#disability seating

.....yes, a woman with a bike needed our seats more than myself with my cane and my good friend with his bariatric crutches with the arm cuffs. You know, the ones that go on your arms and are super awkward, not to mention clearly meant for long-term use. She suggested we sit in the other disability seats, where his crutches would have been in the walkway and super awkward not only for him but everyone else.

To make it worse, a guy beside us offered to put her bike up on the rack for her. She said no, the handlebars were too big, she had tried. He said he’d had the same bike, he knew the trick- no, no, she had TRIED already. And then she accuses him of stealing a tire from her bike, since it’s the same as one she had stolen....

...........off a completely different brand of bike that wouldn’t use a tire like that, it physically could not do so.

Then she got into a conversation with an older white man and couldn’t keep her story straight. My favorite line? If she had only a little food, and someone else was hungry, she’d share it, she wanted people not to suffer!

Lady, it would have meant more if you hadn’t told two obviously disabled people that you needed their spot more because you had a bike and couldn’t be bothered to learn something new from someone trying to help you.

Alright so 99.9% of buses have “Priority Seating / Disability Seating” where wheelchair users, blind, pregnant women, seniors and other disabilities, can sit. 

I have a Blind Identity Cane to show people “Hey, there’s a Blind person here!” Sometimes people move and sometimes (when they do move) I will take the seat. Other times, they’re rude and don’t even bother because “I’m just a young individual who looks fine.” Sometimes, my vertigo acts up and I do need to sit. There’s also the fact i’m Deaf but Deafness is an invisible ‘disability’. Unless I have my hearing aids in very brightly decorated to show. 

Anyway, yesterday it was me, and my two friends on the bus. Finally got to sit in a disability seating. Next to me (on my blind side) was a woman sitting. We had a stop where an elderly man with a walker was trying to get on. The seat/section I was sitting in was most accessible for him. The woman, didn’t bother to get up. I had no idea what was happening because a) too many people b) can’t see much and c) My friend was trying to ‘interpret’ for me when the bus started moving. Across from me is another seat for priority/disability. A young person kindly got up (seeing as the woman next to me wasn’t doing much), the bus started moving and the elderly man was trying to get into that seat, he almost fell because the sudden bus movement. He finally got settled, I was observing all of this questioning “Why isn’t my seat buddy moving and wtf is going on?!” I was signing to my other friend explaining and asking what’s happening.

Finally elderly got settled in and my friend (who was trying to interpret) was asking if he was okay. I signed to the man asking “You okay??” Elderly started saying “The young woman there (me) didn’t get up to let me have the seat...” My friend: Yeah, because she’s DeafBlind and it should’ve been the other woman sitting next to her to move, my friend wouldn’t have a problem moving over.” I was watching (My friend was SimCom-ing). Elderly man looks at me closely seeing I have my cane exposed and me signing to my other friend (while watching my friend (terp one)). Sweet man apologized 9 times saying “Sorry I didn’t realize that she was DeafBlind... but seriously priority seatings suck here. Some people sit thinking ‘oh no one’s going to use these!’ when there are many who do / need but most are ignorant.” My friend waves me over to converse with the man. So I did explaining “Yeah seatings here suck and people don’t give a damn about others. SOME do but others don’t. Especially when it’s so busy. I remember getting onto a bus where I literally did need a seat and no one bothered to move.” 

We had a discussion explaining how Disability seating should be at least 3 seats open and when there is a wheelchair user or stroller, people should MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! It even says on the SIGNS “These seats are for those with disabilities and seniors. Please be considerate.” Disabilities aren’t just in seniors and they aren’t all visible. There is a reason why there’s such thing as Priority Seating/Disability seating. Those who are able to stand and to sit elsewhere, do it. Don’t act like an ignorant asshole when you see a young individual who truly does have a disability. Or an elderly individual. We are here, we fought for these seats/rights.