In December we interviewed Donna Ross who is a member of the LREI community. Ms Ross has a physical disability and has little sensation in her legs. She previously was able to walk but now she uses a wheelchair. During our interview we asked about her experiences of being in a wheelchair.
We asked her about how she got around New York, Ms Ross said that she uses an uber and tried going on the train once before but has not been on one since. When we asked her about places she thought that were not accessible she said “I could be anywhere. Some sidewalks are difficult to navigate.“ and “On a very travel heavy holiday, it is hard to find accommodations”. She also has to plan to be able to go places and do a lot of research to make sure when she gets there it won’t be a problem. She said this is because A lot of places can say they are accessible but aren’t what she is looking for. When we asked if having a physical disability makes her life more expensive she said yes, because in terms of transportation an uber is more expensive than taking public transportation. She also talked about how grocery shopping is hard because “I (Ms Ross) can’t run out and having groceries delivered is more expensive”. For her it was small things that she was able to do before but can no longer do those now.
My group asked her stories about her experiences. She shared about how sometimes she feels unsafe when riding in an uber because; “They give you the service they want to give you, not the service you need”. She also talked about her worst experience. She was going through Newark airport, the TSA agent searching her continued to ask and search. She felt violated because she did not show any kindness and made her feel bad. Ms Ross felt as though the agent “(was) just not trained or sensitive enough to do their job”. She wished there was another individual who was more experienced or wishes the agent was self aware enough to realize that she was uncomfortable. She treated her (Ms Ross) as if it was a personal offence when Ms Ross seemed uncomfortable and upset.
At the end of our interview it felt as though we learned more about NY in the lens of someone in a wheelchair. I also noticed how some people were discriminating because they thought they were doing what was best. These invisible acts of discrimination are what isn’t accessible. Ms Ross constantly said how she wished people were more self aware or just had more sympathy or understanding instead of assuming.
