"Wheelchairs don't mean retards"...

My blog buddy, Mr. Condescending, responded to a comment I made on one of his posts, and I liked it so much that I asked to use it. Here it is in it's entirety - "I think a lot of people don't realize that wheelchairs don't mean retards. Probably because they are idiots themselves."

I've dealt with a multitude of idiots who think I'm the 'retard' because I use a wheelchair.

Case in point...

1) The man at Sears who talked exclusively to my brother, then looked shocked when he said, "I'M not buying the camera, and she's not stupid."

2) The man at the Toyota dealership who talked to the same brother, trying to make a sale. He looked shocked, then embarrassed, when my brother said, "I'M not the one who's looking for a car." I didn't buy anything, especially his apology.

3) The man at the Chevy dealership who talked to my mom, for 45 minutes, trying to make a sale. He, then, bent over backwards after she said, "You're talking to the wrong person." I bought the car and they had someone drive it to where my hand-controls and wheelchair rack were being installed, 60-70 miles round-trip...and it had a full tank of gas when we picked it up.

4) The thousands of cashiers who hand my change to the person I'm with, even though I hand him/her the money in the first place.

5) Then there was the woman who asked my mom, "Did she break her leg?" Keep in mind, I was 33 years old at the time (and didn't have a cast on my leg). Mom replied, "Why don't you ask her?" The woman gave mom a dirty look and walked away. lol!


...and I'm not talking about myself. ; )