When I was about 12 years old, I watched my grandfather, who was stricken by polio, go from walking with crutches to using a wheelchair for mobility. I watched how this change had an effect on everyone in the family, and we now had to make adaptations in our interior and exterior spaces to accommodate him.
Our adversities often become our family’s adversities. If we are traveling with a family member or spouse, airline personnel often treat our family member as an attendant, not as another customer. Service personnel bypass us and ask our spouse or companion what our needs are. I must say I experience less and less of the latter, which is a relief. We can credit some of this change to United Spinal’s etiquette awareness efforts and the widely used booklet Disability Etiquette that we have published for many years.
Our families need not feel unique or singled-out. As the population ages, most of us will experience declining mobility, personally or through a family member. All the changes we bring about to be maximally included in society ourselves ultimately benefit everyone.
How we treat each other, how we treat our families, and the way we present ourselves will always have an effect on families with spinal cord injuries and disabilities. We need to always remember our actions affect more than just ourselves; they affect our families.
Be well; be as healthy as you can be.
Clair Russell Hesselton, PhD
Chairman of the Board
