In my city we have a lot of escalators that help people go up and down between the streets towards the subways one or multiple levels below street level. Sometimes you'll find multiple escalators, where one goes 'up' all day, and one goes 'down' all day. But in the case of limited space or maybe even energy savings, we also have those that go 'up' if it detects a person stepping on it from below, then when the person is 'up' stops moving, then go 'down' if it detects a user on the top instead.
Of course this creates a conflict, sometimes, where these stairs go 'down' because some people stepped on it first but you want to go 'up' and you have to wait until all these people are finally down - meanwhile you're praying no-one gets on the escalators before you do, because then the wait begins, again.
Are you dizzy yet with visualizing what I'm talking about?
Anyway.
Yesterday I was walking towards those escalators that go both up and down depending who steps on them first. Next to those escalators are 'normal' static stairs, but I had pain in my feet - as I often have.
I almost stepped on the escalators when I noticed an elderly man waiting to use them one floor up. The escalators were still going 'up' from a previous person using them, and if I would step on them now, that man would have to wait longer. He looked like he was in pain - like me - but on top of that, he was clearly waiting for them to stop so he could - finally - use them.
I've been where that man is many many times.
If you're in pain 20 more seconds of standing can feel like a life-time.
So with my one foot already almost on the escalators I suddenly decided to use the 'static stairs' instead. I'm in pain, but he needs it more right now, I thought. I had no way of knowing, but that was my split-second decision.
My boyfriend who was walking behind me at that point looked at me surprised: 'I thought you were in pain', he said. I explained what made me walk the stairs - he reacted even more surprised, as he hadn't noticed the man on top of the escalators at all.
While walking up the stairs, a person behind us clearly didn't see the man waiting on top of the escalator either - or didn't care. Or actually needed them - like me. I just noticed while I was walking the stairs some other person was using the escalators - and the man on top had to wait a little while longer.
"Awww - that sucks, now he has to wait anyway", is what I thought.
While I was almost on top I saw the face of the man - he looked angry, staring at the person coming up the escalators. Then, while I was almost walking towards the exit I heard the elderly man say towards the younger person coming up: "ARE YOU TOO LAZY TO WALK THE STAIRS?!"
And oh - how conflicted I was about the whole situation the rest of the day. I clearly sympathised with a fellow person of limited mobility trying to move around in a city that's not always friendly towards 'us' - although many many other cities, even in our wannabe inclusive country, are way way worse. Then again, I was also annoyed by the totally misplaced assumption that a younger person using these escalators was 'obviously too lazy to walk'.
It wasn't the first time that I noticed elderly people assuming me or other people being healthy - just because I was a young lady.
In the end I wished I did use the escalators - so the elderly man would have yelled at ME. As through experience I was ready to respond - and I could have explained to him that young people aren't automatically fitter/healthier than older people.
You can read this however you want. I'm not complaining. I'm just observing little snippets of life, experiences I have, things I notice that I didn't notice until I became a person with limited mobility. Sometimes they make me angry, sometimes they make me laugh. I write them down in order to create order in the chaos that is called my head. It's cheaper than therapy. Maybe create some awareness along the way. Cheers.
More stories in the 'Limited Mobility | Unlimited Stories' series
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: I took this picture only moments before I would permanently damage my foot
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: How far do you go?
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: am I still a photographer?
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: what is a Spoonie and am I one too?
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: How my friends and family show me they understand my limitations
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: Why I'm looking for a magical shoe store like the one from my childhood
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: When something doesn't go according to plan
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: How my recovery days look like
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: How to exercise if one foot can't be used?
- Limited mobility | Unlimited stories: Starting a fitness experimentation adventure
@tipu curate
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ASSUMPTIONS BASED ON APPEARANCE SUCK.
this is a common issue, not just with stairs but with all things. i have carpal tunnel, and while people hear this in their head they cannot conceive of the issue because they have not experienced the reality.
the assumption is i am making things up so i can avoid work or have an excuse for my slowness or laziness. these same people will excuse someone from another country by telling me that they don't know how to work hard, because they "dont understand english as well" or they "try their best".
it's a bit of reverse discrimination where white privilege turns into white discrimination. because i am white i am expected to work harder, be a better leader, understand more about how business works and be supportive of what i believe are convoluted expectations in the work place.
I am also expected to love jesus, believe capitalism, television, marriage, babies, houses, cell phones and nationalism are the best things in the world, and understand that coworkers with family needs will come before my own needs, because I am single and therefore unimportant.
people who are poor, uneducated, marginally handicapped (but not eligible to be called handicapped), or have mental challenges, etc, are expected to be willing to work harder, faster and longer for less money because we have no choice. the excuse from the boss is, "well i can hire someone else", for the minimum wage slavery. this is unseen discrimination. you can't SEE the problem, therefore there is none.
once you are marginalized by any of these factors, you LOSE VALUE as a worker - and eventually as a human being. and if someone like trump is in office, any type of social service that aids marginalized people has been cut.
when it comes down to it, i feel the escalator is a common courtesy issue that could be easily resolved along with a reminder to wait one's turn. but the insensitivity of the me generation is so prevalent, i wonder if courtesy is a value anymore.
Nice post.✌💗
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I must say that trying to get the visual of the escalator that can go both ways is hard to do but I do know you cannot judge the health of a person by his age or outside appearance. Hopefully, the older man at the top of the escalator left the house as you did with a plan to get do his business with pain as you did. Limited mobility people have more of a plan when heading out to get through a day while in the outside world. Maybe it's just best to take your turn even if you think the other person is worse than you. They probably have a plan too and are on top of their situation.
Ugh. This sucks all around. It sucks that you were in pain. It sucks that your attempt to be kind to another person was foiled. It sucks that the girl didn’t follow your lead and it sucks that the old fellow got so angry.
The world would be such a better place if more people led with grace, patience and compassion.
I understand you perfectly, I've been there, sometimes tiredness, anger and frustration make us identify with the elders.
Although they are not wiser because they are older, that is what most people believe. That wisdom comes with false years.
One feels a sudden shock when one goes from sympathy to rejection.
Thank you for your post, it reminds us that we are human, full of virtues and defects.
For some reason I thought you were learning how to skateboard so you can grind down the rails. Felt your conflict in this story. If you used your foot more with targeted resistance/stretching, does it get looser, stronger and less painful... or the pain is chronic regardless?
I remember reading a story about a young woman with incontinence. She talked about how bad she felt when she rushed to disabled loos and people looked at her as if she was taking advantage of something that was by rights not hers. It really struck me and changed the way I saw disability.
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