Many years ago, I read a book where the main character, a war veteran relearning to walk with prosthetics, once took heat from a train passenger for not giving up his seat to another veteran, who was “visibly wounded.” At first, the guy was outraged by this injustice, but then he realized that this case actually meant he had effectively learned to walk again!
The hero of our story today, the user u/SnarkyLostLoser, is a disabled middle-aged man, and he recently also took heat on a bus for not giving up his seat. However, the author had every right not to stand up, and this situation left him with nothing but sadness.
More info: Reddit
It's always difficult to face unfair accusations from anyone, especially in cases where you're absolutely right, and every such story only leaves sad feelings
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post says he's a middle-aged guy with mobility issues, and he typically takes the disabled seats on the bus
Image credits: SnarkyLostLoser
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
This time, he did so as well, but then an elderly lady with a grocery cart demanded he give up his seat to her immediately
Image credits: SnarkyLostLoser
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The saddest thing was that some teen girl joined forces with that lady, literally insulting the author and accusing him of being an entitled weirdo
Image credits: SnarkyLostLoser
The man claimed his disability, and the bus driver supported him - and only then did the old lady give up her efforts
So, the Original Poster (OP) is a middle-aged guy with limited mobility who uses a folding cane for long trips, but this time, when going on errands, he put it in his bag. On the way back, our hero was extremely tired, so he was overjoyed to see three empty seats near the driver on the bus - and he took one of them.
And then, one fine moment, an elderly lady with a grocery cart boarded the bus, stopped next to our hero, and stood there, implying with her whole demeanor that she wanted him to give up his seat. The man simply couldn't get why he had to struggle to get up when there were plenty of empty seats around.
The driver demanded that the lady sit down - simply for safety reasons - but she flatly refused until the OP gave up his seat. At that moment, a teen girl joined her, loudly demanding that the author stand up and vacate the seat. "The girl treats me like I'm being the entitled prick for not moving for an older woman with higher mobility than me," the author recalls.
It got to the point where the author declared that he, as a disabled person, actually had the right to occupy his seat. Naturally, his opponents didn't believe him, so the driver had to confirm his point. The thing is, he remembered how hard it was for the OP to even get on the bus. Justice prevailed, but our hero arrived home in a very depressed mood...
Image credits: pvproductions / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Of course, you should always give up your seat on public transportation to elderly people, and such cases actually happen very often. According to a 2022 study by the University of Maryland School of Medicine, over 3 million senior citizens used public transportation, Hub Pages says. So the old lady's request could’ve been considered entirely justified - if not for the author's medical condition.
This research, published in the National Library of Medicine, only confirms that disabled people very often face challenges with transportation, and the more severe their health condition, the more difficult transportation is. "People with disabilities have consistently described how transportation barriers affect their lives in important ways," the paper claims sadly.
In other words, both participants in this drama were technically right, but the original poster certainly shouldn't have given up his seat - simply because his rights are also protected by the transportation rules. Incidentally, people in the comments also noted that unless a person appears "disabled in the broad sense,” such cases are, alas, inevitable.
In similar situations, some responders even resort to having a lanyard saying "hidden disability," but still, every such case leaves an uneasy feeling. Especially when you're actually being insulted, and when the insults come from third parties. So do you, our dear readers, also agree with this? Please feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments below.
People in the comments gave the author their support, but some folks also recalled similar situations that happened to them
