Our friend Rienk Mueller wrote a book before he died of ALS, or Lou Gehreg's Disease, which gradually paralyzes the body but leaves the mind intact. He typed with eye movements. Here's one of his stories:
"I discovered that once you are in a wheelchair people begin to relate to you in a different manner. Some people will look at you and give you a smile while others will purposely ignore you, maybe because they think that a physically handicapped person is also mentally deranged and they don't want to have anything to do with you.
"For instance, we would go to a restaurant - with me in a wheelchair - and the waitress would come and ask my wife Audrey what I would like to order, immediately assuming that I was incapable of doing so myself. That stung!
"On the other hand, there were many positive experiences. On our way to Holland we had a layover at the London airport and our son Walter and I decided to use the men's room. As he pushed my wheelchair through the door into the men's lounge, an Englishman looked at us and said while pointing to the right, 'There's a disabled toilet over there.' I said, 'Thank you,' and almost added, 'but we are looking for one that works.' It was hard to keep a straight face. The man was so serious and was just trying to be helpful, but it struck me so funny to hear him say that in such a distinguished, typically British way."
Thanks to Rienk, I now make a point to speak to people in wheelchairs. I never realized before that so many people avoid this. How depressing it would be for people to pretend you're not there!
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