Well, I finally have a little time to talk a little more about nationals. I qualified in Student Congress (this was high school speech and debate nationals... anyway.) and I was the first alternate Western Ohio district in Drama, which is my actual category. Imagine that. Me, dramatic. Anyway.
The unfortunate thing about nationals wasn't that competing in a category that I had only ever done once stunk, it wasn't that I didn't get to sleep in my own bed, and it wasn't even that going all around Indianapolis because we didn't stay in the hotel where congress was hosted was inconvenient. The most unfortunate thing about nationals was that after three days I ended up stuck in the wheelchair that we brought with us. And in all honesty, hindsight being 20/20 we almost didn't even bring the thing. We had to tie it down to the roof of the "intermediate SUV" that we rented for the trip. It was quite the sight when we were putting it up there too, one of my coaches was running boy scout knots through his head trying to make sure we wouldn't lose it at the side of the highway... It was craziness.
Needless to say, the boy scout knots were pretty effective, because we I had to do the rest of the weeks competition in the wheelchair after I was done with congress. During the last 3 hour session I subluxed my hip, so I couldn't really put weight on it, especially in the not-so-super sensible shoes I was wearing at the time. (Speech and debate is strictly business attire...) The staff was really nice about it though, that was the one thing that really surprised me. They were definitely really accommodating, which I really appreciated. One of the guys from TAB (those are the people who tabulate all of the results from the tournament) came to my congress chamber with a wheelchair for me to use until I could switch to the one that we brought, and then he wheeled me into the common area because the thing was terrible to try to roll on carpet. Oh!! Soap box time!!!
So, handicap accessible bathrooms? I wanted to shank whoever decided that all you really need to be able to get into a handicap stall is 6 more inches of space in width and a foot in length. Totally. Because it is SO easy to get a wheelchair in the three by three space that is most likely the legal state minimum size for the restroom to be handicap accessible. Want to hear some more? Thats not even all of it. This hotel... UGH. The bathroom door was one of those that was perpendicular to the wall it was on, with one of those little indented areas. that you have to pass through to get to the door. It was IMPOSSIBLE to turn the wheelchair at a sharp enough angle to get it in there with me in it, so I had to stand up and limp in there, shrink the wheelchair down and then pull it in with me, and then expand it by myself (not a simple task, let me tell you...) and sit down, only to look up and see the slightly larger than normal stalls handicap stall. I was not thrilled, if you didn't notice that already. Honestly, if I'm ever a politician one of the first things I will do is make the world just a little more fair for all of us disabled people... I just can't believe that it is legal to have that little of a difference for the stals. There was just no way to possibly get into that bathroom without getting out of the chair, which begs the question, what about all of the people who are in wheelchairs who CAN'T limp like I can?? What about amputees who didn't get prosthetics, or people with degenerative spinal diseases so they really physically can't get out of their chair. What are they supposed to do?? Crawl on their hands and knees?? Honestly it was cruel and unusual punishment. I would love to meet the guy who drew up the final blueprints for that hotel and kick him in the kneecap so hard he would have to be in a wheelchair, and then he'd understand exactly how difficult the world is when the bathroom stall is six inches wider than the normal ones.
The thing is, its like that everywhere. Doors without handicap buttons? You better be sure someone is going to hold the thing open for you, because if not you are just shit outta luck my friend. The pull ones are the worst, because you have to open it about a foot, then move your chair without letting go of the door because if you sit your chair too close to the door you're pulling then (obviously) the door won't be able to open because you're in its way. Its a very complicated task. Hotel breakfast counters? I needed a flippin' periscope to see the doughnuts. It was ridiculous. OOO!! The really awkward one. Being in a public restroom that has four normal stalls, and the only one in use is the handicap one and the girl in there is perfectly fine. So at that point you have to wait there, awkwardly in your wheelchair until the girl comes out. This specific girl went white as a sheet and felt so bad that I had to wait that the only thing that came to her mind to say was "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I feel like I parked in a handicap space! I'm so sorry..." I thought the whole thing was pretty funny after I got over the fact that I had to wait for about ten minutes. See, then there's the really embarrassing stuff, like rolling over peoples toes. I felt terrible when I did that, and I wasn't rolling my own chair so I don't blame myself totally... Anyway, there was this really narrow hallway that we had to go through, and there were people sitting on either side and some guy didn't move his feet. I apologized profusely, but get this. He was VERY adamant that it was definitely his fault, and that I shouldn't be sorry at all. Eventually I looked at the guy and I said "Look, I'm the one in the wheely-chair. Its my fault, I'm sorry." I just felt to bad.
Wanna know something else great about wheelchairs? There are two basic healthy-people reactions:
1. I'm going to really awkwardly stare at you until I figure out what is wrong with you because you are obviously not wearing a cast. I will also make a sympathetic face that implies I know what you are going through, that way when you notice that I am obviously staring at you it won't seem rude.
and
2. I'm going to pretend to completely ignore you. No really. I'm not looking. Okay, maybe I'm looking but just out of my peripheral vision, so you can't tell. Maybe you can't tell because you're mentally challenged? Yeah... You're not wearing a cast and you obviously have healthy looking legs... You're probably mentally challenged. Oh! I could say something casually and see if you're normal or not...
*healthy person:"Odd weather we're having."
*disabled person: "Yeah, looks like it will rain. Those cumulo-nimbus clouds are starting to look really ominous."
Well damn.
Seriously though, those are the two reactions. The "sympathetic" people, and the ones who are obviously trying to assess your intelligence because you look like one of those people who is in a wheelchair because they don't have the mental capacity to walk. And don't get me wrong, I have no problem with those people, Thats not what I'm saying. My problem is that people are all so nosy that they feel the need to know exactly what is wrong with disabled people. Even myself. I catch myself doing it sometimes, like when I see someone who looks perfectly healthy park in a handicap parking space and they have the tag in their car. In my head I go "Seriously dude? Seriously. That 80 year old woman there could have used that space but no. Now she's going to have to walk three miles to get into Elder-Beerman. Good job." Even though they have the handicap tag, in my head I'm thinking about how they don't look like they're disabled so they don't look like they should be able to use that parking space. Since I've been diagnosed with EDS I have stopped questioning it as much though, now in my head I go through all of the invisible things that could be the reason behind that person parking in the space. Maybe they even have EDS like me... Anyway.
TANGENT. Back to what I was saying earlier. There are two reactions that you get from people, and neither of them are particularly thrilling. People really don't know what to do around disabled people, especially disabled kids. And realistically, with the way that prosthetics are these days its not a long shot to say that normally the only people who end up in wheelchairs are those with genetic diseases, and those with broken bones. Thats not all inclusive, but its pretty close. The thing is most people these days don't encounter people in wheel chairs, so they don't know how to act around us. They just don't get it. I really don't need help. Sometimes I do, but I will ask if I really need it. Doors, okay, maybe that would be helpful, but I can definitely press the button for the elevator, and drink from the drinking fountain (I learned on that trip that the short water fountains aren't that size for very small people. I had no clue that they were for people in wheelchairs. I got really excited when I realized thats what it was.) and I can carry things, and I can definitely take care of myself. Healthy people don;t know how to react to that. They tend to assume that people in wheely chairs wither want their help, or need it. I don't quite understand the logic... Anyway.
Its time for this snarky EDSer to go to bed...
Brie
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