[Texaswheelz]

Just thought I'd make a quick post on some things I ran across today and see what others think of them.

On my way home from my wife's shop today I exited off the high way and as it frequently happens there was a guy in a 30 year old pile of shit wheelchair (you probably couldn't roll 5 foot in without it falling about apart) sitting on the side of the rode at the red light wanting money. This one was behaving as if he was a quad. As in he had one hand curled up that he was using to hang a mug off one of his fingers. It is of course possible that some one is mistreating this guy and rolls him out there every day and he can't do anything about it. However in my opinion he was faking it. I have a spot near where we live that there are 4 different guys that use this one corner, they take turns and each one is always sitting in this one chair that they have, same looking 30 year old POS metal folding hospital chair. I also know another underpass on a smaller rode that these guys live and have driven by several times with them all laying beside each other passing a bottle back and forth and the chair laid over to the side.

Which is worse, a pretender that really goes around pretending to have some ailment and plays the part and we might even be fooled, or these jackasses that not only play on the sympathy of people driving by them, but also in my opinion make those of us in chairs look bad in peoples eyes that don't know anyone. I have people I've worked with in the past amazed that I worked and wasn't living on disability and laid up at home in bed all day ever day. Where do they get these thoughts from do you think? I ask, and they say they always see these nasty dirty people on the side of the rode in wheelchairs begging for food. I ask, don't you think it's weird that they are in some trashed out non useable chair and they say that they never even notice. Most people don't even look at the actual chair, sure they see a chair when they look at us and these people, but they just see a chair with wheels, not a 50 lb metal chair or a 15 lb tilite. Would it be wrong to steal these guys chair? To harass them? To roll up to em and confront them? Just the things I always think about when I see them.


The next thing I came across is when I pulled into Wal-Mart. As I was driving towards the front of the parking lot I saw a police car parked in one of the handicap spots. The first think that went through my mind was "Oh great, now they are using them". I had plans to take a picture and send it in. When I got closer though I saw that the officer was sitting in the car writing stuff down and looking in front of him at the car parked in another spot without a tag or placard. I was like "HELL YEA, he's writing a ticket". Would have been the first person I ever saw get a ticket for parking in our spot illegally. So I pull into the next one, I had plans to go and shake his hand and say thanks, as well as point out that the car I just got out of doesn't have one and he doesn't have to ticket it also...

Well before i got to that, my wife had sent several text to me while I was driving, so I stopped to check them before I got out of the car. When I looked up, the officer was out of his car and walking around the car in question, looking inside, looking at the front plates, like he was looking to be sure he wasn't missing something before he gave them a ticket. So I turned around and went ahead and pulled my chair out and started putting it together. By the time I got it put together and got out of my car he was gone. I was still happy though as he had given a ticket. So I rolled up and looked over on their wind shield and nothing, no ticket. I looked around the car myself to see if I could find something that would have deterred him from giving this car a ticket for parking illegally. I could not, even looked inside to see if maybe they had hand controls. Nope. So ends up the cop didn't ticket them, I guess he was just wasting some work time. I left very disappointed.

[Tetracyclone]

Suggest a tip to the local paper to have a reporter do a little local color on the guys with the chair might cut into their income.

[rue2you]

I see the same thing when I go to therapy. The hospital is downtown Cincinnati so you have to drive through a rough area to get there. There is always this guy on the corner in the old nasty chair - you almost described him to a T!! I have the same emotions as you when I see him. Here I am going to work my rear off to get what I can back, and here he is taking people's money and playing it up. Makes me mad. I always want to pull up and give him an application to McDonald's!!

People not noticing the difference in our chairs makes me think of another story. I told my hubby "Well, if I have to live in a chair, it is going to be a cool one!" He said "That's fine but only you chair people will know it's cool!" So, I met a guy a couple of weeks ago at a meeting that I sang at. He had a bad car wreck 2 years ago and lost his right leg way up to his hip. He rolled up to me and said "I am just checking out your chair. It is really cool!" I said "thank you" and then told him the conversation between me and my hubby. He laughed and said "Yeah, I used to roll up at red lights and check out the cool sports car next to me. Now I roll up to cool wheelchairs and check them out!" I thought it was very funny and it broke the ice and we enjoyed an hour conversation "talking shop"!

People just don't get it. I really think we need a documentary on the in's and out's of quad's and para's - and even they are very different. People think when you are paralyzed that you lose the ability to walk. That is only one aspect!! If they only knew.....

[edlee]

The thing is, guys,,, that the vast majority, don't WANT to know. They develop their own mental picture of a paralyed person in a chair,,, and that's what they see when they look at us. It's a human trait, to compartmentize things in our mind. It helped cut down reaction time for the cavemen,, and I guess it does the same for us,, it allows us to put what we see, into known slots,, and react to them in a way that fits that slot. Without having to think about it.

The idea is to not have to think about it. All too many,, both upright and seated,, have a tendancy to try to ignore,, or at least, marginalize, things/persons that are not of particular interest to them. That's why the bum in the wheel chair gets more quarters in the cup than the bum standing up. They don't look at the guy,, they just see their own mental picture of a crippled guy, and make their donation based on that.

I guess we all do it to some extent,, no point in cluttering up the head with too much information that we probably won't need. But, chairs,,, I usually have room in there for them,, as well as the people in them.

As for the cop and the ticket,, around here, they don't bother,, I was told by a cop,,, because the magistrate throws them out more than 9 times out of 10. I even had a cop back my van out for me when someone blocked my access by parking on the lined area beside me. Spent twenty minutes figuring out my seat and the hand controls,,,,, and he still didn't write the ticket.

And while I, personally, would enjoy that documentary, Rue,, most ABs would bother.
ed

[JimG]

I recently wrote a letter to our local paper, b/c we have a problem with ABs parking in handicap spots.

Many KNOW it's a handicap spot, but b/c we have so much snow/ice for 5 months out of the year.....the painting on the pavement is covered so they can claim ignorance.

We have a favorite Mexican food restaurant we frequent, and there's a Chinese food restaurant next door that shares the handicap spots.

We frequently watch as people will park in the handicap spots and run in to get their take-out.

We have often waited outside for them to come back and will verbally shame them for doing it.....often leading them to act like WE'RE jerks.

I've thought about printing up flyers to leave in people's windshields that state they were in a handicapped spot and hopefully make them feel embarrassed about it.

Maybe if we all band together and do it as a group.....we might change many people's attitudes.

[greybeard]

JimG, on Feb 25 2010, 05:43 PM, said:

I've thought about printing up flyers to leave in people's windshields that state they were in a handicapped spot and hopefully make them feel embarrassed about it.

Maybe if we all band together and do it as a group.....we might change many people's attitudes.

Not a chance. (that it would make a difference) Nobody cares enough.

[Texaswheelz]

JimG, on Feb 25 2010, 12:43 PM, said:

I've thought about printing up flyers to leave in people's windshields that state they were in a handicapped spot and hopefully make them feel embarrassed about it.

Maybe if we all band together and do it as a group.....we might change many people's attitudes.

I've left notes, they just crumple them and throw em on the ground... This is what I'm going to start doing, just be sure to use a marker that they can erase with water so that they can't sue ya for damages. I believe it was another member here that originally posted the picture.

[redryder49]

http://www.cafepress.com/+handicapped_park...ticker,35468177

[greybeard]

redryder49, on Feb 26 2010, 04:34 PM, said:

http://www.cafepress.com/+handicapped_park...ticker,35468177

At $4 at time the cost could soon rack up!

[rue2you]

Quick story -
I was out to lunch with a former Pastor's wife the other day. Her husband pastor's a VERY large church and is the president of a college. Anyway, we went to a small, quiet restaurant and it had no handicap parking (just a take-out spot) and we had taken her car so I forgot my placard. It was pouring the rain and nasty. She parked in the take-out, would not let me push myself inside (and I just let her to humor her), went in the door, she walked up BEHIND the counter and informed the hostess that we were taking the take-out spot because their was no handicap parking and that we did not have the placard. Then, she told them to quickly get me a towel so I could dry off my rims so my hands would not get messy. They were like "Yes, ma'am. That is fine ma'am. Yes ma'am" It was SO funny! I could not believe the air that she had with those people and boy did they respond!

[JimG]

greybeard, on Feb 26 2010, 07:03 PM, said:

redryder49, on Feb 26 2010, 04:34 PM, said:

http://www.cafepress.com/+handicapped_park...ticker,35468177

At $4 at time the cost could soon rack up!

Yabbut....

Priceless.

rue2you, on Feb 26 2010, 07:19 PM, said:

Quick story -
I was out to lunch with a former Pastor's wife the other day. Her husband pastor's a VERY large church and is the president of a college. Anyway, we went to a small, quiet restaurant and it had no handicap parking (just a take-out spot) and we had taken her car so I forgot my placard. It was pouring the rain and nasty. She parked in the take-out, would not let me push myself inside (and I just let her to humor her), went in the door, she walked up BEHIND the counter and informed the hostess that we were taking the take-out spot because their was no handicap parking and that we did not have the placard. Then, she told them to quickly get me a towel so I could dry off my rims so my hands would not get messy. They were like "Yes, ma'am. That is fine ma'am. Yes ma'am" It was SO funny! I could not believe the air that she had with those people and boy did they respond!

You know....

I've found MOST people and businesses are accommodating like that.

I've also called city government officials and shopping mall managers to report problems we've encountered with facilities and been surprised by the embarrassed responses of the situations they didn't realize b/c NOBODY has ever said anything to them.

You just have to ask and speak up sometimes.....