Sad Times in Ocala, Florida Reflect Overall Poor Treatment of The Disabled Community in America Today

 The movie-going experience has been part of American life for decades now. At the same time, being disabled has also been a part of the human experience since the beginning of time. This piece will address the idea that although we are thirty-four years into the ADA era, movie theaters in Ocala, Florida, demonstrate how little respect people with disabilities have earned in thirty-four years.

Over the weekend, I was treating my friend/caregiver, who I will call Jane, on a trip to the movies for her 24^th birthday. She was nice enough to not only drive my van for only the 10^th time since she started working with me but also because my power wheelchair broke several weeks ago and there was a delay in the delivery process of my new chair; she was willing to push me around. The first of many problems we encountered that day occurred when we got to the front door. It was only then we noticed that even though disabled people do go to places by themselves without caregivers or attendants, Ocala seems to have not gotten the memo.

What am I referring to, you may ask? The answer is quite simple. Unless I grew magical arms or Jane grew a third, it was nearly impossible to get into the building. There were no automatic door buttons anywhere in sight. Hello, don’t we have universal accessibility laws in the country, or at least one? Oh yeah, it’s a pesky little thing called the ADA. I believe there is some provision, and I could be wrong, so fellow disability advocates, if you’re reading this and I am incorrect, please feel free to correct me. If I am not entirely correct, a building should be made accessible. If this is true, wouldn’t being able to get into the fuckin building count as it being accessible?

Okay, let’s table that argument for a second. Let’s assume that, wrongly or rightly, a business is not required to put automatic doors in or have an accessible entrance. My next complaint/grievance concerns the Ocala population, specifically the able-bodied population. The minute I ask someone to hold the door for my caregiver, you immediately go deaf and mute and walk by me like I have not said a word. Suppose that’s not bad enough after Jane or anyone else I’m with struggles to get me through the door. In that case, you immediately start a conversation about whatever you discussed previously, or if you are in a particularly vindicative mood, a discussion about Jane and me. Once we got inside, we encountered even more disturbing obstacles. God forbid anyone in a wheelchair who requires a caregiver to help them use the restroom needs to take a piss in a public place, good luck! The movie theater bathroom is anything but accessible. Again, Jane had to use my feet as a battering ram to open the bathroom door, and once we got into the bathroom, the fun began, and not in a kinky, fun sort of way. Sorry, Mom and Dad.

As stated in this piece, I was in a manual wheelchair. Manual wheelchairs are not small, to begin with, and this does not even include adult-size wheelchairs. However, the stalls were designed by some small alien who can fit in the 4x4 box. They forgot that two people plus a piece of medical equipment needed to fit in that tiny box. To play on the title of a Carrie Underwood song, if Jesus took the wheel as Miss. Underwood suggests that even he would look at the designers and wonder out loud how it would work.

After giving these two examples of able-bodied genius, I have a few questions: One, are able-bodied people really that petty? This is not 1980. Disabled people are out in the community. We do have brains, and most of the time, we are more intelligent than you. Two, where did you all get your design skills? Did you even consult disabled people before designing bathrooms?

Before anyone gets their panties or underwear for the guys or women who identify as men, in a twist, I know not all able-bodied people are horrible. I’m generalizing to make a point.

I believe that society still treats disabled people like scum on the bottom of your shoe, but activists like myself, Alice Wong, and others will never stop, to quote Alice, “messing with people’s shit.” It may take up until I’m dead, but able-bodied people will eventually realize that we are here to stay, and we are people, too. So, get out of the way or make room, fuckers!