taffduck

My Birthday Wish When I decided to move to Taichung, I came here with the thinking that you don't know anything until you tried. And though I became homesick even before I made the move, I knew it was something I wanted—for the sake of adventure and my need for independence. It wasn’t the best of neighborhoods I was moving to, but I was determined to make the most of it, just me and my helper. Soon, quietly but surely, I fell in love with my new job, the weather, and the freedom of living on my own. Until the day I cried taking the bus, I never quite understood how life could be disrupted by such little things. My parents were in a meeting that night and so I called my college classmate, crying, saying I am done with living like this. Some time after 10p.m., when I finally got in touch with my parents and told them I almost fell off my wheelchair on the bus today, Mom yelped and said how could that happen. I said I really don't know what to do. Maybe attitudes aren't everything, but one day I had a new thought: What if taking the bus is not an obstacle between me and my work? What if the reason I go to work is to understand the problem with the accessible bus system and try to make it better? It was the thought that kept me from quitting. Not so much a decision but a feeling that, well, since I am here, might as well give it a try. In July I designed an online survey on passenger satisfaction with the accessible bus system; our Facebook page launched at the end of that month. We had our first meeting on August 30 and our online petition began running in mid-October. Over the past two months, I have weekly Skype meetings with a few of my new friends, all of whom have various forms of disabilities. We discuss, make plans, and throw ideas at each other. I don't think I've ever been this productive in my life. Today is my birthday, and I spent some time reflecting on the past thirty years of my life. I'm thankful for my parents, my family, classmates, friends, my helper. I see how blessed and loved I am, and how much freedom I've been given to pursue my dreams. It's been a difficult ride this past year, taking the bus every day, but I'm thankful because at least I have a voice that can be heard, I have a helper by my side, and at my lowest point I found a group of friends who knew exactly what I was talking about. Because of them I am not alone. As I get older, I like my birthdays to be simple, but this year one thing is different from all past birthdays. I actually have a birthday wish, and a distinct one at that. I want to see accessible bus services implemented across the whole of Taiwan. I want to know for sure that my friends won't get hurt riding the bus. I want to hear real constructive conversations between the government and people with disabilities. What lies ahead I do not know, but that is my wish and it's something I'll continue to strive for. At this very moment our team is still hard at work drafting our letter to the government, but I'll just let all the anxiety rest for a bit. 'Cos life after thirty starts right here, so let's take a deep breath and keep on moving. (The note says "I want accessible bus services.")

https://www.facebook.com/events/527709827380474/

Either a pinkie thumbnail, or a half-the-screen thumbnail. What the heck, YouTube? Really. What the heck?

Folks with disabilities, what are your thoughts on this? Do you struggle with being a burden to others?

Such an awesome night watching The Phantom of the Opera with my parents! Since the DVD went into automatic replay, we watched it again till Music of the Night and just talked about musicals and arts and how great this production was. Woohoo. I also realized tonight how Christine has a much much bigger part than the phantom in terms of singing. I think my parents are now fans of Sierra Boggess. Hahaha. Totally made my day. :D