Hello Up There
Years ago, I was at a professional reception with Earl. A man was there using open cuff/arm crutches and persisted standing, when he clearly was fatigued and needed to sit down. I wondered about that, but now I get it. He wanted to be part of the conversation. I accepted very early on that it's an able–bodied world. But I needed to appreciate and adapt to the 'uprightness' of it as well. From the time I started using Skeeter, I learned another lesson about the nature of being disabled. In many social settings, a mobility–impaired person is below eye/conversation level, either in a wheelchair or a motorized scooter. Since I no longer use a walker, I am perpetually at belly button level.* That often means looking up in order to feel part of the action. Have stool, will perch If there is a bar stool, I'll climb up on it by any means possible. No matter how awkward I look or how long it takes, it puts me at conversation level with everyone else. I even