Ableism

It's Blog Against Ableism Day (soon every day will be a blog against day, but would that really be so bad?), and, for lack of some time and even more lack of insight, I'll like ya to an interesting, yet sad, article about how callous and stupid people on a bus can be:

A few weeks ago the driver of the X28 bus refused to let me board, because I could not safely board backwards on the lift. Although New York City Transit policy says we can board either forward or backward, this bus driver wouldn't allow me to board forwards.

When I insisted, he called a supervisor, and we waited.

The other passengers got off to get on another bus.

As they came out, they formed a line. Their eyes were full of hate. Many cursed me: "You selfish b----!"

I was crying.

That is just amazing. I remember various times wheelchair-using people boarded busses I was on. I did often feel frustration, but it was almost always at either drivers who were being slow and giving the disabled a hard time of it, or at the system that obviously doesn't really train drivers to accomodate people quickly, kindly and efficiently. Why didn't one person on that bus stand up for the woman using a wheelchair?
Check out lots more to read here.

Filed under:Politics