Gregory Mansfield
@GHMansfield
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Disabled Lawyer. Disability Rights and Disability Justice. Gregoryhmansfield at gmail.
NYC
Joined October 2011
Man at bus stop seeing me, a wheelchair user:.“I don’t have time to wait for a wheelchair to get on.”. Wheelchair users know about waiting.The resistance to us riding buses kept them inaccessible for years. Your wait is minimal. Our wait for access persists.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “What are you doing?”.Man on bus: “I’m hanging my groceries on the back of your wheelchair. I don’t want to put the bag on the floor.”.Me: “Please take if off now.”. Hanging anything on someone’s wheelchair without consent is unacceptable.
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Hospital staff enters my room, sees wheelchair and asks: “Is this your wheelchair?”.Me: “Yes.”.Staff: “Can I borrow it for a while to transport another patient?”.Me: “Sorry. I don’t loan my chair to anyone. It never leaves my sight.”. Don’t ask to borrow someone’s wheelchair.
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Hospital staff: “Can I use your wheelchair for another patient?”.Me: “I’m sorry. I don’t let my chair out of my sight.”.Staff: “Are you sure? It’s just for a little while?.Me: “I’m sure.”.(Staff shakes head and leaves). Don’t ask to borrow a wheelchair user’s wheelchair.
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Nondisabled man on bus sitting in wheelchair seat: “I’m not moving. I was here first.”.Bus driver: “If you don’t move so I can let the guy in the wheelchair on, I’m putting the bus out of service. Now, please move.”.(Man moves). Nicely done, bus driver.
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Roommate in hospital: “This is the third time they asked me if I want to sign a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order. I wish they would stop. I don’t want a DNR.”. Repeated requests concerning a DNR order are ableist, coercive and harassment. No means no.
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Me a wheelchair user boarding the bus: “Where am I supposed to go? Bags are blocking the wheelchair section.”.Owner of baggage: “I was here first.”.Bus Driver: “Are you disabled?”.Owner: “No.”.Bus Driver: “This is wheelchair priority. You have to move.”. Nicely done, bus driver.
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Hospital employee: “Do you have a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate order)?.Me: “No.”.Employee: “Do you want one?”.Me: “No.”.Employee: “Why not?”.Me: “I want to be resuscitated.”. A DNR is a personal decision. Extensive questioning about it is coercive and harassment.
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Doctor to me a wheelchair user: “I’d like to examine you. Can you get on the exam table?”.Me: “No. Not without assistance. It’s much higher than my wheelchair.”.Doctor: “Ok. Maybe next time.”. Doctor’s post-visit notes: “Patient declines exam.”.
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X-Ray Tech to me, a wheelchair user: “Can you walk?”.Me: “No.”.Tech: “Can you stand?”.Me: “No.”.Tech: “Can you hop up on the table?”.Me: “No.”.Tech: “With your disability, this won’t be easy.”.Me: “If you had an accessible exam table, it would be easy.”.
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Me, a wheelchair user, to 3 people standing & talking on curb ramp: “Can I get get down the ramp?”.Person: “Can’t you see we’re talking?”.Me: “If you stay on the ramp, I can’t cross the street.”.Person: “You can’t wait until we’re done? That’s rude.”. Seeking access is not rude.
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Bus driver to passenger in wheelchair seat: “Can you please switch seats? I have a guy in a wheelchair .getting on.”.Passenger: “No. I was here first.”.Driver: “Are you disabled?”.Passenger: “No.”.Driver: “Then you need to move.”.Passenger: “This is unfair.”. Nicely done, driver.
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Man at bus stop: “Who gets on first, us or the wheelchair?”.Woman at bus stop: “We should get on before the wheelchair. It’s cold waiting here.”.Bus driver: “The wheelchair gets on first.”. Does anyone realize there’s a person using the wheelchair?.
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Hospital staffer: “We’re going to keep your wheelchair out in the hallway.”.Me: “No. I need it at bedside. I never let it out of my sight.”.Staffer: “Sorry. It’s protocol.”.Me: “I don’t care about protocol. It stays here.”. Don’t ever separate a wheelchair from a wheelchair user.
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There’s something seriously wrong with a system where nondisabled people have to approve a disabled person’s request for access or accommodation.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Do you have a ramp?”.Restaurant employee: “No, but we’ll get you in even if I have to carry you myself. We don’t keep anybody out.”. The lack of access for disabled people keeps disabled people out. Carrying someone is not access.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Excuse me, I’m stuck in the street. There is no curb ramp here. Can you help me?”.Pedestrian: “Maybe you shouldn’t go out until you have a helper with .you.”. The answer for disabled people is not helpers or staying home. It is access.
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Woman in pharmacy to me, a wheelchair user; “I couldn’t live with what you do. Being in a wheelchair is not a life. I’d rather kill myself.”. Every disabled person has heard these words. The devaluation of disabled lives is persistent and pervasive.
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Hospital worker to me, a disabled person: “Do you have a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order?”.Me: “No.”.Hospital: “Do you want one?.Me: “No.”.Hospital: “Are you sure?”.Me: “Very sure.”.Hospital: “You can always change your mind.”. Would a nondisabled person be treated this way?.
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Disabled people are 25% of the population. You cannot talk about diversity, civil rights, equity and justice without talking about disability.
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Hospital staff: “We don’t like patient’s wheelchairs to be at bedside. You can call us if you need it.”.Me: “That’s not happening. My wheelchair stays put.”. A wheelchair should not be on call. It must be in sight and in reach of the wheelchair user at all times.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Excuse me, you’re blocking the ramp.”.Man: “What do you want me to do?”.Me:”I need you to move.”.Man: “Relax. You don’t have to be rude.”. Seeking access is not rude. Blocking access is rude.
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Me: “Is your restaurant wheelchair accessible?”.Employee: “No. We have stairs. You’re not going to sue us, are you?”.Me: “I just want an accessible place to eat.”. Disabled people aren’t looking to file lawsuits. Disabled people want access.
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Disabled people fought way too hard for wheelchair priority spaces on the bus to have stroller or buggy users think they are entitled to them over wheelchair users.
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Stranger on bus: “Can I hold the handles of your wheelchair when the bus moves?”.Me: “There’s a grab bar on the bus to hold on.”.Stranger: “I’d prefer this (my chair handle).”.(Bus moves & stranger tips my chair backwards). Grabbing a wheelchair without consent is dangerous.
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Physician to me, a wheelchair user: “You’re a DNR (do not resuscitate), right?”.Me: “No. I am not a DNR. Why would you assume that?”. Presuming that a disabled person is a DNR is blatant medical ableism and devaluation.
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Pedestrian to me, a wheelchair user:”Let me push you. I’ll take over.”.Me:”No, thanks.”.Pedestrian:”I insist.” (Starts pushing me).Me:”You need to stop now.”.Pedestrian:”There’s no need to be rude.”. When a disabled person declines help, it is not rudeness.
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Child:”How do you get upstairs?”(after seeing my wheelchair).Me:”when a store has stairs, I can’t get in unless it has a ramp.”.Child:”They should make stores with no stairs.”. If only business owners had the wisdom of children.
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Me a wheelchair user: “Can you please move your car. You’re blocking the ramp.”.Driver: “I’ll move in a couple minutes. I just want to finish eating.”.Me: “Can you move now?”.Driver: “What’s the rush?”.Me: “I’d like to cross the street.”. So few grasp the urgency of access.
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Access for disabled people isn’t a favor. Access for disabled people isn’t charity. Access for disabled people isn’t generosity.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Please move your car. You’re blocking the ramp.”.Driver: “I’ll help. (gets out of car). I’ll lift you off the curb.”.Me: “I don’t want to be carried. I need the ramp. Please move. Driver: “I just wanted to help.”.Carrying is not access. The ramp is access.
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Stranger on bus: “I hope you don’t mind. My bag is very heavy. I hung it on the back of your wheelchair”.Me: “Please take it off now.”.Stranger: “I didn’t think it was a big deal.”. Hanging something on the back of a wheelchair without consent is a “big deal.”.Don’t do it.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Don’t you have an accessible exam table?”.X-Ray Tech: “You should have told us in advance that you needed a special table.”. Access for disabled people isn’t “special.”.Stop blaming disabled people for your access failures.
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Hospital staff: “It’s policy we have for wheelchair bound & immobile patients. We keep your wheelchair outside the room.”.Me: “I’m not letting my wheelchair out of my sight.”. Wheelchair users are not wheelchair bound or immobile. Don’t take away a wheelchair. It is dangerous.
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Hospital staff: “We need to put your wheelchair in the hallway for awhile. We are having an inspection and your hospital room is too cluttered.”.Me: “No. I need access to my chair.”. A wheelchair is not “clutter.”.A wheelchair user’s access to a wheelchair is not optional.
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Disabled people are 25% of the population. Disabled people are not a niche group. Disabled people are not inconsequential. Disabled people will not be ignored.
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Man on street: “Can I push you? You could go faster in the wheelchair.”.Me: “No, thanks.”.(Man starts pushing me).Me: “You need to stop now.”.Man: “I’m helping you and it’s fun.”.Me: “Stop.”.(Man stops pushing). Pushing a wheelchair user without consent is not fun or helpful.
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Accessibility is not charity. Accessibility is not generosity. Accessibility is not an amenity. Accessibility is not a gratuity. You don’t bestow access. You ensure it.
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Hospital staff: “The patient bathrooms are not wheelchair accessible.”.Me, a wheelchair user: “So where do I go to use the bathroom?”.Hospital staff: “Off the unit, there are public bathrooms that have wheelchair access.”. The inaccessibility of hospitals is striking.
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Me, a wheelchair user, to restaurant worker: “How come you don’t have accessible bathrooms?”.Employee: “We don’t get many wheelchairs in here. Disabled people can always use the bathroom at home before or after they eat here.”. Ridiculous. Eateries need accessible bathrooms.
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Me, a wheelchair user, wheeling. Stranger without asking starts pushing my chair: “Here, let me help you.”.Me: “Please stop pushing me.”.Stranger: “I insist.” .(Keeps pushing me).Me: “You need to stop now.”. Pushing a wheelchair without consent is unacceptable and dangerous.
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Me, a wheelchair user, to bus rider: “Excuse me. You’re sitting on the armrest of my wheelchair. Please get off. You’re going to break it.”.Bus rider: “Sorry. There was nowhere else to sit.”. A wheelchair is for the wheelchair user. It is not a seat or resting place for others.
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The human needs of disabled people are deemed “special needs” until nondisabled people need the same things.
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Me, a wheelchair user:”I thought you had a ramp to get in.”.Employee:”We do, but it’s in the storage room and I don’t have the key. The person with the key is off today. Sorry.”. Access that comes and goes is not access.
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Stranger to me, a wheelchair user:”If you believe in Jesus and seek forgiveness, you will walk again.”. Disability is not sinful. Disability is not faithless. Disability is not a punishment.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “can you move your car? You illegally blocked the ramp. I can’t cross the street.”.Driver: “There are no other parking spaces.”.Me: “You need to move.”. The convenience of nondisabled people should not take precedence over access for disabled people.
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Nondisabled man on bus sitting in wheelchair space: “I shouldn’t have to get up. I was here first.”.Bus Driver: “Its wheelchair priority.”.Man: “They shouldn’t get priority over us on the bus.”. Wheelchair users don’t get priority on the bus. You can sit anywhere. We can’t.
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Hospital staff: “We like our wheelchairs to be out of the way so we are going to put it in the corner.”.Me: “It’s not your wheelchair. It’s mine and it needs to be at bedside.”. A wheelchair user’s access to their wheelchair is not negotiable.
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A disabled person’s access should not be at the discretion of nondisabled people.
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Stranger to me, a wheelchair user: “Let me help.” (Starts pushing me). Me: “Thanks, but I’m good.”.Stranger: “I insist.” .Me: “No, I insist. Stop pushing me.”.Stranger: “Try to do someone a favor…”. Pushing a wheelchair user without consent is not a favor. It is dangerous.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “I need to take my wheelchair with me.”.Ambulance driver: “Sorry. It won’t fit. You’ll have to go without it.”.Me: “I’m not going without it.”.(Driver brings wheelchair into vehicle). Don’t ever try to separate wheelchair users from their wheelchairs.
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Man on street to me, a wheelchair user: “Let me give you a hand. (starts pushing me without consent.).Me: “Please take your hands off my chair. I’ve got it.”.Man: “Geez, no good deed goes unpunished.”. Pushing a wheelchair without consent is not a “good deed.”.It is offensive.
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Me(a wheelchair user):”Can you move your car? You’re blocking the ramp.”.Driver:”I’ll just be a minute.”.Me:”You need to move. You’re parked illegally.”.Driver:”I’m tired of you people getting all the perks.”. A curb ramp is not a perk. Access is not a perk.
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Stranger in store to me, a wheelchair user: “I couldn’t do what you do and live life that way. I’d rather die.”. It would be nice as a disabled person to go shopping without someone devaluing my life as a disabled person.
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Me a wheelchair user: “Do you have a ramp?”.Restaurant employee:”No. But we’ll help you in.”.Me: “How?”.Employee: “Staff will assist you.”.Me: “How?”.Employee: “Carry you up the stairs.”. Carrying a disabled person is not access. It is unsafe and dangerous.
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Diversity is not diversity if it does not include disability.
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I am a disabled person. I do not have special needs. I am a wheelchair user. I do not have special needs. I need access, accommodation.and equity. These are not special needs. They are the needs of.every human being.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Excuse me. You need to move your car. It’s blocking the bus stop.”.Driver: “I’m eating. Give me a few minutes.”.Me: “You’re going to make me miss the bus.”.Driver: “Be patient.”. Patience be damned. Disabled people should not have to wait for access.
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Me: “Is your restaurant wheelchair accessible?”.Employee: “We have a couple steps. We could get a couple of our guys to help you in. Maybe you could just take care of them afterwards.”. Disabled people should not have to pay or tip for access.
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I’m a wheelchair user and just got back from having some tests at the hospital. Just curious: would nondisabled people undergoing the same testing be asked 3 times in a couple hours whether they are a DNR(have a do not resuscitate order)?.
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Medical staff: “What are your special needs?”.Me, a disabled person: “I don’t have special needs. I just need access.”.Medical staff: “Access is a special need. You need to accept your disability.”.Me: “You need to accept that access is not a special need. It is a human need.”.
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Timely reminder:.Snow removal is a disability rights issue.
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I don’t want a stair-climbing.wheelchair. I want ramps, lifts and elevators.
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I don’t need to overcome my disability. You need to overcome your ableism.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Is your restaurant wheelchair-accessible?”.Employee: “Pretty much. We just have one step at the front. But, our bathrooms are not accessible.”. No such thing as “pretty much” accessible. If there’s a step & no accessible bathrooms, you are not accessible.
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Stranger pushing baby stroller to me a wheelchair user: “Would you mind waiting for the next bus? My friend and I both have strollers and want to travel together. We need the wheelchair spots.”. Strollers fold. Wheelchair seats are wheelchair priority.
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Me to store employee: “Why don’t you install a ramp and make it wheelchair accessible. It’s only one step.”.Employee: “It doesn’t make financial sense. We don’t get many customers in wheelchairs.”. Why do you think you don’t get many customers who use wheelchairs?.
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Doctor to me, a wheelchair user: “ I need to examine your back. Can you get up on the examination table?”.Me: “No.”.Doctor: “Well then, how can I examine you?”.Me: “I guess you can’t. You need to get an accessible exam table.”. Accessible exam tables are a necessity.
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Man on bus to me a wheelchair user: “Do you really need that wheelchair?”.Me: “Yes. Why?”.Man: “There are a lot of fakers out there. I saw someone get up and walk away from their wheelchair.”. Ambulatory wheelchair users exist. Stop policing disabled people.
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Bus rider:”Why do you use a wheelchair?”.Me:”Why do you ask?”.Bus rider:”I bet some people use wheelchairs who don’t need them.”. The disability police strike again. People who use wheelchairs, need to use wheelchairs. Disability is not fakery.
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Medical staff to receptionist: “Have the wheelchair come in.”. A disabled person who uses a wheelchair is not “a wheelchair.”.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Do you have an adjustable exam table.”.Medical staff: “You have to let us know in advance if you have special needs. We’d have referred you to someone else.”. Access is not a “special need.”.Doctors and hospitals need to own up to their responsibilities.
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Disabled people are 25% of the population. Disabled people are not invisible or disappearing. Disabled people are being ignored and excluded.
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Hospital staff: “You can’t keep your wheelchair in the room. It takes up too much space.”.Me: “There’s more than enough space. It needs to stay here.”. Don’t ever try to separate disabled people from their wheelchairs or mobility aids.
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Disabled People Forever:”Due to our disability, we may need the option to telecommute to school or work.”.Response:”No. Not possible.”. Everyone 2020:”Due to Coronavirus, we need to telecommute.”.Response:”Absolutely. You don’t even have to ask.”.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Do you have a ramp or a lift so I can get in?”.Store manager: “We don’t have money right now to take on special projects like that for the disabled.”. Access is not a “special” need. Providing access is not a “special” project.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Your exam table is not accessible.”.Medical staff: “Is there anything you can do to get up on the table? Can you give it a try?”. Access is not the responsibility of the disabled person. It is the responsibility of the provider.
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A reminder:. Disabled people are 25% of the.population. 1 in 4. Let that sink in. The shabby treatment of 25%.of the population is unconscionable.
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X-Ray tech to me a wheelchair user:.Tech: “Can you walk?”.Me: “No.”.Tech: “Can you stand?”.Me: “No.”.Tech: “Well that’s a problem. I don’t know how you’re going to get up on the table.”. The problem is not the disabled person. The problem is the inaccessibility of exam tables.
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Bus driver to people standing at front of the bus: “Someone in a wheelchair wants to get on. Please move to the back.”.(People refuse to move).Bus driver: “If you don’t move to the back, I’m putting the bus out of service.”.(Everyone moves). Nicely done, bus driver.
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Man at bus stop:”You’re lucky that all the buses have ramps.”. Luck has nothing to do with it. Access is a legal right, not a fortuity. The only reason we have any access at all is that disabled people fought for decades for it. The fight continues.
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Me:”Is your restaurant wheelchair accessible?”.Restaurant employee:”Yes, we have a ramp. Send someone in or call us when you get here and we’ll bring it out.”. Access does not mean access-on-demand and waiting. Access means independent, spontaneous access.
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If diversity does not include disabled people, it is not diversity. It is ableism.
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Medical receptionist: “Have you signed a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) Order?.Me: “No.”.Receptionist: “Why?”.Me: “I don’t want one.”. Asking why someone doesn’t have a do not resuscitate order is coercive and ableist.
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Me:”I’m getting my wheelchair tomorrow.”. Nondisabled people:”I’m so sorry.”. Disabled people:.“Congratulations!”.
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Me, a wheelchair user:”Can you help me up the step?”.Employee:”Where’s your helper?”.Me:”Don’t have one.”.Employee:”If you had one, you wouldn’t need my help.”.Me:”If you were accessible, this wouldn’t be an issue.”. Fighting inaccessibility is exhausting.
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Doctor to me, a wheelchair user:.“I’m sorry. I just assumed you were a DNR.”. The assumption that a disabled person is a DNR(Do Not Resuscitate), coupled with repeated requests to sign a DNR order is not only coercive and harmful, it can be fatal.
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Me:”Is there an accessible entrance?”.Employee:”What do you need, a ramp?”.Me:”No. You need a ramp. Your business isn’t accessible & violates the law.”. Access is not the responsibility of the disabled person. It is the responsibility of those that exclude.
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Neighbor to me, a wheelchair user:”I don’t like the word disabled. It’s too negative. What do you call yourself?”.Me:”Disabled.”.Neighbor:”You’re not disabled. I refuse to use that word.”. Nondisabled people don’t get a vote on what disabled people choose to call ourselves.
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This is not a story of inspiration. This is a story of inaccessibility, barriers, devaluation and discrimination.
When he realized the train station elevator was broken, this dad did what he needed to do. He hoisted his son, who is paralyzed and uses a wheelchair, up a long flight of steps 💪
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“Special needs” is a term created by nondisabled people to other the needs of disabled people. Disabled people have human needs.
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For disabled people:. A broken wheelchair is an emergency. A broken elevator/lift is an emergency. Not an inconvenience. Not an imposition. Not a challenge. An emergency.
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Access for disabled people is not a gift. Access for disabled people is not charity. Access for disabled people is not an amenity. Access for disabled people is not a bonus. Access for disabled is not a gratuity. Access for disabled people is not an extra.
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Me, a wheelchair user: “Can you lower the exam table?”.Medical staff: “That’s as low as if goes. We need it at a certain height so the doctor doesn’t have to lean over too far.”. Access is for the benefit of disabled people. There is no exam if the table is not accessible.
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X-Ray Tech to me a wheelchair user: “Can you get up on the table for the X-Ray?”.Me: “No, it’s too high.”.X-Ray Tech: “That’s a problem. You can’t stand and hop on it?”. The problem is not my disability or inability to “hop.”.The problem is the inaccessibility of the table.
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Overheard on bus:”They should have separate buses for disabled. All they do is slow things down.”. Sometimes ableism is subtle, sometimes it is overt. But,it is pervasive. Separating, isolating and hiding disabled people is oppressive and intolerable.
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Driver to me, a wheelchair user: “Get out of the street. You’re going to get killed.”.Me: “There are no sidewalks here. I have no choice.”.Driver: “Then stay home.”. Disabled people are not “staying home.”.Don’t blame disabled people. Fix inaccessibility.
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It is not “encouraging”that most of the people who are hospitalized or dying from Omicron are disabled and chronically ill people. It is devastating. It is a sad commentary on our ableist society and our government’s wholly inadequate Covid response.
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