Thanks for Learning With Me
It’s still disability pride month! I so appreciate you joining me on this journey!
Because we are already making eye contact, and I so appreciate that we are, there might be a time that you see a human with a disability (me) appear to be struggling. As mentioned in a previous post, I move differently than most people do. There will be some days in which I am happy to accept your offering of assistance. There will be others in which I don’t want your help.
Something that I appreciate greatly is when another human asks me whether or not I need help. Whether or not they can hold the door for me, or open the door for me, or lift something for me, etc. I love that question and I’m so grateful to have people ask it of me.
What I don’t love is what happens when I decline assistance and someone continues to provide the assistance anyway. This happens to me a lot in the context of door holding. If you stand at the door holding it open for me, please know that I am going to work harder to get to the door faster. I have no more interest in inconveniencing you than you have interest in inconveniencing me. While I greatly appreciate the gesture as I know it is coming from a nice place, trust that I know my body better than you do.
One responsibility that I am newly and keenly aware of is that I must ask for assistance on occasion.
It is my job to ask for help when I need it.
It is my job to accept help when it is offered and I would benefit from it.
It is your job to back up if I decline.
Thank you for learning with me.
I didn’t know this stuff, either.
