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Despite the fact that this was pretty minor, I cannot believe how much nicer people are to me now that I'm on crutches. Every time I've gone into a store(except Wal-Mart) this week, employees have literally jumped to help me. I have had virtually no wait times, even when I am just chilling out in the wheelchair. Some people have literally acted as if I can't take care of myself.

It's been really nice seeing that people actually care, but I can't help but feel for those who live with some sort of physical or mental "limitation" and are treated as if they can't take care of themselves. (I hate the words handicapped, limited, etc.) I have good friends who are missing entire limbs or are classified as intellectually disabled who live fuller, more active lives than the majority of people I know. I actually went to college with a girl who lost a hand in an accident as a child. She ran college level varsity cross country, is a scuba instructor, and is heavily involved in advocacy programs.

Also, I've worked with an organization called Best Buddies for years. It's kind of like Big Brothers, Big Sisters but for people living with intellectual disabilities. I met a woman living in Indianapolis, Indiana who had one of these "disabilities", yet despite any limitations, she lives in a group home with lots of freedom, has a job in a store where she regularly interacts with customers, and even spends some of her free time in our office volunteering. She is an incredible woman, and I will never forget the day she won a huge award at our yearly conference. She came off the stage crying, found me in a crowd of about 1,500 people, and gave me a huge hug. It was literally one of the most satisfying experiences of my life.

It has been annoying having to hobble around on crutches this week, but I can't help but appreciate the people surrounding me who live with so called "limitations", yet despite these difficulties and annoying judgments of strangers, they refuse to allow anything to get in the way of them living a completely fulfilling life.

Cheers]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/530207/5677509.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/530207/5677509.page GMT