Tag: disability

Looking From The Outside

.Reading time 2 minutes.

If you look at me from the outside
You might assume she just sits at her computer achieving nothing,
Looking at my spamsing body
You might be fooled into assuming this,
And I don’t make a contribution to the society…
This couldn’t be further from the truth. ‘

Even though I have had more bad days than good in the past few years,
Until this February I prided myself on being a journalist,
Chasing and organising interviews was my life for over eight years,
People still say, “You have to interview Rob Rob”,
and they’re right.  I will!

I live for holidays with Mum or a friend,
Queensland is our favourite destination,
Because of my little brother and my little niece up there,
But going away with my Bestie is the best fun
He makes me forget about all of my health issues for a while.,
We get up to mischief!

Looking at me you wouldn’t know how I met a musician at one of his gigs,
I struck up Dutch courage and asked my carer to ask him over to our table,
We bonded immediately and for six years we were best mates,
We used to text everyday, sometimes he just wanted to say hi
or chat about things that made us laugh,
And even though he broke my heart in the end,
I don’t regret meeting him,
because he taught me that some people “Just see Jac”.

Spontaneity And Pain

.Reading time 3 minutes.

‌I gotta admit, this year hasn’t played out how I invisioned it. Sure, I’m still recovering from major surgery in August last year, and I’m still healing (probably for another six months, but in my head I knew that would be a twelve months recovery period.) However, this isn’t slowing me down… It’s my chronic nerve pain that’s interfering with our lives!

Last week after a very bad few weeks of Mr Zappy (I get zappy pain in my leg and foot, just imagine having fierce electric shocks every couple of minutes…. You get some respite from various painkillers but it only last 2-3hrs.) This has become my life this year. Some weeks, especially if Mr Zappy has hung around for weeks and weeks, I get very teary because I’m tired and just want the pain to fuck off!

Back to last week, my friend Francis and I were looking forward to seeing Logan on Friday night. Until the Thursday I had Mr Zappy but was determined to make it Friday night. Francis travelled to Fountain Gate (the closest cinema to me because travelling long or short distances, going over pot holes, speed-humps, braile bumps…you get the idea) can set off Mr Zappy. So Francis kindly did that for me – he “gets it”. So after we had dinner we went up to the cinema, Francis bought his normal – popcorn and a drink and we headed around to the ONE and ONLY lift to find out it was out of order and had been for two days. I was pissed, I’m still very pissed.

This week Mum and I sent an e-mail to Village Cinemas. They swear there was a pop-up last week warning people who clicked on the wheelchair seats about the lift. There was NO pop-up otherwise Mum wouldn’t have purchased the tickets!

In our letter we explained how people with many disabilities do not have any ‌spontaneity‌ as we have to organise workers or friends, transport and for some of us our health is extremely limiting. Earlier this year I had to stay home from my Aunty’s daughter’s 18th little get together because the next night we had Bruce Springsteen And E Street Band. Halfway through On Sunday Mum and I are seeing the gorgeous Adele at Etihad Stadium and I know I’ll probably have Mr Zappy for days after it, but I’m still looking forward to seeing Mum’s face when Adele sings her first note.

They Joys Of Shopping

.Reading time 3 minutes.

I LOVE to shop! Many women and men do! There’s nothing better than browsing with a friend and/or window shopping. In January I met a friend at Chaddy (aka Chadstone which “claims to be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere”)  when we saw a movie. Afterwards strolling through Chaddy I drooled looking at the dresses in the different stores!

Yesterday my “worker” who’s also one of my closest friends went shopping at Fountain Gate, like we usually do most Thursdays. Most Thursdays I have massages as I have severe scoliosis and chronic nerve pain, so massages are extremely important to relieve some pain and tension from my spasming muscles. The massage parlor that I was going to at Fountain Gate has changed management and after last week’s massage I decided to look elsewhere. So my friend and I went to a different parlor. The massuses looked at me oddly and said they couldn’t massage my back in my chair. My friend kindly explained how you can massage my back when I’m sitting in my chair and actually showed them how they can massage do it. They answer was still “no”. After I thought would they turn away a pregnant woman who couldn’t lie on her belly?

Their loss turned into my gain as I found an awesome masseuse in another parlor. She didn’t have a problem with me being in my chair and listened to my friend and I, and most importantly she has eased my pain.

Sadly, this wasn’t my first time where I’ve experienced shop discrimination. Years ago (when I still myself drove in public) a shopkeeper at Waverley Gardens ordered me out of her store. It was like a $2 shop, with stuff EVERYWHERE. I remember there was a big oval  mirror  sitting on the floor and I drove gently past it. The shopkeeper eyed me, then ordered my family and I out of the shop. That was one of the first times I was outraged! I was a careful driver and knew the size of aisles I could get through. But this lady simply didn’t want me in her shop.

Some shopkeepers kindly move racks of clothing or whole shelves so whoever is driving my chair and I can move around the store easier, but unfortunately others simply don’t make their stores wheelchair (and pram friendly), because less space equals less produce.And it’s only getting worse!