How having a disability strips you of your right to say “no”
Helping people is a good thing. This a fundamental truth of humanity. Young children are taught from a young age to always help someone in need. But how often do we pause and ask ourselves, what if the person we’re trying to help doesn’t need or want our assistance? Having a disability, people automatically assume that I can’t do things. Sometimes, they’re right - no, I can’t carry that heavy box of beer, it would be wonderful if you would do so. But more often than not, they’re completely wrong. I can open an ADA-compliant door, get in and out of my car, push up a hill. Believe it or not, I’ve got the whole being-an-independent-adult thing down. Disability makes people uncomfortable. They don’t know how to deal with it. People can’t fathom the fact that someone with a body so different from their own, with various parts that may be missing, not function, or function differently, might be a happy, independent, productive member of society. So they react by tryi