One thing that strikes me about being disabled is how it affects my ability to connect with others. This is because when you have a lifestyle that is out of the ordinary a lot of people just don't get it. I can understand to a certain extent that people are frightened of offending me, patronising me or feeling awkward but it's bloody annoying that I face the same ignorance over and over again. I find that people who I really connect with, have an ability to imagine what my life entails. I dont mean that they neccesarily have a profound insight into disability although that is obviously useful. I mean that they'll see me coming and open a door for me, or they'll ask if I need anything moved to make it easier to get around or they'll see me struggling to move a chair and they'll help me move it instead of watching me do it. You might think that most people would just do these things but I have not experienced that. People who do these things for me are a rare breed. I know I've said it time and time again but the best most helpful folk are always the littlest. Children imagine all the time through stories and role play and I find they are instinctively good at knowing how to help because they naturally want to. I think we sometimes lose this ability to imagine as we get older and we live in our own little bubbles. I do not think that people don't help because they are evil, people are just busy and don't see barriers that don't affect them. Therefore a lot of people walk through a door and let it shut behind them because going through a door is an easy process but it's not for me. That's the difference...
