By: Timothy L. Smalls
Ms. Miles, I think we share a little more than could be labeled as coincidence. I'm also a black Philadelphia native, attended 2 predominantly white universities (as well as an HBCU), and although not onset until 55, am now an amputee. I was glad to FINALLY see a woman of color offer such a poignant expression on ableism. I lost my right leg below knee the night of Whitney's death (yes, THAT Whitney) and I awoke at Virginia Commonwealth University Med Ctr philosophizing on my future. My best friend during my California college years (1978-81) was a paraplegic in a wheelchair from birth. Ironically, he was from Trenton, NJ. What were the odds? We were joined at the hip most days and actually were elected President & Vice of the Student Government. Anyway, I watched him on a daily basis construct and disassemble his manual wheelchair, and eventually joined in the regimen. Little did I know how valuable that experience would be for me. The morning after my surgery, when It hit me what my new life was like, my first thought was "WWRD? What Would Robert Do?" Now, fortunately for us, as I stated, we were in California, which, even in these PRE-ADA days, was considered the maverick state with regard to expanding rights for those underserved. Gerry Brown was governor, wheelchair ramps just needed to be proven as warranted on college campuses in order to be built. Those were the pre-Reagan "Good Ol' Days" In the years that followed, when I moved back east, reality set in. I went to Virginia Union University, and met much the same skepticism and disdain seeking accessibility concessions. The school couldn't afford it, the number of physically challenged students didn't make it worth it for the campus. Yet, I always marvelled at the upgrades from Olds to Caddy to Lincoln to Benz as the car makes in the administrative parking lot of the campus. In recent years, I have become an advocate for accessible transit, as well as a travel agent specializing in travel for seniors and those physically challenged. If you Google me, you'll see remnants of a wheelchair-filled civil disobedience we coordinated in Richmond in 2013 blockading the City Council chambers when they threatened to cut paratransit service AND raise the rates on remaining service. We did manage to negotiate a 6-month moratorium on the service disturbances. In the immediate past, I have been active along the same lines in the Kansas City area, and one sad, but accurate trend has reared its ugly head, which is ACTUALLY the point that caught my eye in your writing. Since March 1, 2020 I have had 17 incidents of ADA discrimination aboard or alighting transit routes, and 16 of the 17 were from black drivers. These are all documented, and are being dealt with through proper channels, but the point is physically challenged caucasian riders have not faced the same difficulties during these instances, so, to me, it's a plain and simple, cut and dry "self-hate" mentality being exposed. It will take more writing like yours and activism like mine to shake the mental mindsets of those blacks who look down on those with physical challenges the way most of white America looks down on THEM for the last 400 years. PS: You probably noticed I don't use the "D" word because NOONE can "Dis" my abilities and I don't use the "H" word, because I'm NOT a race horse to be gambled on.
Black News 
Ms. Miles, I think we share a little more than could be labeled as coincidence. I’m also a black Philadelphia native, attended 2 predominantly white universities (as well as an HBCU), and although not onset until 55, am now an amputee. I was glad to FINALLY see a woman of color offer such a poignant expression on ableism.
I lost my right leg below knee the night of Whitney’s death (yes, THAT Whitney) and I awoke at Virginia Commonwealth University Med Ctr philosophizing on my future. My best friend during my California college years (1978-81) was a paraplegic in a wheelchair from birth. Ironically, he was from Trenton, NJ. What were the odds? We were joined at the hip most days and actually were elected President & Vice of the Student Government. Anyway, I watched him on a daily basis construct and disassemble his manual wheelchair, and eventually joined in the regimen. Little did I know how valuable that experience would be for me. The morning after my surgery, when It hit me what my new life was like, my first thought was “WWRD? What Would Robert Do?”
Now, fortunately for us, as I stated, we were in California, which, even in these PRE-ADA days, was considered the maverick state with regard to expanding rights for those underserved. Gerry Brown was governor, wheelchair ramps just needed to be proven as warranted on college campuses in order to be built. Those were the pre-Reagan “Good Ol’ Days”
In the years that followed, when I moved back east, reality set in. I went to Virginia Union University, and met much the same skepticism and disdain seeking accessibility concessions. The school couldn’t afford it, the number of physically challenged students didn’t make it worth it for the campus. Yet, I always marvelled at the upgrades from Olds to Caddy to Lincoln to Benz as the car makes in the administrative parking lot of the campus.
In recent years, I have become an advocate for accessible transit, as well as a travel agent specializing in travel for seniors and those physically challenged. If you Google me, you’ll see remnants of a wheelchair-filled civil disobedience we coordinated in Richmond in 2013 blockading the City Council chambers when they threatened to cut paratransit service AND raise the rates on remaining service. We did manage to negotiate a 6-month moratorium on the service disturbances.
In the immediate past, I have been active along the same lines in the Kansas City area, and one sad, but accurate trend has reared its ugly head, which is ACTUALLY the point that caught my eye in your writing. Since March 1, 2020 I have had 17 incidents of ADA discrimination aboard or alighting transit routes, and 16 of the 17 were from black drivers. These are all documented, and are being dealt with through proper channels, but the point is physically challenged caucasian riders have not faced the same difficulties during these instances, so, to me, it’s a plain and simple, cut and dry “self-hate” mentality being exposed.
It will take more writing like yours and activism like mine to shake the mental mindsets of those blacks who look down on those with physical challenges the way most of white America looks down on THEM for the last 400 years.
PS: You probably noticed I don’t use the “D” word because NOONE can “Dis” my abilities
and I don’t use the “H” word, because I’m NOT a race horse to be gambled on.
