homer424
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2005
while we had a FANTASTIC time, I was so sad at the amount of rude people we encountered. As I mentioned in my trip report, people were literally steping over and pushing past my grandmother in her wheelchair/walking with her cane. Three times I heard a version of "get in front of the person with the wheelchair/ cane." I am surprised I did not hit anyone with the wheelchair. We didn't rent a scooter because my grandmother was not secure with it, and I think the people we encountered, it was better I was in more direct control of the chair. It is amazing how people saw me struggling to push the wheelchair up inclines, yet felt compelled to walk right in front of me causing me to slam to a halt and possibly hurting myself or grandmother (or 5 year old DD walking next to me).
I don't think I have ever said "excuse me" (not in a snotty tone but to just be able to get inside somewhere or blend with the group) more times in my life as I have on this trip. There was an incident in The Living Seas where I was in tears standing by the doors to enter the Hydrolators, screaming excuse me at people trying to get through and people were literally steping over the top of my grandmother's feet/legs. A CM saw me and escorted me through. I was really shaken up and spent the majority of the time just sitting in the corner trying to compose myself.
And leaving/entering stores with doors? I will just say this: it is truly depressing when an able bodied adult stands and watches my 5 year old struggle to open a door to a store and you walk in in front of us and not even thank my daughter for opening the door. That was the low point.
We did encounter a few families who were wonderful to us-one helped me get my grandmother's wheelchair across Main Street (the wheels were caught in the tracks and this was our first day) while others just stood around and stared. The CMs went ABOVE and BEYOND and every single one I met was awesome (I wrote guest relations about the exemplary service already!) But by the end of the trip we just waited until the very end, didn't even try to blend with the crowd anymore.
This was just 5 days in our lives, I truly feel for those who have to be in a wheelchair/scooter every day. My grandfather was wheelchair bound on and off right before he passed away, but I guess I had forgotten what it was like since this was over 10 years ago. It is sad the lack of respect some seem to have. I am not saying every person who has a wheelchair (or stroller for that matter) are just happless stander-bys, I have seen people use both has battering rams to get through crowds and act as if it is their right. I am just saying from my perspective where I was careful and tried to be mindful of everyone else's personal space, most of the people just saw the wheelchair as an obstacle in their way of "being first".
I don't think I have ever said "excuse me" (not in a snotty tone but to just be able to get inside somewhere or blend with the group) more times in my life as I have on this trip. There was an incident in The Living Seas where I was in tears standing by the doors to enter the Hydrolators, screaming excuse me at people trying to get through and people were literally steping over the top of my grandmother's feet/legs. A CM saw me and escorted me through. I was really shaken up and spent the majority of the time just sitting in the corner trying to compose myself.
And leaving/entering stores with doors? I will just say this: it is truly depressing when an able bodied adult stands and watches my 5 year old struggle to open a door to a store and you walk in in front of us and not even thank my daughter for opening the door. That was the low point.
We did encounter a few families who were wonderful to us-one helped me get my grandmother's wheelchair across Main Street (the wheels were caught in the tracks and this was our first day) while others just stood around and stared. The CMs went ABOVE and BEYOND and every single one I met was awesome (I wrote guest relations about the exemplary service already!) But by the end of the trip we just waited until the very end, didn't even try to blend with the crowd anymore.
This was just 5 days in our lives, I truly feel for those who have to be in a wheelchair/scooter every day. My grandfather was wheelchair bound on and off right before he passed away, but I guess I had forgotten what it was like since this was over 10 years ago. It is sad the lack of respect some seem to have. I am not saying every person who has a wheelchair (or stroller for that matter) are just happless stander-bys, I have seen people use both has battering rams to get through crowds and act as if it is their right. I am just saying from my perspective where I was careful and tried to be mindful of everyone else's personal space, most of the people just saw the wheelchair as an obstacle in their way of "being first".