Hi all,

 

I came across an article online that had the slightly weird title "How to interact with a person who uses a wheelchair". I wondered what the bespoken community would make of it.

 

Whilst I suppose the point of it is certainly positive I can't help but feel uneasy reading it. It just feels quite patronising to both wheelchair users and the non-disabled people it's trying to educate.

 

It kind of feels like the writer is writing about people with disabilities and non-disabled people as if they were different species trying to find common ground. Or am I being too sensitive?

 

It's phrases like:

 

"The most important thing to remember is that when it comes down to it, they're really no different from you".

 

I don't disagree with the above statement, obviously. But it kind of makes me cringe that this even needs to be stated. On the other hand someone was just telling me about the weird and far ranging behaviour her friend encounters from some people. So perhaps it does need to be said for some people. It just raises an interesting point about the need to educate people and what's the best way to go about it.

 

Personally I felt a little bit talked down to when reading the article. And I could easily understand a person who uses a wheelchair finding it a bit irritating too. You can read the whole article by clicking here and tell me what you think.

 

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