Accessible attitudes
Jan. 20th, 2008 11:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wheelieterpI've been asked several times since my return how I found the accessibility in Mexico. Even after six months in the wheelchair (it will be six months on the 27th of this month), I am still unused to thinking of myself as disabled, so thoughtful analysis of my experience in the chair in Mexico was not in the forefront of my mind.
The truth is, I found Puerto Vallarta to be remarkably accessible. For me, anyway. Rex is a fairly wide chair, for an ultralight. I am a big guy and require an eighteen inch seat, and I keep seven degrees of camber in the wheels, giving rex a footprint of about thirty three inches wide, give or take. Still, power chairs, scooters or wider manuals than Rex would find the doorways and even the elevators a tight fit, if not downright too narrow. Also, I *can* stand with crutches and even manage a flight or two of stairs on most days; people who can't would find it difficult in PV, I would think.
But not impossible. You see, despite the physical barriers that Mexico may have that we do not (and there are fewer of them in Puerto Vallarta than in other parts of Mexico, as there was a large international convention of disabled people there several years back, and ramps and curb cuts were put in all over), Mexico has something that we don't. The people there have attitudes of accessibility.
Let me give you an example: Upon landing in PV, I was met on the plane by a nice young man who wheeled me out in the aisle chair (a special chair made for airplane aisles, which are too narrow for me to safely negotiate on crutches) to the door of the airplane, where I transferred to Rex. He then pushed me up the jet way (which they now have in the new terminal in PV). He then collected my passport, along with the passports of my folks, and led us over to immigration/customs where he got us processed without having to wait in the lines ourselves. (it seems like it's unfair, I know, but lines are difficult to manage in a chair. People don't see me down there, and in crowds, I get elbowed in the head, tripped over, etc..) He then helped me collect my bag, took it outside for me, and made sure we got into a cab ok.
When I arrived in San Francisco, on my way home, I had to go through immigration, collect my bag, take it through customs, and re-check it, then get a boarding pass for my connecting flight to Portland, and go back thorough security in the domestic terminal. I was met upon landing by two men who put me in the aisle chair, got me to the door of the plane, and then left. I had to wheel myself up the steep jetway, figure out how to negotiate my baggage, and do all of that with no assistance. It was very difficult and frustrating. I finally had to ask for some help, as I could not manage my bags and the chair. The whole thing was an exercise in humiliation. When I re-checked in, the nice woman behind the counter upgraded me to first class for my trouble, but the damage had been done.
It was a rude awakening, coming back to the callus indifference of the states. Sunday night, I was at a drag show at CC Slaughter's (Don't ask.. It was to hang out with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
uniformscout and my luscious coworker, Deb), and after being elbowed in the head all night as people chose to try to climb over my freaking wheel, rather than ask the able bodied group of Ambercombie queens next to me to move, a drunk homo wearing FAR too much cologne tripped while trying to climb over me. Then he yelled at me. I was as far off to the side as I could get, sacrificing my view in order to stay out of everyone's way like a good, polite cripple, but this asshole still insisted I had no right to be there, even thought he could have EASILY walked around me, instead of choosing to try to climb OVER me.
I'll take cobblestone streets and narrow elevators any day.
The truth is, I found Puerto Vallarta to be remarkably accessible. For me, anyway. Rex is a fairly wide chair, for an ultralight. I am a big guy and require an eighteen inch seat, and I keep seven degrees of camber in the wheels, giving rex a footprint of about thirty three inches wide, give or take. Still, power chairs, scooters or wider manuals than Rex would find the doorways and even the elevators a tight fit, if not downright too narrow. Also, I *can* stand with crutches and even manage a flight or two of stairs on most days; people who can't would find it difficult in PV, I would think.
But not impossible. You see, despite the physical barriers that Mexico may have that we do not (and there are fewer of them in Puerto Vallarta than in other parts of Mexico, as there was a large international convention of disabled people there several years back, and ramps and curb cuts were put in all over), Mexico has something that we don't. The people there have attitudes of accessibility.
Let me give you an example: Upon landing in PV, I was met on the plane by a nice young man who wheeled me out in the aisle chair (a special chair made for airplane aisles, which are too narrow for me to safely negotiate on crutches) to the door of the airplane, where I transferred to Rex. He then pushed me up the jet way (which they now have in the new terminal in PV). He then collected my passport, along with the passports of my folks, and led us over to immigration/customs where he got us processed without having to wait in the lines ourselves. (it seems like it's unfair, I know, but lines are difficult to manage in a chair. People don't see me down there, and in crowds, I get elbowed in the head, tripped over, etc..) He then helped me collect my bag, took it outside for me, and made sure we got into a cab ok.
When I arrived in San Francisco, on my way home, I had to go through immigration, collect my bag, take it through customs, and re-check it, then get a boarding pass for my connecting flight to Portland, and go back thorough security in the domestic terminal. I was met upon landing by two men who put me in the aisle chair, got me to the door of the plane, and then left. I had to wheel myself up the steep jetway, figure out how to negotiate my baggage, and do all of that with no assistance. It was very difficult and frustrating. I finally had to ask for some help, as I could not manage my bags and the chair. The whole thing was an exercise in humiliation. When I re-checked in, the nice woman behind the counter upgraded me to first class for my trouble, but the damage had been done.
It was a rude awakening, coming back to the callus indifference of the states. Sunday night, I was at a drag show at CC Slaughter's (Don't ask.. It was to hang out with
uniformscout and my luscious coworker, Deb), and after being elbowed in the head all night as people chose to try to climb over my freaking wheel, rather than ask the able bodied group of Ambercombie queens next to me to move, a drunk homo wearing FAR too much cologne tripped while trying to climb over me. Then he yelled at me. I was as far off to the side as I could get, sacrificing my view in order to stay out of everyone's way like a good, polite cripple, but this asshole still insisted I had no right to be there, even thought he could have EASILY walked around me, instead of choosing to try to climb OVER me.I'll take cobblestone streets and narrow elevators any day.
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This Experience with how people with Disabilities is shocking.
Date: 2008-01-25 07:27 pm (UTC)--- You've said something that needed to talked about, in front of people.
Bug... you somehow did something, which every gay dude has a right to have access to a public location, and partake in an event. To be honest, if a person heard about this event that studied Law... you have a right to sue that not-such-a-Gentleman at C.J.Slaughters for endangerment.
I do worry, for folks who are stuck in Public Transportation spots, on Trimet and the MAX Trains as well.
Even though, my Significant Other - is stuck having to use an invalid scooter... I feel that someone like myself, as an intake care provider - should of at least do something... like ask Oregon State Candidates, for the Beaverton Public Library on January 29th for LOCAL SEIU, on addressing issues such as this.
( When I seen you, at the Gay Parade in 2006... I really wanted to know how someone like myself would - get to know you.)
Don't let them folks at Salt Lake - get the better of you.
You taught me something - about Leather as being a lifestyle, and it does figure into how to handle grievances, as well as a way to empower others...
grrrr
Date: 2008-01-25 10:33 pm (UTC)