the adventures of dos tortas

As another week creeps by in my healing journey, I am reminded of a friend, Nora. Nora and I worked together in Texas, traveled for work and for awhile shared an office. Nora had polio as a child and lives with no use of one of her legs. During the ten or so years we worked together, I was aware of her leg brace and watched her go from using a cane, to crutches, and after a fall, a wheelchair and walker. Since my accident and loss of use in my leg, she has been much on my mind.

Once we were traveling together and I got to see first hand her daily experience as a person with a disability. I had sprained my ankle at the time and was using a walking boot to hobble about. Nora insisted against my objection that I use a wheelchair to get through the airport. I remember feeling embarrassed. I saw how people with disabilities, even temporary ones are made to feel less than.

At the office, Nora worked a later shift and often arrived at work to find all the handicapped parking spaces occupied. She had to fight with administrators to get a designated parking space. Her car was her legs.

In front of our building there was a dip in the curb supposedly to act as access for anyone with difficulties climbing a step. The trouble was, there was a drain that always clogged after a rain, right where the curb opening was. This caused water to pool and made the ramp impossible to walk or roll through. Nora had been fighting for years to get the drain cleaned regularly or moved, to no avail. It seemed like she was always fighting for the smallest accommodation.

I have been out of the house once in the past seven weeks. It is impossible to get around as a disabled person in Mexico. The sidewalks are a death trap even for able bodied people. Accommodations are almost nonexistent. When our local hospital put in ramps, they had chains which blocked people from using them! I unhooked the chains every time I passed by. Finally the barriers were removed. We will all experience handicaps in one form or another in our lives. The US has The American With Disabilities Act, human rights that were fought for long and hard.

DOS TORTAS

Tags: broken leg, disability, Inspiration, Laguna Bacalar, retire mexico