Common considerations for interacting with those who have disablities

While standing at her usual spot waiting to catch the train on her way to work, a friend of mine noticed a man sitting in a wheelchair near one of the local coffee vendors. She watched him struggle to reach for a particular magazine on the rack and wondered if she should have gone over and offered to help. She admitted that as she observed him, she began feeling sorry for him. Soon a woman walked up to him with two coffees in hand and they quickly became immersed in a business-related conversation.

Suddenly my friend realized for the first time that the man was wearing a business suit and that this woman was likely a co-worker. She watched as the two individuals interacted with one another with ease and suddenly felt foolish for thinking that the man was helpless and was unable to participate in typical daily activities, such as taking the train into work or sharing a coffee with a co-worker over a conversation. As I listened to her story I realized that her reaction to the man in the wheelchair is similar to one that most people have experienced at some point in their lives.

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