For anyone who knows anything about Journalism 102, it is debated to be one of the most challenging classes at Ball State University. It is a class in which I would write a 150-page research paper. Once the paper was finished, we were given a final assignment: the wheelchair effect paper, a project in which I was supposed to be in a wheelchair while in a public place and write about my experience.
I walk into Walgreens and head toward the shopping carts, where a single wheelchair is parked, innocently and unnoticed by everyone. I pull back the cart, sit down, and begin to wheel myself around. At first no one appears to act any differently toward me. People glance at me briefly then go back to the item they're observing. I wheel around for 10 minutes and still no reaction. I'm starting to feel defeated. I go to the magazine section and begin to copy down exercises from Shape into my tiny book. I lean back over to attempt to put it back but drop it. Repeatedly, I try to pick it up, but the cart has me stuck in one place and the sides of the wheelchair prevent me from bending over far.
A woman from behind me approaches me. "Are you doing OK? Do you need help?" she asks. I decide to act the role of a helpless, timid girl. I ask her if she can help me, in which she bends over, picks it up, and puts it in my hand gently.
I continue forward for my next suspect. I decide to put myself in the center of the aisle so that the other customer is forced to interact with me. A young black student looks at me, smiles widely, says hello and asks me how I am doing. She then apologizes profusely for being in my way.
I wheel forward and challenge myself into going through small spaces, between people and the food. A man in a business suit, who's clean shaven and buying pictures, looks at me, forces a smile, and murmurs hello. Why is everyone suddenly being nice to me? Why does everyone feel the need to say something to me? Do they feel bad for me or is it just a good day where everyone wants to say hello to everyone?
A woman, with frizzy hair that is going in every direction, looks directly into my eyes. "Hello! How are you doing?" And then, she waits and listens for my response. What is going on? Since when do strangers want to hear about my life?
Customers continue to smile at me. But it's a forced smile. It's as if they have to smile and acknowledge my presence or they would be doing something wrong.
It seems every employee is curiously watching me. I am a regular customer, and they are baffled to see me in a wheelchair. I overhear one boy telling another employee that I must be doing this for journalism, in which I turn bright red from someone figuring out my real mission. However, the manager continuously asks me if I am finding everything OK and if he can assist me.
My grand moment of my experiment comes when I reach the cash register. I position myself behind a woman and stare at her somberly. She avoids looking at me. However, once she has paid for all her items, she looks at me eagerly and asks me if I need help putting my things up on the tabletop. I reply meekly that I would appreciate her assistance, in which she kindly takes my items tabletop. I keep on thanking her and she blushes and says it's no problem.
The conclusion? People will go out of their way to be nice to someone based on sheer pity. On one hand I was touched that it appeared like strangers really cared about me. But on the other day, it was only because I appeared to be handicap. I'm not sure if it says society, as a whole, is overall good. It really had me questioning if people will only take the time to notice people if they are different. And just because they are different, does that give people the right to treat them with a new code of ethics? It really had me thinking how rough it is to be viewed as "different."
It's unfair that people feel the need to check in on people who are handicapped. It's as if society doesn't think they are capable of doing the things that "normal" people can.
I say, stop staring. Everyone is human.
Write to Meira at mabienstock@bsu.edu
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