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Post by Experimentalist on Jul 23, 2016 9:04:36 GMT -5
Bravo Freya!! I'm impressed
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Post by Paradise on Jul 23, 2016 10:32:25 GMT -5
That's awesome. Great for us PWDs too, spreading the word opens up minds Can almost guarantee that for those few people you told, the next PWDs they see will be looked at a lot differently. [ I meant to get back to this statement. That's what I'm hoping for every person I eventually tell (or have told). Maybe they will approach the next situation involving a PWD with some candor and grace. It wasn't long ago that I revealed the entirety of my dev secret to a person who plays a large role in my life. He had had suspicions about me, but just didn't know there was a name for it (devoteeism, which again, I hardly use that official term). Anyway, he reported to me that he had had some experiences that he approached differently, from now on. During my dev talk with him, I had mentioned several bits and pieces from items I've read here at PD. I told him how I'd read somewhere that wheelers or PWDs in public often get ignored. If it's not outright staring that they endure, then they get the "shifty eyes" from people - people will realize they've made eye contact with a PWD and they immediately turn their gaze to something else, essentially ignoring the PWD and any pleasant contact that could be made. Anyway, the newly-inducted dev-knowledge guy that I told, recently recounted an experience he had at a concert. He had great seats, so he ended up right behind a guy in a power wheelchair who was thoroughly enjoying the show. When they passed each other in an aisle, the guy I told remembered some stuff I'd told him, and he said he made an effort to look the PWD in the eye when they passed, and he offered a friendly, "Hey man, how's it going? You enjoying the show?" And of course the PWD responded in turn with enthusiasm, "Yeah, man! It's great!" I know that interaction isn't that big of a deal, but it's the fact that something I told the guy actually changed one small behavior on his part to include future PWDs he comes across in his greetings and friendly sentiments, instead of shifting his eyes to look somewhere else. I was really happy to hear about the incident at the concert, because that's how it should be everywhere, just one big "Hey man!" between all of us, PWD and AB alike. So yes, I really enjoy these stories of positive outcomes when "coming out" to someone. I do believe it makes a difference, maybe even if it's one person at a time.
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lbry25
New Member
Posts: 26
Gender: Male
Dev Status: Disabled Male
Relationship Status: Single
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Post by lbry25 on Aug 8, 2016 18:49:05 GMT -5
Internet High-five! Very happy for you!
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Post by rebel6842 on Aug 11, 2016 0:37:37 GMT -5
Congrats, you two--I had a feeling you'd bounce back quickly
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Post by Emma on Aug 12, 2016 0:02:12 GMT -5
Not sure how I missed this but I'm happy you took that step. It's a big one but definitely worth it. I hope its something you can share with other good friends in the future.
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