My wheelchair might be the most visible thing about me, but it doesn’t define me
I was injured by an IED blast during an ambush while serving in Afghanistan in 2012. I retired from the military in 2014 with limited mobility. I am a wheelchair user, and I have struggled with post-traumatic stress and the residual effects from a traumatic brain injury. I am also a husband and a father. I am an outdoorsman, a carpenter, a mechanic, a trusted friend and a valued colleague. I support a family of four and I just finished a master’s degree. All these things I do without the ability to walk around the block. My wheelchair might be the most visible thing about me, but it ranks near the bottom of the list of things that define me. Similarly, the disabilities of others shouldn’t define them either.
- Read more from Paul Gibson, U.S. Army Combat Wounded Veteran (Purple Heart recipient)
I’m able to live, work, and play in my community. Pride has taught me things such as that I’m a part of my neighborhood and have just as much right as anyone else to have sidewalk curb cuts so I can get where I need to go on my mobility scooter because I, like many of you, pay taxes.
Pride also reminds me that when I must give a presentation or emcee an event, I’m good enough to do this task, speech impairment and all. If I weren’t good enough to perform this task, I wouldn’t have gotten hired to do the job.
My good friend Pride also lets me know that when I’m out on the town looking fly and having adult fun and maybe all the tables are too high for me to reach anything and so is the bar, or perhaps the restroom isn’t accessible, it’s OK for me to speak out on these issues. I have just as much right as anyone else to be there. Maybe owners of these establishments that aren’t accessible can benefit from seeing me in my state of pride so they can get their facilities up to code and to make them Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
Disability Pride Rally commemorates 34th anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act
“I really didn’t know what I could give the world as a person with autism, mainly because I didn’t know who I was, and I didn’t have a good grasp of what the world was truly like. Over time, I had to figure things out. I had to learn how to read people and interact with others on a daily basis. I also had to identify my strengths, work on my weaknesses, and set goals, boundaries and standards for myself and for others. Doing these things helps build your confidence and helps you understand your worth.”
RTA employees share life stories for Disability Pride Month
“When you have a disability, you lose some freedoms, and that can drag down your confidence,” RTA Customer Service Representative Eric Robinette said. “Even if you drive yourself, as I usually do, you can still qualify for paratransit. It may sound like a paradox, but by leaving the driving to RTA, you can get a lot of independence back. Paratransit takes the dis out of disability.”
- Read more from Michael Everman, Communications Specialist for the Greater Dayton RTA
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