Able-itis And How To Cure It!

There are so many diseases out there, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Respiratory viruses, common colds, the list goes on and on. But I think the most common is “Able-itis.” If none of your family members are special needs in any way, don’t become so blind to your “able” life that you forget many others are silently working harder everyday to navigate the world around them — the world you may take for granted.

I recently watched a video that came up in my social media feed where a mom whose daughter was in a motorized wheelchair was showing how many times people ignored the handicap parking lines and blocked her car so much that her daughter’s wheelchair could not make it into the car. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, I read the comments. Why do I always read the comments? I was so ashamed of the rude people commenting. More people than not were telling her that everyone had a right to park and she was being ridiculous for being frustrated. I couldn’t believe it. People who can park and walk into a store with little effort were attacking this mom for pointing out that other people make her life unnecessarily harder! 

About 14 months ago, I broke my ankle and had to have screws and a metal plate put in. I was non-weight bearing for six weeks. The first two weeks, I was in a splint that made it impossible to even use a knee scooter. I used both a wheelchair and crutches during this time. I had a temporary handicap parking placard, and I was so incredibly thankful for that. Just going to Walmart wore me out, but the alternative was to sit on the couch and do nothing for six weeks. I watched as my “surgery leg” lost so much muscle tone, and I needed to keep the rest of my body strong for walking again, so physical therapy and just DOING something was the only option for me. I can’t tell you how many times (just in that short period of a few weeks) that I rolled out of the store to find someone parked over the line next to the handicap space, or once there were five motorcycles parked right next to our car in the diagonal lines, blocking the space left for me to wheel to the car and get in. The sheer amount of laziness — yes laziness — exhibited by able bodied people was so eye opening. On beautiful, sunny days, I would watch people drive around the parking lot many times for a closer spot, while we did the same so that I could manage to wheel my chair in the store, do all the shopping, and wheel it back out again before collapsing.

So there it is: that is Able-itis.

People have “inflamed” their own abilities so much that they are blinded to the things they are doing that make the world harder for others to navigate. The good news is that Able-itis is easily avoided or cured.

All you have to do is pay attention to the world around you and the things you might be doing that make basic life harder on others:

• Hold doors for others. (This applies to everyone!)
• Don’t crowd handicap parking spaces. 
• Don’t leave your shopping carts between cars where people who walk with a cane (or a stroller) might need the space to get in a car. 
• If you see someone in a wheelchair or motorized scooter who looks like they might need help reaching things up high, ask if they need help. 
• Offer to put away carts for people who look like they could use the help. (Moms with small kids will appreciate this too.)
• Try not to block ramps into buildings or park over the sidewalk. 
• Do not let your kids pet working dogs and please, for the love of humanity, do not put your pet dog in a working dog vest and take it to places where only REAL working dogs are welcome. Even Emotional Support Animals should stay at home unless truly trained to be in public spaces!

And if your children ask about people who are different from them, don’t shush them. Tell them to go say hi and ask questions of the person they are interested in. Many will gladly tell your kids their story and get to connect with those around them instead of going about their business while being started at. When my kids were little, they were always fascinated with people who were missing an arm. Many were older gentlemen who had been at war and told the best stories! 

These are all simple things really that will make a huge difference to those who work harder every day just to function in a world that is not built with them in mind.

Handicapable? Please comment with things I have missed and let’s cure Able-itis once and for all!