[PA01]

My client and I went away for the weekend, and stopped in at a visitor's centre to ask about some roads around a National Park. There are some pretty high mountains and lovely scenery, so we thought we'd ask about the best routes to take to get good views.
The lady behind the information desk asks "Will you be walking up there?", to which I replied "Do you have the hands of Jesus?"
She looked at me blankly for a moment, so I thought I'd clarify "Unless you have healing hands, I don't think he'll be walking anytime soon", and she went a bright, bright shade of red and stammered out an apology about how she wasn't thinking. My client and I got a great laugh out of it, I wasn't trying to be mean, but it was clearly a very stupid question.

To top it off, at our restaurant that night, the waiter came around while my client was quite clearly feeding himself very efficiently to ask "Do you need a spoon?" My client replies "No thank you" and continues eating, but the guy won't let up. "Are you sure?" he asks again. "He's not retarded," say I.

My client is the ultimate duck, these things are forever rolling off his back like water. But it gets to me after a while! I can't stop the sarcasm sometimes because people can be so goddamn ignorant!

Anyone else care to share their favourites?

[JimG]

I notice people talk louder and slower to me when I'm in the wheelchair.

I have to remind my kids that I'm not blind when I'm walking with my Canadian crutches, as they want to point out curbs, un-even pavement/cement, etc..

The one that made me shake my head was one day at the gym when a regular noticed that I was getting around with a cane (at that time), and asked what happened....

It was only a few days after a neuro had misdiagnosed me with ALS, so I told him what had happened and we didn't know for sure.

.....at which he grimaced and said....."oh...God....that's a horrible disease to die from".

[The Black Sheep]

I went in for a job interview once and the man conducting the interviews called "next". I came in and he told me to please have a seat. I said "Thank you, I'm good where I am". It took him a couple seconds to realize I'd brought my own chair.

[McTavish]

While out shopping in a large department store, I had purchased some items of clothing, paid by bank card and the assistant handed my receipt and cash back I had requested, to my daughter saying "thats her card and her money" to which my daughter replied "she may be in a wheelchair but she is not mentally retarded you can give it to her" I think that assistant will think before she speaks in the future.

[PA01]

Oooooh, that's another one of my pet peeves. People addressing me instead of my client. He is quite clearly not mentally disabled. Tetraplegia doesn't affect your ability to answer for yourself! Really grinds my gears!

[MrBump]

i hate when rolling around and people moving eeverything outa the road as if your driving a friggn truck !

[my-sister]

haha... backing up seems quite tricky... when my sister was learning to back up in her power chair, i always said that she would be qualified for her CDL (truck drivers license)...

but, yes, i could see why it would be annoying to have people creating a wide path... i'll remember that when my sister gets her power chair ;)

[greybeard]

Saw a locum at my docs surgery today. Told him I'd already been diagnosed with severe stenosis between L2 and L5, and that I have recently been getting increased pain from it.

He nodded, paused, then said,"OK. So where on your back are you having this problem?"

WTF?

[Ratticis]

I get the "have a seat" all the time.

One time in a waiting room somewhere, a 2-3 year old little kid comes up and says "hi", so i says "hi, how are you?" then the kids mother yanks her away by the arm and goes "don't talk to those people, you might catch something"

[allis53ca]

when they look over me and ask the STRANGER behind me in line, "does he want paper or plastic?"...PLASTIC bitch, can't suffocate you with paper!

[chellbell]

Hahahahahahahaha! People are so ignorant sometimes! When my bf n I started dating my mom wanted to know if he could drive or if he had a job and wanted to know why I would date someone in a wheelchair. I had to keep reminding her that his legs don't work but everything else about him works just fine. It happens all the time. We were out at a bar and he came back laughing because some random stranger came into the bathroom stahl and asked him if he needed help emptying his leg bag?!? I think people think they are being nice but really its annoying as hell! The best one ever is at the movie theater. We went in to watch a movie and where the wheelchair accessable place is there is one chair beside it. So we laughed out loud and commented that someone in a wheelchair is only allowed to have one friend. Kinda sucks when we take the kids because they can't sit with us!!!!

[willowpatillo]

My husband was out shoe shopping and the sales clerk was trying to sell him on this particular pair of shoes because the soles had a lifetime guaranty! He "politely" pointed out to the sales clerk that someone would have to be dragging his feet out of the car door for him to wear a pare of soles out on any shoes.

And, my gripe is when I call a place to make sure they are wheelchair accessible and I get the ....... Uh , yea I think so.... to which I reply....do you think you could check with someone who "knows" so?

I am new to this and it surprises me how many places are not accessible and how many are "accessible" if you want to risk your LIFE getting in! All I can say is THANK GOD for wheelchairs that don't FLIP over!