u/lurkerjustlrkin

I am an ambulatory wheelchair user who was kept away from certain mobility aids as a kid because my mom wanted me to look injured rather than dissabled. She tried to hide my disabilities and was really ashamed of them and i have a lot of trauma from that.

One of the things i was not allowed to use was the motorized grocery carts at stores. I was allowed to use one once as a kid and people gave us a lot of looks and were less than kind because i was young, happy, and "don't look dissabled" so they thought i was messing around on it. People were not very kjnd and my mom never let me use one again.

I have moved out now and i use whatever aids i need and try to respect what my body needs, but I have still never used a motorized shoping cart until last night. I had to get groceries and had no one able to help me load and unload my chair, so I used one in the store for the first time. I was nervous about it but I knew i needed it, so I took it. All of the employees were so kind. They helped me when i needed it and told me to take the cart all the way out to my car and not worry about putting it away. I was so touched and grateful that i cried. I filmed a little video of me in the parking lot and posted it online talking about how happy it made me. It was all really sweet.

But today i woke up to an able bodied person commenting "when i was on crutches i felt the same way 🥹"

I probably shouldnt be as frustrated as i am but it really rubs me the wrong way when people talk about my disabilities like they understand it completely when they can walk without any pain or struggle every day. You having foot surgery or a sprained ankle is not the same as my permanent disability.

How do other people handle these types of comments? Am i being to harsh or too sensitive? Why am i so upset? I know they mean well.

Are there any other ambulatory users who have been able to get one? Is your use of it conditional? Was proof of your diagnossis required and what proof qualifies? How often do you have to get re assessed?

I have an invisible disability and i am wondering how possible it would be to get that recognized so i can park closer.

How do I participate in club activities and enjoy my time there without being able to stand or walk?

I am an ambulatory user who ussually stands to brush my teeth and wash my face. I have sat on the counter at times too, but that takes too much energy these days. Lately, even just standing for 30 secs is really difficult. Does anyone have tips for getting ready that help when they can't stand at all?

Location: Utah

We had a customer unprompted tell one of our employees he was going to "come shoot up" our store. I reached out to my manager who sprome to her manager and she told us we are still required to serve him and deliver to his house because he is a regular and "he probably won't actually do it".

We tried reporting to OSHA but they said it is not under their jurisdiction essentially.

If we go to the police they will know who reported and I won't have legal protection from OSHA if they choose to retaliate in some way, which I feel certain they would. What do I do?