Do people buy special glasses for it?

What's with wheelchair blindness??

Published on August 24, 2004 By Ariadne Calzanti In Health & Medicine

I've had a look back at a previous article of mine about missing people, and how it has sidetracked to people with disabilities. This got me thinking about some of the work I do with people with disabilities that mean they are wheelchair bound, or require a wheelchair for long distances.

Has anyone else noticed the weird phenomenon of wheelchair blindness? No, this is not actually a disability, but something I have noticed the public seem to have when confronted by someone in a chair. It's amazing to me that I would be pushing a wheelchair through a town centre, and someone would be standing in the way. Do they move? No. They look at the chair as if it is made of magic things, and they have never seen one before, then you have to actually ask them to move ot of the way. And, to top it all off, they act indignant when they have to move!

Is this just me, or have other people experienced this??

Rant over!

Aria

Comments

stevendedalus

on Sep 01, 2004

UNfortunately, it is the same syndrome that glances strangely at black and white walking hand in hand, or dwarfs running down a street, or an obese person's rump spilling over on the seat.

Ariadne Calzanti

on Sep 03, 2004

Indeed. But WHY?!

oladibug

on Sep 27, 2004

I have noticed it more now that my husband has had to start using a wheelchair. Its rather aynoing, I mean what has happened to commen respect. I just dont understand what the problem is, and I get very upset when people are rude. He had one experence in D.C. where even the leaders of our nation basicly ignored this group in wheelchairs. In the cafateria they just stood there (even though the group knew that they had seen them) carrying on there conversation. My husband pressed through them and they got indignent over the whole thing. I just can't believe people act this way.

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