Public Parking
It wasn’t until I was 22 years old that I realized that people did not think about parking to the same degree that I did. Upon coming to this conclusion I also saw that people didn’t think about much of anything as much as I did, and, in some circles, I would be labeled as either obsessive or neurotic. Or a combination of both. The savage irony is, of course, that while I’m sitting here hyper analyzing everything, most people take one look at me and assume that with the wheelchair, I am the mentally slow one.
We’ve all parked somewhere without thinking. I’ll be going through a store and stop to examine a dress only to unwittingly block someone else’s path and when she asks me to move, I apologize for my short sightedness, I blush, and then I move. The problem comes in when people block the path of others and then leave their cars, bikes, belongings, etc. unattended. Even you, who are reading this post, probably did that today.
On one hand, people who block ramps or chain their bikes to lampposts so that no one wider than Cindy Crawford can get by, are just part of urban living and an inconvenience that I should get used to. And I really am trying, but all the wishful thinking in the world isn’t going to get me off the pavement that you’ve blocked. The city government was kind enough, in recent years, to start to take me into consideration in their public planning. But the only solution they offered me to get around is one that you have chosen to impede.
I have no doubt you were busy and no malice was meant. Your kid was screaming, you were late for a deadline, and you just hand other things on your mind. However, without knowing, you’ve sent a message to me, which is why it is fair that I am now sending a message to you. The message you’re sending to me is “you don’t belong out in public, you don’t have a right to cross this street, and the world should never consider you. I for one refuse to be accommodating.” That’s a pretty big slap in the face for someone just on her way to get a haircut.
One of the few guarantees in this world is that our bodies will fail us. The world you create for disabled people today, is the world you will inherit when your body no longer cooperates. I’m not saying this to make the world better for my children, I’m saying this to make the world better for you.
I got to where I needed to go, so don’t worry about me. I deal with this issue enough that I decided to take some action and start a blog from it and the other absurdities of being an urban creature with a disability. That means I deal with a lot of blocked paths and obstacles. I can usually think my way around them with alarming speed and accuracy because I have to do it daily. Not everyone is so fortunate. Please, take a moment next time to think of us who are thinking all the time just to survive.
Athena is a professional actress and CEO of Aegis Productions LTD, which produces Never Walked in High Heels. She currently resides in London.