Just Sit Down

Sometimes, even the most seemingly innocent actions can interfere with one who is trying to cope with a disability.

Lest you think that I am judging or condemning someone for something they have done, I must admit that until today, I have been guilty of doing this same thing countless times and being completely unaware that by doing so I may be affecting someone else around me.  I’ve never even given it a thought. Until today.

It’s standing.

You heard me right – standing.

You see, I am attending the National Education Association Representative Assembly where over 10,000 people are packed into a convention hall, and the noise of the crowd makes it virtually impossible for me to hear and understand the speakers without the aid of the closed captioning streamed onto the giant screens. And those who stand for various sundry reasons block my view of the captioning. They don’t even know they’re doing it.

We are encouraged to “stand up for public education.” But today, I wished they would just sit down.