I was crossing the street yesterday when I saw a man out of the corner of my eye. He was just a step or two behind me, wobbling along on what was left of his legs. I didn’t want to turn around for fear of being rude and staring. I thought he might need help crossing the street.
I then realized that there are so many social constructions that keep us from reaching out to one another. My first fear was that he would be offended by me offering to help him with something he can do perfectly well on his own. My second fear was that, in this still relatively machista society, it would be an aberration for a young woman with a baby in tow to help a grown man, disability or not. So I just kept going, like everyone else.
