I have a tin cup ... and plan to use it!
- 29 Feb 08, 4:22 AM
Could someone explain again why my sitting in a wheelchair behind a tin cup is wrong? I ask because though I have been working with a 鈥渄isability job centre鈥 since Nov. 07, I haven鈥檛 yet gotten one job offer. I know my case manager wants me to find the 鈥渞ight job鈥 and said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think answering phones would be YOU.鈥 Well, since I slur when I speak, I would find that quite funny honestly; lots of Monty Python style humor possible there. I told her, yes, find me a job, any job and then I maybe I will believe you can find me the 鈥渞ight鈥 job.
It all came to me when I was wheeling uphill in my manual wheelchair. I use a manual though I have to stop (a lot) because I am getting weaker. And I thought, 鈥淚f I just had a good mug or cup to put down every time I have to stop and take a break, I could make some decent change.鈥 I mean, I wouldn鈥檛 even have to look pathetic, because the wheezing I do when I stop tends to make people cross the street (note to self: look LESS pathetic when you want spare change). I even started looking at my different mugs to put into the rack next to my oxygen under the chair. But then I remembered that I wasn鈥檛 鈥榮upposed鈥 to put down a cup where people can give money. I just couldn鈥檛 remember why.
Here we have Gordon Brown, who with his visual impairment is a PWD as Prime Minister, but he seems to have it in for all PWD鈥檚. And now he requires them to justify why THEY aren鈥檛 Prime Minister (besides that only about 4 people have been Prime Minister in the last couple decades). It seems being part of the human experience (illness, disability, and impairment) and sharing that point of view, or making a difference with others isn鈥檛 enough anymore; it is all about the MONEY. And quite honestly, I have needs too (Manga and pixie sticks full of sugar). I am running out of things to sell and friends to call up for a loan who haven鈥檛 found out yet I am in a wheelchair.
I think the 鈥淣O鈥 on the cup thing was something about dignity or stereotypes. Which since I am still in the meat grinder of medical tests, and disability 鈥渢raining鈥 seems a joke (I had to go to a hospital department with a poster titled 鈥楴uclear Radiation and YOU鈥 before they jacked me up and told me to stay away from pregnant women). Because while I CAN get the government to pay me to train to be an undertaker (seriously, they mentioned it as an option in the orientation), I can鈥檛 get a job sitting and pointing people in the direction of the nearest lavatory. Plus everyone from friends, family, doctors and the people 鈥渉elping鈥 me find a job have strongly mentioned; Since I am so sick and considered terminal, should I be looking for a job at all?
Well, 鈥渂oo ha鈥 to them, I say. And I went and applied to the library staff all on my own, two weeks before the management, refusing to negotiate with the library worker鈥檚 union have now shut ALL libraries in my city (that wasn鈥檛 a joke鈥o libraries). So now, the one place to get FREE books and films is gone. And while I may be ill and wheezy, I still like sweets and a movie which brings me back to鈥..the tin cup. I have no pride! To get a room I can afford with my partner on a trip, we told the hotel I would drag myself through the door (since the only room we can afford has too narrow a door for a wheelchair).
Dignity? What if, while I am taking a breather, I am honest and assure people the money would only be spent on 鈥渕anga, pain killers and zombie films.鈥
As for stereotypes: on Monday I went into the police station at 11:00 pm with a hacksaw asking to be arrested. So no, I鈥檓 not too worried about those either. I actually went because everyone I know with my level of disability who has gone through the 鈥渄isability job centre鈥 ends up shoved into volunteer work, usually at a disability organization. I was getting the same twitches about a 鈥減lanned life鈥 like when your mother talks about how great it would be if you were a nurse during secondary school and you find out she鈥檚 signed you up as a hospital ward volunteer during the summer vacation. Solution: get arrested as you can鈥檛 volunteer with a police record (In full disclosure: I was actually just returning the hacksaw, which I found outside the police station 鈥 that Emergency Response Team guy with the gun interpreted THAT scenario completely wrong鈥.and I am guessing may have seen the horror film SAW).
Turns out that a) it is really hard to GET arrested if you don鈥檛 have a type of personality where you want to hit people b) 鈥渋ntent to vandalize鈥 isn鈥檛 a real crime and c) it is a LOT harder getting out of police station than getting in; particularly when they need to 鈥渁ssess your medical condition鈥 and determine if it 鈥渃auses self destructive tendencies.鈥 So, knowing now what I have done for you all to improve the stereotypes of PWD鈥檚, especially us females in wheelchairs, I ask again, 鈥榃hy is putting a cup down while getting a breather so bad?鈥 Is it just because it 鈥渋sn鈥檛 done?鈥 Or because I might get enough to go see the cinema at the day rate, and feel absolutely NO GUILT whatsoever?
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Comments
Have you seen "Rory O'Shea Was Here"? The gimp group home puts their residents out on the street with popcorn buckets in their laps to raise money for the home. Rory (Duchenne MD) and his friend (cerebral palsy) use their coin to go buy themselves beers at a nearby pub. They pick up a couple of girls and buy them drinks, too.
I've been looking since 2004 and have had one real offer working in a supermarket handing out baskets, the manager stated this job is sought my disabled people. It is expected the job will go to a much more disabled person, so I said give it to him then and they did.
I cannot wait to see all these companies like Unam provident getting me work, should be a laugh, in the mean time I will try the begging bowel, except we already have a bloke from Poland who sits in my town in a wheelchair with a dog playing a flute. I can play the drums perhaps we should join up and become a rock band, the rocking wheelchairs.