Accessibility Affects Everyone!
Are you annoyed when valuable parking spaces are reserved for the “handicapped”?
Does the sight of the blue disabled logo prompt you to grind your teeth, while you circle the block searching for room to park your car?
If so, I invite you to think again!
Accessibility, and the easy access to public and private facilities affects us all, at one point or another, in our lives.
We all begin life as infants, and are usually transported in carriages, strollers and prams, often with a toddler sibling by our side. Any parent or caregiver who has attempted to maneuver opening a heavy door to a department store, with two or three youngsters in tow,
can relate to the need for easy access and doors that open with a minimum of effort.
Have you ever experienced a mishap or sports accident requiring you to wear a cast or a brace for a few weeks? This temporary condition provides you with a glimpse of what your disabled neighbor experiences on a permanent basis.
The fate of even the most able bodied person can be changed by an accident or illness in an instant. Remember Christopher Reeve, a.k.a. “Superman”? He became a champion for the disabled.
Many, if not most, disabilities, for whom patients are granted the use of disabled spaces, are not obvious. The majority of people who have disabled parking plates do not use wheelchairs, but they do have health limitations, among them, heart disease, lung disease, and cancer, which may curtail them from walking long distances.
Even if we are fortunate enough to live a very long life without suffering from any debilitating accidents or illnesses, eventually our mobility will diminish and we will likely use disabled parking spaces, and perhaps wheelchair ramps, to assist us in maintaining our independence.
The next time you pass a disabled parking space and are annoyed that you cannot park there, breathe deeply, and count your blessings that you are able bodied.
Someday, if you become disabled, don’t you hope that able bodied people will graciously leave that parking space empty for your use?
An excerpt from Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: GG Speaks!
Copyright © 1999 by Gabriella Graham/Red Tailed Hawk Publishing/All Rights Reserved.
Are you annoyed when valuable parking spaces are reserved for the “handicapped”?
Does the sight of the blue disabled logo prompt you to grind your teeth, while you circle the block searching for room to park your car?
If so, I invite you to think again!
Accessibility, and the easy access to public and private facilities affects us all, at one point or another, in our lives.
We all begin life as infants, and are usually transported in carriages, strollers and prams, often with a toddler sibling by our side. Any parent or caregiver who has attempted to maneuver opening a heavy door to a department store, with two or three youngsters in tow,
can relate to the need for easy access and doors that open with a minimum of effort.
Have you ever experienced a mishap or sports accident requiring you to wear a cast or a brace for a few weeks? This temporary condition provides you with a glimpse of what your disabled neighbor experiences on a permanent basis.
The fate of even the most able bodied person can be changed by an accident or illness in an instant. Remember Christopher Reeve, a.k.a. “Superman”? He became a champion for the disabled.
Many, if not most, disabilities, for whom patients are granted the use of disabled spaces, are not obvious. The majority of people who have disabled parking plates do not use wheelchairs, but they do have health limitations, among them, heart disease, lung disease, and cancer, which may curtail them from walking long distances.
Even if we are fortunate enough to live a very long life without suffering from any debilitating accidents or illnesses, eventually our mobility will diminish and we will likely use disabled parking spaces, and perhaps wheelchair ramps, to assist us in maintaining our independence.
The next time you pass a disabled parking space and are annoyed that you cannot park there, breathe deeply, and count your blessings that you are able bodied.
Someday, if you become disabled, don’t you hope that able bodied people will graciously leave that parking space empty for your use?
An excerpt from Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: GG Speaks!
Copyright © 1999 by Gabriella Graham/Red Tailed Hawk Publishing/All Rights Reserved.
