Public perceptions, equipment and environment

Stan at Stan's Blog writes about his experiences as a nondisabled person who temporarily needed crutches for a broken leg. He noticed distinct differences in how he was perceived and treated depending on the type of crutches he used, which goes along with what I was describing (and commenters confirmed) about differing public reactions to specific bodily presentations of disability. I wrote:

Anyone who has experienced both limping and using a wheelchair will tell you that public reactions to the two appearances differ. Same with manual chair versus power chair, white cane versus guide dog, invisible impairment versus visible one(s), and, Ballastexistenz claims, with dog versus sans dog for her as a person with autism. Visual differences cue stereotypes, and breathing on one's own versus towing a ventilator on my scooter also makes a discernible difference. Most notably, even fewer people are willing to make eye contact.

Stan spent about two months on crutches, beginning with the wooden armpit-killers, switching to wrist-cuff crutches, then back to the wooden ones. He found public response to be very clear and discerning:

Everywhere I went people saw the crutches and were unbelievably willing to help me by opening doors, making chairs ready, carrying my briefcase and so forth. One day at church an elderly lady who had been experiencing hip problems told me that she had a pair of the type of crutches that hook onto your wrists and that she would loan to me if I wanted to use them. She said her wrist crutches would save me the pain from the under-the-arm type of crutches that I was using at the time. I jumped on that idea and immediately put them to use.

The very next day I began to experience something I was totally NOT expecting. People shunned me! They wouldn't make eye contact, they wouldn't open any door, pull out a chair - nothing. I immediately began to feel isolated. I went to eat at a restaurant in Dallas - same response, until I sat down and hid the wrist type crutches under the table, then everything was fine. I pulled them back out to leave - same type of distancing response - from everyone! It dawned on me what had been occurring. These crutches I was using were the same kind that permanently disabled people use - people with polio and other seriously degenerative diseases. Whenever people saw the wrist crutches they thought that I was disabled - permanently, and evidently didn't know what to do with that or intentionally shunned me. As soon as I hid them from sight - back to normal. I realized that what I was experiencing is what millions of partially and fully disabled people all around us go through every single day of their lives.

I went straight home, put the wrist crutches in the closet, pulled out the old wooden crutches, pain and all, and went back to work the next day. Guess what - here came the open doors again and all the other percs I was getting from having a broken leg. I guess people saw the wooden crutches as a temporary ailment and the other type of crutch as permanent and their responses to me sprang from their perceptions.

Environment matters too, I think. I've been at parties where everyone was milling about and no one would make eye contact with me to even nod, say "hello" and move on. Later, when the same party had evolved into clusters of people sitting down to talk, I was included in conversations much more readily.

Was it that everyone was more comfortable with the party atmosphere after a couple hours? Were they relaxed and less self-conscious about talking to me (or anyone) after a few drinks? Or was it because sitting at my eye level, I was viewed as more of an equal? All of the above, I think. But being viewed at eye level did make a difference, I believe.