Everything is different
now due to the virus. Everything except hostility towards people with
disabilities. I know this is a generalized comment which may or may
not be accurate but I'm certainly getting some feelings in that
direction. I haven't had some of these feelings for 20 or 30 years.
So far this is been
extremely dry summer no rain whatsoever, that is until today in Salt
Lake County, the only day I have to be out on the transit system and
it rains. The goodness it was not torrential, though we need probably
torrential rain, there is enough rain to be uncomfortable even though
I took a hoodie with me. I also make sure that I have my Covid mask
as well. I don't want to go anywhere without the Covid mask. This was
the first time I had ridden the bus this week. Last week I wrote the
bus was confronted with an angry bus driver. He is not necessarily
angry at me, I don't think, as much as he was angry at the situation
the world was in and he in particular being an essential worker. Even
if he did not direct his anger at specifically me it was my kind,
people who use wheelchairs, that was making him get close and
personal with the likes of another person in this case me. By law I
have to be strapped into the bus. I don't necessarily like this law.
If I had my druthers I would not be locked down at all. I'd be happy
to take my chances. I often and always maintain that if a catastrophe
hit the bus lockdown power chair is only going to save the power
chair not necessarily the person riding. I did not point out to the
driver that this Covid thing works both ways how does he know he's
not the carrier? It would be just my luck to have a driver who is
infected leaning over all around me secured me to the vehicle.
As I alluded to in the
introduction these feelings of angst towards myself and not new by
any means. 20 or 30 years ago after coming to this area, I was
transportation coordinator for the independent living Center here in
Salt Lake. It was my job to “help” UTA make it more accessible
bus system. To do this I stopped buses on my bus route, this was
before the buses have lifts – – or actually they did have lifts
but the drivers did not want to use them because it would take too
long – – if the driver would not use the lift on the bus or the
busted not have a left eye proceeded to crawl onto the vehicle and
dad and beg someone to bring the chair up after me. At first the
drivers hated me I really messed up their time frames. You just have
to suck it up driver that's the law and I'm coming aboard where you
like it or not or you're going to hear from the administration. I'm
getting those feelings again every time I board the bus, will not
every time there's a lot of good drivers out there who care about
their job who care about their people and just want to give the best
drive possible. I have got a lot of things on my mind these days they
don't need any more stress than I already have. One thing I have
noticed every time I board the bus, since somehow I've lost my bus
pass, I go to pay my bus fare and the driver puts his hand over the
farebox says not today. I don't know what this is about a kind of
tickets of the do with the epidemic but I'm not sure but I still want
to get a replacement pass as soon as I can so there's no such thing
as a free ride…
No comments:
Post a Comment