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Since my mother has become handicapped I've seen stuff that I never noticed before. I never noticed the size of a handicapped stall in the restrooms; the width of the door in most homes; the height of cabinets or better yet how does a person feel after having to sit or lay down without the ability to stand.
I use to take for granted the fact that I can walk but I don't anymore. People with
physical or mental handicaps are sometime pushed aside or forgotten. My story is about being physically handicapped. At the age of sixty four both of my mother's legs were amputated above the knee. No one could have told me that my mother would someday loose her legs. Mom has always been a busy body doing and going everywhere. Independence was an understatement when it came to my mother. Words cannot express how strong my mother was and still is.
There are people that have a sincere heart to help the disabled but there are those that despise the handicapped. Once while helping my mother serve herself from the food bar at a buffet, I noticed how this one man looked at my mother as if he was totally disgusted that she was in his sight. Mom was smiling and being her happy self but when she saw the look on this mans face her smile turned into sadness and I saw tears building up in her eyes. I felt an anger that I had never felt before and it was very hard not to say something to this man.
I guess it just depends on where you are and what you are doing. Another encounter would be the time when my mother needed to use the restroom desperately and someone was using the handicapped booth when there were plenty of others available. Mom almost had an unpleasant accident because this person took at least ten minutes before they came out. Once a person becomes physically disabled, especially loosing limbs it is very hard for them to enjoy life as they did before their misfortune. Believe it or not the worst experience was taking her to church where there were no handicapped accessible entrances and once we were in, there were only benches and she had to sit out in the aisle. Very few churches have handicapped accessible vans. It's a shame that many people park in the handicapped parking spaces and they are in no way disabled.
The biggest thing that really gets me is that many older houses have very narrow bathroom door entrances where my mother can't enter. Her chair is approximately twenty-three inches wide I realize that the majority of people are not handicapped but it sure would be nice if the majority of apartment and homes were built to accommodate these people. I know that it seems as if I am complaining but really I'm not. I really feel more compassion now for the handicapped than I did before my mother became handicapped. Life teaches us all unusual lessons during unusual circumstances.
 Author Bio - I am married with a fourteen year old daughter. I work online from home. I love writing poetry, singing, and riding my bike. My husband is my greatest supporter in my aspirations to become a professional writer. My mother has both legs amputated and she is a great source of my motivation and strength. I teach Sunday school and enjoy attending Christian activities. I Love the Lord!!! My Freebie Site My Power Mall
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