From an email by a wheelchair user....

I am long over "what other people think of me in my wheelchair" stage. Now I sigh, roll my eyes and speak up.
-Steve

This comment was written by a friend who has used a wheelchair for over ten years. He emailed me after seeing my post from yesterday about how people treat those in wheelchairs rudely while out in public.

Steve wrote that he was assaulted in his wheelchair while using a public restroom years ago. He explained that he was so ashamed that he couldn't physically fight back that he told people he broke his nose while falling off of the toilet. His assailant took Steve's wallet, beat him up and left him, bleeding, on the floor.

Today Steve writes "After that happened, I learned to keep quiet and sometimes even lie about the way I was treated. I always blamed myself when somone acted badly toward me. Maybe it was my attitude or maybe I handled things wrong. It's not like we get classes in how to live life from a wheelchair. Over the years, the anger and frustration of living two lives built up. I found myself more detached from life and unhappy. I didn't know any other people in wheelchairs so I had nowhere to go with how I felt. I tried therapy but the therapist was unfamiliar with issues that disabled people have."

He explains that he finally turned to God, going back to church and starting a program of reading the Bible and prayer. This helped relieve some of his emotional pain and he began, slowly, to tell people how he felt. He discovered that other people did not blame him or consider him weak because he was assaulted. He joined a local advocacy group to start improving accessibility around his town. They were able to have better curbcuts put in. This empowered Steve to go back to school and, eventually, he got a better job and doubled his pay.

He then writes "When I did all of these things, I felt better about myself. This inner change was something I had to do in spite of what happened to me. It is easier to give in and become silent and sullen than to speak up about what goes on. It's been very freeing to be honest about injustices, especially things like my assault. I want you to know that I don't leave comments on your blog, but I do read it often. Stay honest and keep it going. Thanks!"

Thank you, Steve, for your email and your permission to share your experiences. I'm sure it will help someone else who might be struggling.