Selfies in a Storm
My life never seems to be lacking on the drama or the theatrics. I got stuck in the middle of a massive rainstorm today on the way back from dinner with my friends. We were walking and rolling back from dinner when the sky opened up, complete with impressive thunder and lightning, but we didn't really have much of a choice, we had to keep going, or find a place to wait out the storm.
We didn't have a choice because the blue and orange Metro lines were down, and finding an accessible taxi in the city is about as easy as finding a magical pink unicorn, especially when you have three chair users. To make matters worse, my wheelchair is allergic to the rain, if the joystick gets wet, then my chair breaks and I'm out of commission for several weeks. I was freaking out a little bit, but I should have known I had no reason to worry, because my friends and I always have each other's backs and figure things out, even when the situation gets a little bit complicated. My friends managed to help me get my poncho on, and we tried to wait out the storm for a little bit before continuing back to the dorm. My one friend insisted on taking selfies of us, and goofing off all the way back. I love my friends because they always know how to make the best of an awkward and kind of ridiculous situation.
We made it work, but the whole situation was a perfect example of why I get so frustrated about transportation issues. It's not just about the Metro and it's not just about taxis, it's about not having options. For the majority of people, if the Metro breaks they have a plan B, or C, or maybe even D. It may cost them more, or it may be a little more complicated, but they have another choice.
That is not my reality.
You can't predict Metro breakdowns, and sometimes it's just going to rain, but the reality is I live in a world where when my plan A fails, there is no plan B. I don't currently have MetroAccess, because I didn't want to go through the hassle of setting it up for the short period of time I would be living in the city, but even if I did, it wouldn't have been an option because you have to schedule it in advance, it's not a taxi service. There are accessible taxis in the city, but they are few and far between. If you find an empty one rolling on the street without a reservation, it really is a miracle. There was no way we were finding three. We would've needed three because each taxi can only fit one chair, so there would have been no way that my friends and I could have fit in one taxi. The only feasible choice we had was to keep on walking and rolling and making the best of the situation.
The most complicated thing about being disabled is the total lack of choice you have in so many situations. Where most people have 10 options I have two at best. In most places, there is one elevator where there may be multiple sets of stairs or escalators. In most places, there is one accessible entrance. In most public bathrooms, there is one stall big enough to fit my chair, and sometimes that'snot even the case. At Starbucks, there is one table marked accessible. There is no choice. There are no options. There is no Plan B.
This is something that is really hard for a lot of people to understand because they spend most of their life taking for granted how many options are presented to them. People who don't need it think that one accessible bathroom is enough because they forget that they have their choice of nine stalls. People who don't rely on it think that one small elevator is plenty because they forget that when there is a backup or breakdown, they can also take the stairs or the escalator. Choice is such a luxury, and most people don't even realize they have it.
I didn't have a choice tonight, I had to roll back in the rain, but it is times like these that I am so grateful for my friends. They've taught me that when life decides to literally rain on your parade, there’s nothing you can do but make the best of it. You take a minute and acknowledge that it sucks, but then you goof off, have fun, and take selfies in the rain.
We didn't have a choice because the blue and orange Metro lines were down, and finding an accessible taxi in the city is about as easy as finding a magical pink unicorn, especially when you have three chair users. To make matters worse, my wheelchair is allergic to the rain, if the joystick gets wet, then my chair breaks and I'm out of commission for several weeks. I was freaking out a little bit, but I should have known I had no reason to worry, because my friends and I always have each other's backs and figure things out, even when the situation gets a little bit complicated. My friends managed to help me get my poncho on, and we tried to wait out the storm for a little bit before continuing back to the dorm. My one friend insisted on taking selfies of us, and goofing off all the way back. I love my friends because they always know how to make the best of an awkward and kind of ridiculous situation.
We made it work, but the whole situation was a perfect example of why I get so frustrated about transportation issues. It's not just about the Metro and it's not just about taxis, it's about not having options. For the majority of people, if the Metro breaks they have a plan B, or C, or maybe even D. It may cost them more, or it may be a little more complicated, but they have another choice.
That is not my reality.
You can't predict Metro breakdowns, and sometimes it's just going to rain, but the reality is I live in a world where when my plan A fails, there is no plan B. I don't currently have MetroAccess, because I didn't want to go through the hassle of setting it up for the short period of time I would be living in the city, but even if I did, it wouldn't have been an option because you have to schedule it in advance, it's not a taxi service. There are accessible taxis in the city, but they are few and far between. If you find an empty one rolling on the street without a reservation, it really is a miracle. There was no way we were finding three. We would've needed three because each taxi can only fit one chair, so there would have been no way that my friends and I could have fit in one taxi. The only feasible choice we had was to keep on walking and rolling and making the best of the situation.
The most complicated thing about being disabled is the total lack of choice you have in so many situations. Where most people have 10 options I have two at best. In most places, there is one elevator where there may be multiple sets of stairs or escalators. In most places, there is one accessible entrance. In most public bathrooms, there is one stall big enough to fit my chair, and sometimes that'snot even the case. At Starbucks, there is one table marked accessible. There is no choice. There are no options. There is no Plan B.
This is something that is really hard for a lot of people to understand because they spend most of their life taking for granted how many options are presented to them. People who don't need it think that one accessible bathroom is enough because they forget that they have their choice of nine stalls. People who don't rely on it think that one small elevator is plenty because they forget that when there is a backup or breakdown, they can also take the stairs or the escalator. Choice is such a luxury, and most people don't even realize they have it.
I didn't have a choice tonight, I had to roll back in the rain, but it is times like these that I am so grateful for my friends. They've taught me that when life decides to literally rain on your parade, there’s nothing you can do but make the best of it. You take a minute and acknowledge that it sucks, but then you goof off, have fun, and take selfies in the rain.
Image description: On the left is a young white man with short blonde hair in a blue checkered shirt, tilting his head to the side with an open mouth under a black umbrella. On the bottom right is a young white woman with blonde hair and glasses wearing an orange poncho smiling partially under the black umbrella. The photo is a "selfie" taken by the young man in the photo,
