This is not okay to do to people. 

There is so much I could say here...because sadly, this happens all the time. In fact, this was the third person to treat us like this in the first 15 minutes of us getting there. And just to be clear, for those who don’t know my paralysis that well, when I don’t have my shoes or leg braces on my ability to even do my “waddle walk” diminishes greatly & really isn’t safe or good for me to even try. And not that I owe anyone an explanation, but I do care about my followers who want to understand. So when I say “I can’t walk at all” in this video, I am telling the truth. I’m just happy that I made sure I did what I have been wanting to do since I moved to San Diego 3 years ago and I went snorkeling with my neighbor...no matter how many obstacles I knew I was going to face. I’m thankful for the good people in my life who continue to lift me up and help me push through these overwhelming challenges that all too often seem to be brought on not so much from my disability but instead by the societal constructs that are put on us by people/interactions like this.
I try so hard to always rise above the hurt and frustrations that these situations do cause me (these accusations are a constant reminder of the way that people either completely overlook us as human beings in general, or look at us as one dimensional). It's hard to constantly have to try so hard for everything you want to do in your life, just to be a part of those same things that so many take for granted. It's hard to go through these situations on a daily basis. And it's hard to continually have to be the person to educate others on how I am just as capable as anyone else. I feel for this guy...but I also don't because there comes a point when this needs to stop. It's not okay and I just hope that he will think twice before ever accusing someone of "pretending" to have something that is already hard enough to "have" as it is. Thanks for standing up for us...but that's not standing up when you are putting us down.
#disability #ability #stigma #removethestigma #pushthrough #holdyourheadup #keepyourheadup #makeitbetter #bebetter #goodneighbors #ittakesavillage #adaptiveathlete #spinalcordinjury #cerebralpa