Tag: disabilities

There are reasons and times when it is necessary to buy or rent a scooter to get around. This decision does not come easily, and the public, in many cases, is not sympathetic. In fact, they are prejudice, misunderstanding, and outright cruel.

We don’t get out much, but when we do, my husband needs to use a scooter. What we’ve encountered in people is hurtful and frustrating.

1. They accuse him of faking his disability.
2. Call him lazy.
3. Accuse him of milking a system to get privileges or perks.

My husband, to offset some of these things, wears his Navy hat. If people see the hat, they leave him alone. Assuming, I guess, that he was injured during his fourteen years of service. And that makes it okay to use a mobility scooter.

Yes, there are reasons people act like jerks to the disabled.

1. They do not understand hidden disabilities.
2. They see scooters as being in the way.
3. Some people just need to mock or discredit people with disabilities.
4. Some people use cruelty to not have to look at their own vulnerabilities.
5. They feel the person is being lazy and want to teach them a lesson.

We especially have this problem in locations where multiple people are using a mobility scooter. You can hear the sighs, the jeers, the personal attacks. People going out of their way to make the person in the scooter feel small.

It’s tough to use a mobility scooter.

1. You have to face your own issues with loosing mobility.
2. You are, in a way, putting a bullseye on by using the scooter.
3. The limited ability to go to all places and terrains, and weather.
4. I’m sure there are many more reasons it is tough to use the scooter.

So, next time you see someone or a group of people in a mobility scooter, remember they would much rather have your mobility than sit in that chair. For the love of God, stop being so cruel!