Bad Blindy
So this morning I missed the opportunity for a teaching moment and laughed at somebody instead. I'm not proud of this, but at the time, it all just seemed so absurd to me.
I took Pepper out for her morning constitutional, and was standing on the slope across the street from my place, that is covered in grass. It being morning, and mornings being what they are, the grass was a bit wet. Pepper and I were both standing on the grass, and I was bending over, touching Pepper's back to determine what she was doing.*
A woman approaches and asks if I would like her to hold my dog while it goes to the bathroom, because I might slip. It takes me a minute to understand what she's saying, and after I say that, no, it's okay, I've been walking my dog for years, I start laughing.
She immediately apologizes for offending me. Because you know, people with disabilities only have a limited range of emotional responses. We're either frustrated, offended, persevering, or patient. I'm not offended though. Just surprised and amused.
Amused at how sighted people jump to all kinds of conclusions based on what they see, and that they can see. After all, presumably, since both I and the dog are standing on the grass, I already know that there's a slope and that it's a bit slippery. I would think, that if I was uncomfortable with this, I would have chosen not to step onto the grass and stayed on the sidewalk, or stepped back onto the sidewalk.
But also, after thinking about it, there's a chance that seeing me bent over with my hand on Pepper's back, it may have looked like I was leaning on her. The simplest question would just have been, "Are you okay?" or "Do you need help?" Granted, I still would have wondered with what, but it would have left her assumptions a little more ambiguous.
So yes, I probably could have been nicer and explained everything to this well-intentioned person. The offering of assistance shouldn't be mocked. I'm just surprised at some of the things that people believe I need assistance with.
* Apparently one of the most frequent questions to and about guide dog handlers is how we clean up after our dogs. It's very simple, while on leash, when the dog stops walking around and sniffing, you bend over and touch their back. The position of their back lets you know what their doing (peeing, pooping, or just standing there and sniffing (which is what Pepper was doing in the above situation, btw)). It also lets you know where you're likely to find anything that you need to pick up.
I took Pepper out for her morning constitutional, and was standing on the slope across the street from my place, that is covered in grass. It being morning, and mornings being what they are, the grass was a bit wet. Pepper and I were both standing on the grass, and I was bending over, touching Pepper's back to determine what she was doing.*
A woman approaches and asks if I would like her to hold my dog while it goes to the bathroom, because I might slip. It takes me a minute to understand what she's saying, and after I say that, no, it's okay, I've been walking my dog for years, I start laughing.
She immediately apologizes for offending me. Because you know, people with disabilities only have a limited range of emotional responses. We're either frustrated, offended, persevering, or patient. I'm not offended though. Just surprised and amused.
Amused at how sighted people jump to all kinds of conclusions based on what they see, and that they can see. After all, presumably, since both I and the dog are standing on the grass, I already know that there's a slope and that it's a bit slippery. I would think, that if I was uncomfortable with this, I would have chosen not to step onto the grass and stayed on the sidewalk, or stepped back onto the sidewalk.
But also, after thinking about it, there's a chance that seeing me bent over with my hand on Pepper's back, it may have looked like I was leaning on her. The simplest question would just have been, "Are you okay?" or "Do you need help?" Granted, I still would have wondered with what, but it would have left her assumptions a little more ambiguous.
So yes, I probably could have been nicer and explained everything to this well-intentioned person. The offering of assistance shouldn't be mocked. I'm just surprised at some of the things that people believe I need assistance with.
* Apparently one of the most frequent questions to and about guide dog handlers is how we clean up after our dogs. It's very simple, while on leash, when the dog stops walking around and sniffing, you bend over and touch their back. The position of their back lets you know what their doing (peeing, pooping, or just standing there and sniffing (which is what Pepper was doing in the above situation, btw)). It also lets you know where you're likely to find anything that you need to pick up.