy Shinneman is a former National Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, disability blogger, freelance writer, wife, and mom of two boys. You can find her blog at humblycourageous.com and reach her on Instagram @ashinneman.