Now I Am A Stranger In A Strange New Land

I'm a tourist in the land of the disabled and like so much of the traveling I've done, I'm coming away with a new appreciation for the indigenous population.

Last night our friends Lisa and Jim came over for drinks followed by dinner out at one of our favorite ramen restaurants.  The only reason I was okay with going to this restaurant, on a busy downtown street with limited parking that makes accessibility an issue, was that there were going to be three people to help me navigate getting out of the car, getting up on the sidewalk, and walking/rolling to the restaurant. Fortunately every street corner in San Mateo is ramped to allow for wheelchairs, knee scooters, et. al. to use. Nevertheless it still took three people to help me. I found myself confronted with obstacles that previously were at best minor irritations. Curbs, doors, tables and more posed impediments that could only be overcome with the help of others. Once inside the restaurant my scooter necessitated us waiting for a table rather than a booth to occupy (the scooter would have been in the aisle way had we taken a booth) so we had to wait a few extra minutes.

Now I want to make this really clear. People on the street, the employees of the restaurant, everyone we encountered in this little excursion, was unfailingly kind to me. Even the family ahead of us in the lobby waiting for a table who stood up to allow me to sit down or the other motorists on the street who refrained from honking and yelling at us as I got back into the car, everyone.

Still, I now have a greater appreciation for the situation of those who are permanently in a situation I am just visiting.

As much help as I was getting, I so wanted to be able to do the most basic things for myself. While it's great to have help and great to be the recipient of someone's courtesy, it's better to be able to say 'I did that myself'. I'm sure anyone who is in a wheelchair or uses a service dog or whatever their particular handicap might require feels the same way. It's a frustration for me, it's a way of life for them. This is literally a situation of my walking a mile in the other guy's shoes.

So if it means building a ramp to a building, or having handrails in a bathroom, or having Braille markings in an elevator, or any of the other things mandated by the Americans With Disabilities Act so be it. Call it drinking from the well of human kindness, call it mandated courtesy, call it whatever you want to call it, but understand it's done so fellow human beings can accomplish the simple things that you or I take for granted.

And I will slash the tires of the next car I see parked in a handicapped space and not displaying at least this placard.