Whilst I'm not supposed to be amazed by, inspired by or in awe of people using wheelchairs, or multiple amputees, or anyone else who doesn't fit the 'regular person' mold, I can't help thinking how 'gutsy' some people are compared to me.
When I see people undertaking a hugely challenging ascent of a snow-covered mountain, with 2 prosthetic legs(no the mountain doesn't have the prostheses, the person does), or skiing with no legs, in a specially designed rig that fits atop a single ski, or sailing solo as a quadriplegic, around the British Isles whilst sipping and puffing through 2 straws, I feel that I am more than a little un-adventuresome.
During the interview process for writing 'What we're Wheelie like...' many of the interviewees mentioned that they tire of hearing, 'You're inspirational', 'It's amazing the way you do that' etc, etc. After hearing this day in and day out, it's begun to grate on their nerves. As a result, I've tried to alter the content of my conversations with people who differ from me, aiming not to annoy them, but simply to converse with them, like I would anyone else.
It may sound trite, but when life is more difficult and the ordinary things we all need to do each day, take longer due to a disability, the added irritation of hearing these comments that are supposed to be a compliment, can be just another mental challenge.
It's made me think and I'm hoping the book will make others think, by asking the readers to consider 'What if...' and ponder each of the scenarios to see how they would feel if they were in that position.
What do you think about this subject?
