Have you ever walked down the sidewalk and watched someone (usually always a young man) fire out a particularly thick and slimy "loogie" from his mouth onto the sidewalk ? Gross but harmless right ? I mean really, people just walk over it and pretty soon it is just a spot on the pavement. Right ?

I am a person with a disability and have used a manual wheelchair since 1985. While most wheelchairs come with push rims (extra rims attached to the tires to use to push the chair with) I take the push rims off because it makes my chair an inch narrower so that I can get into more places, yes an inch can make a big difference. I push my chair with my hands using my tires.

My wheelchair tires roll through that slimy loogie on the sidewalk, no matter how hard I try to avoid them. I get that gooey, germ filled mess on my tires and then my hands and then the door handles that you all touch.

Spitting is usually considered a disgusting habit but imagine walking on your hands all your life. Would you still spit on the sidewalk if you might have to walk through it with your hands ?

There are already enough natural obstacles for wheelchair users. Bird and other animal droppings, gum, dropped candy and other food, caterpillars and cicadas and a host of others are just the tip of the iceberg. Please have the courtesy NOT to add to the list by spitting on the sidewalk.

So the next time you have the urge to spit, or see someone else spit on the sidewalk, please stop and think how you'd feel if I just spit in your hand.

-- stay tuned for my next post: "Why is that bathroom floor wet?" --