If that wasn’t possible then perhaps the person who left the thing on the floor that caused the incident could have apologised. Or someone else could have commented that it was stupid of someone to leave that there - that way they take the blame away from me.

When I’m in my chair I don’t mind people asking about why I’m in it, though not as the first thing they say to me. After we’ve been chatting for a while (1/2 an hour perhaps) or after a few days of regular brief chats, or if it’s relevant - i.e. if they need to know if I can get myself up a couple of steps to a meeting or they need to change venue. I agree that initially it’s most polite to ‘ignore’ the disability if you can.

I’m very good at trying to ignore other’s disabilities, not refer to them neither ask questions. There was a disabled woman in a wheelchair I once talked to who said this is the most polite way and you never have the right to ask questions.

But what’s the appropriate reaction? My experience watching AB/PWD encounters is that when the AB persons try to be funny, the situation turns awful. Thus I invented the “cbpi” award - for comments that are “creative but politically incorrect”.

@all: What reaction would you have wished for in such a situation that Lane/Sean told?

Why these bitter feelings of failure?

I have two legs. Do you think I never stumble? Do you think I never let fall things? I also get into embarrassing situations.

Do you think that in a wheelchair you have to be even more perfect than without it? Why?

It *is* better to laugh at those things. People tend to take your lead when you do.

I know there’ll come a day when I’ll land flat on my face while crutching. It’s not going to be pretty, but it will happen someday.

I think part of what made the second incident so powerful for me was the fact that absolutely no one laughed, despite the fact that it was probably insanely funny to watch. This is a VERY fun-loving group, but no one dared by inappropriate. This is my take, anyway. I’m pretty sure that if someone would have so much as chuckled, I would have laughed it off and my day would have ended on a high note.

Maybe I need to make _this_ my new birthday tradition ;). Next year maybe cream tartlets, gumballs, something with Jello??? Haha

It’s very interesting for me to see the little details of shared experience. I had no idea how much the wheelchair would reduce my levels of physical pain. I was expecting it to be the other way round. Likewise I also was surprised by the magnitude of the beneficial psychological effect going from wheeling some of the time to wheeling most of the time.

You are obviously a natural at slapstick comedy. Will you star as yourself in the movie?

I bump into things if get distracted, but you clearly have more sophisticated talents.