[nagdu] An altercation on the bus yesterday

[Jenny Keller]

Please don't take offense to what I said about wheelchairs.  I wasn't trying to be disrespectful of people who use them.  I have friends who use them, and that really wasn't the issue.

My point only was that the chair, and the dog serve the same purpose.

If I offended anyone, please except my sincerest apology.

Jenny
On Jun 6, 2012, at 9:20 PM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:

> That one is certainly rare!  My wife uses a wheelchair so I know what kind of room they take up.  I also let her get on the bus first so as not to accidentally run over Holly's feet.  I certainly would have opened my mouth and then loged a complaint with the bus company.  And, it is certainly public transportation!
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jenny Keller" <jlperdue3 at gmail.com>
> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2012 10:02 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] An altercation on the bus yesterday
> 
> 
>> I just had to tell you all about what happened on the bus here in Rockford yesterday.
>> A guy I knew with a guide dog got on the bus.  There were two wheelchairs on the bus as well, so he had to walk in between them.  One of the people in a wheelchair told the guy that he needed to get that dog off the bus because she had allergies.  the guy told her that his dog was a guide dog and continued to walk by her.  I was sitting behind her and could feel my temper rising as she continued to argue with him.
>> 
>> He continued to argue with her too and the bus driver had to tell them both to quiet down and drop it.
>> 
>> It took all I could to do not blurt out that the dog had as much right on the bus as her wheelchair did, but I kept my mouth shut because it wouldn't have come out in a nice and respectful tone of voice.  I kind of felt like pot, meet kettle, if you know what I mean, as her wheelchair took up so much space on the bus.  It angered me so much that someone with a disability that caused her to use an aid that also causes inconvenience, by taking up three regular seats on a bus, would make such a huge and loud scene about someone else with a disability with a dog that he needed to get around with.  You would think that both people would respect the others needs and ways of travel and just get along.
>> 
>> that's why I kept my mouth shut, I knew I wouldn't have handled it properly.  I was beginning to feel a little militant and quite insulted myself as having been a dog user.
>> 
>> I told the gentleman to go ahead of me as we exited the bus however, because I was going to make my statement known if she had said one more word to him.  I had enough of that kind of attitude.
>> 
>> Maybe I should've said something after all, but I felt my temper flaring and knew that it would be in a militant and combative tone, so again, I kept my mouth shut.  Making sure however, that she said nothing to him as he passed her to exit the bus.  It would have been a mistake on her part to utter one more word on the subject at that time, cause I was about to let if fly.
>> 
>> Anyway, just thought I'd relay the experience.  In my opinion, that dog was no different than that chair.  Plain and simple.
>> 
>> Jenny
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