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Weirdness at the airport
Written by Claire on Saturday, May 17, 2008
People are weird if you’re in a wheelchair. And I think it’s never more apparent than at the airport.
Through check-in and security, the gate agents and security guards always shuttle me to the head of the line. I’m really not sure why this is. I mean, I’m sitting down, right? In what way do they think it would it be hard on me to wait in line with the others? I’m probably more comfortable than everybody else. Still, I’m not above refusing the priority service. Thinking back, I should have refused, and now I’m feeling bad for not waiting my turn.
I was in the elevator, and it stopped to let some people on. They were airline crew; two pilots and a stewardess, and a guy pushing a hospital-type wheelchair that they use to shuttle the old and infirm from gate to gate. The others had carry-on bags on wheels, and together we were a large load for the elevator. I held the "open" button for them as they got on, and then asked them what level they were going to. They told me, and I pushed the button. The stewardess exclaimed "Thank you!!" as if I were some incredible prodigy for having pushed two buttons. She patted my shoulder as if I were a child, or an old lady. As they exited, she asked me "Are you okay??" "I’m perfectly fine," I assured her.
Putting milk in my Venti Café Americano, another customer hands me a stack of napkins. I am startled; I take them without thinking and thank him mechanically. He says "Your welcome!" quite cheerfully and walks away. I am left with a stack of napkins, wondering why he thought I needed them, and why he thought I couldn’t get them, as I am parked directly in front of two napkin dispensers, and am clearly quite competent with my hands, as I was currently pouring milk from the large thermos into my coffee.
Parked at a table in the food court eating area, I dropped an empty coffee cup on the ground. Anyone can drop something, you don’t have to be in a wheelchair to do that. I went to pick it up, and this lady comes running over to pick it up for me. I tell her that’s okay, I’ll get it, but she picks it up anyway. I thank her.
I was getting ready to leave, and putting all my trash in the paper bag. A guy is walking by and he stops. "Are you all done with that?" he asks. I say yes, and he takes the paper bag and throws it in the garbage for me. The garbage can is three feet away. I thank him.
The food court is crowded, and I can’t get past a group of people who have their luggage out in the aisle. I politely ask them if they could move it for me. They all jump up, exclaiming "OF COURSE! I’m so sorry!" and then I have to say "I’m sorry…" and she says "Don’t be ridiculous…" The guy opposite jumps out of his chair, stands up, and moves his chair completely aside so I can get through. He didn’t need to, as with the luggage moved, I was fine, but I end up having to apologize and thank three people in order to get out of the food court.
Leaving the food court I pass in front of the wall of arrival/departure monitors. This is no big deal; at my height, I don’t block anyone’s view. A lady reading the monitor looks at me with huge, horrified eyes, and grabs her husband’s arm, and she moves back, slowly and carefully as if I were a wild beast that is about to attack her. She pulls her husband along with her. He looks at her like "What the…?" I tell her it’s okay, and keep going.
Admiring some jewelry at a gift shop, a business traveller hurries past and calls out, "I love your wheels!" I thank him.
I pass a soldier dressed in fatigues. He stares at me with a very sober, haunted expression. It disturbs me, and I look away. I wonder what his story is.
On my second layover, I get some lunch. As I am waiting for them to finish making my sandwich and hand it over the counter to me, the manager comes over. "Can I help you with anything?" he asks. "No thanks, I’m just waiting for my sandwich." "I know," he says "You are all so independent!" I just smile. He continues "But I know sometimes you need help and just don’t want to ask, so I always like to offer." I’m not sure how to respond to this, but I just tell him "I’m fine, thanks." He goes on to tell me "I volunteer my time at the local handicapped childrens’ organization, I work with you people all the time." This is said in an extremely knowledgeable and condescending tone. I am not going there. "Actually you can help me," I admit. "Oh???" he says. "Yes…can you tell me if it’s normal to wait over 5 minutes just to have a sandwich made?"
At the baggage claim, I have gone to get a luggage cart and wheeled it over to the conveyor belt, awaiting my luggage. I am able to get my luggage off the conveyor and onto the cart, and also push the loaded cart, one hand on the handle of the cart, and pushing my chair with the other hand. A man approaches me and asks if I need help, and I say "No, thanks!" He moves on. A minute later another man offers help and I politely decline. Another minute later, a woman asks me if she can help, and I say "No, thanks, I can do this." She responds "You’re a pro!" She hangs around, though, waiting for her luggage, and as I grab the first of my suitcases and swing it over into the luggage cart, she exclaims to her little boy "Wow, she’s a pro!"
I realize that I very rarely see manual wheelchair users, and that since I have been wheeling, I have never, ever, seen a female manual wheelchair user in any of my travels. I am alone, independent, and very competent. I must be a very strange sight.
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27 Comments
2 On 17 May, 2008, Sophie said:
I don’t know much about airports, never really had the chance to fly, but I’m guessing there is some practicality involved in getting you through first. Does it take a little longer for you to go through security? Doesn’t the plane prefer wheelchair users to board first to make it easier? Please tell me if I’m completely wrong of course :)
Haha, this reminds me of so many wheeling trips in the past. People do forget to act natural so often when they encounter someone in a chair… Whenever that happens, I’m always thinking, “I’m just a guy in a wheelchair! It’s not like I have three heads!”
I’ve never been on a flight as a wheeler though… Perhaps you can tell us what quirks and procedural differences we should look out for. :)
Can you imagine a commercial where people with various disabilities go up to ABs and say, “Wow, you really did well ordering that coffee all by yourself!” or “You mean you drove here? Alone?” etc. etc. All, of course, capped with “You’re such an inspiration / so brave / so independent!”
Just a random lurker here, but - it’s pretty common when I fly to see the chair riders let onto the plane first. I think it’s because that way they can reach their seats before the rest of the 13481096 passengers clog up the aisle with their luggage.
Walking, you can squeeze by some guy standing and lifting his luggage into a compartment, but with the aisles these days, it’d be hard to get a chair by there I think.
I have no idea what the story is with security, though.
Most AB people simply do not know what to do, when to help or when to bug off. I suspect some expect to be publicly berated if they do something wrong, or do not do the right thing. The consdescending remarks are wrong though.
Jen, that would be a great advertisement!
…the airline industry wasn’t and still isn’t an industry that is prepared to give the same kind of service to physically disabled customers that they do to the more ‘mundane’ customer…statistically, the former demographic just doesn’t frequent themselves as customers. Someone I know says security can be an extra hassle when it comes to security and a chair - I’ve heard stories where chairs have been dissassembled due to ’suspicion’ that the chair may contain ‘illicit’ substances.
Maybe this shows only slightly just have many shy, unknowing, unfound, repressed devotees there are out there who find wheelchairs attractive and their users and want to help and be friends, but are too afraid about their feelings to express them because they don’t understand them becase they havn’t realized that there not alone?
-Wheelman
Just be thankful that people offer to help. When you’re struggling up a ramp and people walk past you (and it’s certainly happened to me), that’s the time to worry. Of course there are any number of boneheads about but you get used to them and their silly comments. If someone told me that they loved my wheels it would make my day. The one thing I do notice is that when I walk on my prosthetics with a stick for aid I certainly don’t get treated as well as I do when I use my chair. People are more sympathetic to wheelers.
It’s an experience I can well relate to. My most recent trip to the airport (in this month)involved, not particularly in order, having the ticketing agent repeatedly ask me if I really was flying by myself, being asked by him twice if I could manage to -walk 10 feet, turn left, and walk straight into the TSA checkpoint-, having three different TSA officers require assurance that I’m capable of walking up an escalator before they would direct me to my gate, having the brilliant flight attendant suggest that I just -let- her take my cane away (because I’m a good person!) having a different flight attendant insist on calling one of those driven carts for me instead of giving me directions (I refused to sit and got my directions, eventually) during my connection, not to mention having SEVEN different ‘good samaritans’ come and see that I really was okay and not lost while waiting for my car. And I got to do 90% of this with my hearing aids, because people have little fits if I take out my pacmate at airports where they’re in a hurry and I expect them to slow down enough to type.
In general, airports make me lose faith in the world. If it is such a marvel that a deafblind person, or indeed, just a person in a wheelchair, can manage a task so mind-numbingly simple as flying… ah, well.
There was one highlight of my trip. I sat down next to nobody in particular and asked her if she could tell me when they announced my group for boarding. She, realizing that -I- hadn’t any way of knowing, informed me that she had macular degeneration and would be no more helpful at reading my seat number printed on the ticket than I would be. Between the two of us, we figured it out, and the amusing incident served to inform me that for just that flight, I would not be the only blatantly disabled person flying.
Wheelman; Relating to my very limited public experiences, that was one of the first conclusions that I drew; there are alot of devs out there.
Ronald: And it seems like a lot of devs start young too. I’ve had teenagers (probably around grade 10 or 11; not particularly “young” teens) express a lot of interest in my wheelchair. It might be because I look young enough to be a teenager too, but it’s interesting to see the high ratio if “interested people” especially among teens.
14 On 23 May, 2008, Claire said:
I’ve also had encounters with people who *may* be devs, but I’m never really sure. Perhaps it’s just an interest in unusual people in general, perhaps they have a family member who is disabled so they feel a connection with you, perhaps they just like your eyes or your smile. Who knows? There can’t be *that* many devs around.
As an aside, I think it’s hilarious that these “what it’s like wheeling” posts get so many comments! Do you guys want more of that?
15 On 23 May, 2008, art5080 said:
Sure!
As a dev, I’m game!
No matter what your reason to wheel or crutch or brace or whatever, always interested to know
what it is like for you and what you experience.
/Art
When I was out in public, there was attention, but judging by the facial expressions, there were obviously some who were devs, others just curious. It was actually fun, watching some give me the once over to see what my disability might be. The majority of onlookers were women, middle aged, at the time I was in my early 30’s. Not much attention from children or teens.
Almost forgot, I definately was fitted for forearm crutches by a lady dev. Guess she had a dream job!!
I like listening to wheeling stories mostly because it’s something I don’t get the chance to do very often, and it’s always nice to hear about some things other people encounter; you never know when the same thing might happen to you.
I’ve done so much wheeling in the past few weeks (since the family’s out of town) that I can write a book on it…
20 On 26 May, 2008, Sean said:
If Gordo wants to write, we’re open to more writers ;) Gordo, contact me directly if you’re interested
The wheelchair users definately have a point here, which is a wheelchair attracts more attention. I was in a buffet restaurant, an ak lady came in with her party, not really atracting much reaction or attention from others in the restaurant, nor did the staff seem to be rushing over to offer help. Aside from her friends taking turns fixing a plate for her, there was nothing unusual about how she carried herself. Just blended in with the crowd.
23 On 29 May, 2008, Art5080 said:
Since I’m not conversant with code-speak or many
UK (United Kingdom) expressions, what is an ‘ak’
lady ?
/Art
Not so much British as codespeak, it’s shorthand for an above-knee amputation. Usually specified as lak, rak or dak for left, right or double.
25 On 30 May, 2008, Sean said:
A small list to help with these acronyms can be found here: http://biid-info.org/Category:Acronyms
Ronald is right. When I use my wheelchair I receive far more attention. I’m also offered far more help. Perhaps Ilook more vulnerable in the chair.
I’m back! I think that this maybe should go into another topic, but, being a teen, and a 10(11th) grader, I would definitely say that most people my age are just awkward around just about everybody.
You see, even though my friends (all but 3) know nothing about devotees or pretenders or wanabees (I call it that out of habit, if it offends anyone), I can tell that they do act a bit weirder than normal when around someone with a disability. It gets even better if they have something to sit on (wheelchair) or use (crutches) or toy with (etc.)(see a pattern?).
The only reason I notice this (and I have come reeaallyy close to outing myself because of this) is because I know about it. They are just being interested.
On to the other topic floating around in this post, people in wheelchairs definitely get tons more attention than ‘other things.’
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1 On 17 May, 2008, Sean said:
All that in the space of a day! Yikes. Sometimes, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at people’s reactions. Oh hummm