ColdDesert77

Silly media. They're using the phrase "flowing water" all over the place.

Permanently disabled person here. I can answer.

1. Stop with the pity. Life is hard enough for everyone as it is. We all have challenges, just that folks with disabilities experience those this more acutely and outwardly. When you express pity, it makes us (or at least me and other PWD to whom I've spoken) feel uncomfortable and alien.

2. Most of us want to work. Many of us can't, and so we resort to disability payments to live independently, which is really vital to us feeling like full adults. Getting guilt for that (from individuals and the government) is hard.

3. If you see us in public, ask us if we want help. If we say no, believe us. Do not touch someone's mobility equipment (e.g., wheelchair) without permission. It's like touching a person's body without consent. If you tell someone in a wheelchair that you were also in a wheelchair for a short time after an accident or operation, so you know how it feels, we'll probably be thinking, "no, you don't."

4. Joking about someone's wheelchair having racing stripes or a backup sound, or whether we've gotten a ticket for speeding, isn't actually funny. You might be saying those things to have a laugh, but consider that you may be doing so in order to lessen your own discomfort to an exposure to disability

Wheelchair user (and half-marathoner) here. Some of us don't like word burden or to be described as being "confined" to a wheelchair.

What's your best dating advice for people with disabilities?

Thanks. Can you direct me to what a squelchy sound sounds like?