While we are aware of the fact that greeting makes an impact in general, growing up in a wheelchair might have a huge impact on how you feel about it.

Replacing the Typical Greetings

All the casual "Hi" and "How are you" seem to have vanished when you see someone in a wheelchair and get replaced with "Are you alright?". Trust me this is the least any wheelchair user is interested in discussing as it happened when they were born or maybe after an incident.

Apart from the greeting, it is alright for kids to ask this question of "Why are you sitting in a wheelchair" as they are not ignorant while asking and they have curiosity to learn when they see something new but when adults ask the same, it’s more like a wheelchair user going up to them and asking, "why are you walking"?

Let's burst the bubble

It is not mandatory for any wheelchair user to share their entire medical history within a few seconds of meeting a stranger. However, there are moments when wheelchair users do speak about how differently-abled they are and about the quality of life.

It is important for those abled people to understand that their question might come from ignorance as a society often portray people who are differently-abled as they are here to educate and inspire but believe me, they deserve boundaries, privacy, and respect just like anyone else.

Conclusion

Let's start saying, "Hi, how are you" rather than "What Happened?" or "Are you okay?" It’s never too late to change, start greeting wheelchair users just like you do with your office colleagues, college friends, or neighbors which makes a huge positive impact.

Share this with everyone you know who is different only because they use their legs to reach places.