Acknowledge them obviously. Maybe when the self appointed God bothering freaks get over themselves we can make much more progress with research into areas like stem cells and perhaps one day wheelchairs will be consigned to the history books.
You never see anyone other than able bodied ‘Christians’ objecting to such reasearch do you? Certainly I’ve never seen a discabled person call out for it to be stopped.
They also never have an answer for ‘but if God made us then god gave us the ability to progress and develop this research so clearly it is god’s will we follow this’
Screws em every time - loonies.

Agreed with GIC but how many of us really do acknowledge ‘ them’?

Great little britain clip -how on earth did they get George Michael to agree to that!?

Acknowledge them every time, without any condecsending.

You will be amazed with the looks of appreciation and gratitude that you get back.

Go one step further and also acknowledge the person pushing the wheelchair. So often they get taken for granted.

I have a cousin who suffers from Down’s Syndrome and he is the most amazing, loving human being I know and though he is not in a wheel chair, he needs a lot of looking after.

Many years ago, at a wedding party in India I saw a little Down’s Syndrome child dancing on the floor, splendidly resplendent in a dinner jacket and bow tie. He was a better dancer than me anyday, and I later found out that he had won awards for his dancing and music, in competitions for “normal” children.

I went up to him, chatted and made friends. A few minutes later his mother came to me with tears in her eyes and said how she appreciated me talking to her son, as most people just ignored him.

Maybe this was also a cultural thing, being in India, but whatever it was it seemed the natural thing to do.

So many times we all hide our true human feelings and do not make ourself vulnerable. Try it today - and write back on this flowers blog with your experiences

Ok - you can put the tissues away now.

(Footnote - I did have this young musician boy’s website but a pc crash a couple of years ago meant I lost all that data - and his father’s email address is now defunct)

http://www.arvinddevalia.com/blog

Quality Little Britain clip - my Nan is in a chair, so to speak and I’m still getting my head around it.

Great comment Arvind. You are so right when you say acknowledge them without being condescending.

Why should we not acknowledge them. They are human beings who have a different geography to the larger majority - it should not isolate them or make them invisible.

I think people who ignore them just do it out of ignorance and their own embarassment.

Nice story Arvind, shame you lost the email.

Acknowledge, obviously, does being in a chair mean they are not as human and worthy of existence as others? Not at all! Don’t look away. Peoples is peoples as the Muppets say. It’s weird that we fear and are scared by these infirmities when it’s infirmities that bring us together, be it spiritual, emotional, or physical. Dependence and reliance is what makes us so great. Not total dependence mind you, but why is it scary to need someone?

Victoria it is easier siad than done -my disabled nan does need someone as it goes, for the most basic of things that I take for granted.

A nod, smile alway - before pushing them off.

I don’t go out of my way to acknowledge them, condescending or not, just as i wouldn’t go out of my way to acknowledge an able bodied person.

It seems to me that if there’s a deliberate act of acknowledgement, even with the best intentions, then it singles them out, defines them as different.

We’re all Satan’s little helpers, after all …

Come on O’DB - they are different! Arent they?

I tend to see on of them put a piece of chewy between the space of my bottom lip and gum and give them my loudest ‘Joey Deacon’ spazmo impression. After all thats what they seem to do to everyone else.

I am not keen on them though as they tend to be of dwarf height. In fact I reckon when it all goes off they will be the mounted cavalry for the little blighters.

Its coming people. Believe.