Scott McMorrow shares about being mobility-impaired and ending the stigma associated with it.
July 26 is National Disability Independence Day, commemorating the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. For the past six years, I have been a beneficiary of this act as I am confined to a wheelchair, due to a traumatic brain injury. I’m not complaining, just explaining that people with mobility impairment are not the enemy.
I get the feeling I am often received as a rolling lawsuit. Looking for legal action. This could not be further from the truth of who and what I am. To put it bluntly, my time and energy are too precious to waste on trying to seek revenge and retribution on anyone. My focus is to recover.
I’m just like everyone else minus the walking bit. I would like to be able to enjoy some of the simple things such as shopping and dining in restaurants. I ask that you also bear in mind what may be a temporary inconvenience for you is a 24/7 ordeal for us.
While I am sure there are cases of mobility-impaired persons trying to make a living off their infirmity, that is so not me and not most of us. If I’m in your business establishment, it’s because I am there as a consumer looking to feel more normal and function in a world that is fairly unfriendly toward me. I simply ask that you look beyond the wheels and metal and recognize that we are individuals with our own dreams and desires. We are not the enemy. With a Perspective, I am Scott McMorrow.