So you had a BADD day

I've got loads and loads to blog about and I'm definitely going to catch up tomorrow.  But I just wanted to remind people that Blogging Against Disablism Day 2010 is this Saturday.  Please pass the message on and take part if you want to/can.  It's really important and it's usually interesting and good fun.

Today I was chatting to the hygienist when I went for a double whammy dentist and hygienist appointment back to back thing. She asked what I'd been up to and I said I'd been swimming this morning.  So she was chattering away about how she likes to swim but doesn't go often, which pool had I gone to etc etc etc.  Then she asked if I needed someone to come to help me get dressed.  I answered her in that sort of automatic way that you do at times - no not with getting dressed, I need help getting in and usually my friends come and do that but sometimes I've got the lifeguards to do it (beach area which doubles as ramped access and a shower chair).

I know that she was just making polite small talk.  But that wasn't polite small talk that was heading into the inappropriate disability related question realm and practically out the other side of it too.  Not quite sure what's the other side of the realm of inappropriate disability related questions but we were about 1 question away from discovering it.  I suspect she may have twigged she'd said something stupid because she stuck to teeth related talk from then on.  I'm letting it go, I think.

That can actually be viewed as disablism because she sure as hell wouldn't ask an able-bodied patient that sort of question.  I'd like to see her do that actually, probably be quite funny to watch.

I went to an event this evening and they paid for me to have an accessible taxi take me home.  The guy got the seatbelt for me but refused to clamp my chair.  He kept saying he didn't need to, the seatbelt would be enough - and it is a very short journey I will admit but it's incredibly dangerous and I don't care if we're only going 5 metres or 20 miles, I'm having my chair secured.  And I kept telling him he did need to.  In the end I told him point blank to either secure my chair or put the ramp back down and I would get out, walk home and make a formal complaint.  He didn't put all the clamps on my chair (missed the front on one side) but English isn't his first language and he kept telling me to slow down (I do talk fast at times) and saying he couldn't understand me and I was tired so I figured it was enough for the not quite 10 minute trip.  That and the way he was push on my chair really roughly in ways he didn't need to make me think he wasn't sure what he was doing.  Which is possible because I know the company do pull guys off their regular cars to drive the wheelchair accessible one as and when needed - and some of them hate it.

That's disablism too because an able-bodied person wouldn't have their personal safety disregarded like that - or at least not when the relevant equipment was available.  And they wouldn't have to argue the point so hard.  I will be making a complaint.

Those are just my opinions and just one day in my life.  Admittedly a worse day than I would usually have although not the worst ever (oh the stories I could tell!).  But in my opinion it's what BADD is all about, speaking out about those sort of things.

Please consider taking part.