Sometimes people ask me if I forget that I'm paralyzed and try to walk when I wake up
The answer is no. It's been seventeen years since I became paralyzed and I'm quite used to the fact. In the very beginning I did wake up a few times and momentarily forget. But of course if I tried to move and just get up I couldn't So there you have it.
Ive also been asked if I frequently think about walking again I don't really think about walking at all. That's not how I get around or do things. I know I'm able to get from point a to point b in a wheelchair and do many other things as well, including sports, dancing, etc.
My philosophy is to live a full life with my disability. That's been easier for me because i work at a job, earned an education and have access to certain resources, like equipment and care hours. I've been very fortunate and have supportive people around me
But I know people who think about walking a lot. Everyones circumstances are different.
2 comments:
Do you ever get people saying "can't you walk just those few steps" or something similar? WildKat (who's a C6 complete) said she was asked that by staff in a hotel where the bathroom was inaccessible because of a door that was too narrow. (It seems a pretty bizarre thing to ask, because if someone shows up in a wheelchair then it should be assumed that they can't walk, unless they say otherwise, because why else would they use the chair?)
I agree with you. I think it's rude and inappropriate to ask that when the facility isn't accessible.
I have that a lot when I travel. Disney was the pits. I was with a friend who uses a wheelchair but can walk with a cane. The staff couldn't get that one of us could walk a few steps and the other couldn't and at one point encouraged me to "try" geesh.
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