One of the biggest things my friends with mobility aids did for me was help me realize I don't have to prove anything to use a shower stool or a cane with a seat on it. I was in a really bad spot with my POTS, and those things have given me so much back--even if I've only had to use the cane once!
Same with my cane and wheelchair. I have 2 medical appointments on two consecutive days in July; if i didn’t have the chair, i’d have to choose one.
Accessibility/mobility aids should not be policed. Ever.
my knees haven't given out like they used to in a couple of years but I still keep my cane within arms reach most of the time I'm at home.
It's really useful for pulling stuff over to me when I don't have the spoons to get up!
The amount of mobility aids etc. I packed for a two-week trip to Japan was frustrating as hell given luggage space/weight issues, and even more frustrating was that I didn't need any of them as it turned out. But had I not packed them?
Yes. I have a cane I use when I feel the need. I remember helping my 3rd wife, who had ALS across 3rd Ave in NYC and I was fierce if ANY mfer even looked like they were going to go when the light turned green and we were still walking. I have a fierce gaze when needed mfers.
I had what was thankfully a temporary back injury, and used a cane for precisely that reason. Just having the bus lower automatically so I didn’t have to climb the stairs and have people give me space was clutch. The signal was so helpful. Many people have disabilities, whether you know or not.
One thing that really raised my awareness of invisible disabilities was, alas, developing several.
I will take my cane to events when I don't necessarily "need" it that (day, week, month) because it cuts through the shit about why I'm sitting, using the access line, etc.
Thank you for this. I don't worry about the shower chair; it's just helpful. But I still struggle with using my cane in public. Sometimes I need to take it with me to use later, but it's more tiring to walk with it than just to carry it. But then I worry about people thinking I'm faking 🤷♂️
I’m hard of hearing (and getting progressively worse) in a weird range of frequencies that make certain environments completely excruciating. My doctor suggested using tv captions and … telling people so I’m not stuck in misery. I’m so much happier not going to small music venues that hurt me.
I think a lot of us got traumatized by that era of Youtube when people would try to "catch" "fake" disabled people- freaks with cameras chasing down some guy the moment he got out of his wheelchair for a while
