Special Treatment

I have always been uncomfortable with receiving special treatment because of my disability. I have had this issue all of my life, starting from when I was a young kid and I went to community fairs. I would receive honourary awards and acknowledgement for just participating when no one else did.

I bring this up because I had an interesting situation last week. I was coming home on the TTC bus and as I was getting off the bus, I was putting my token in the box and the driver tried to tell me not to worry about it - that is, putting the token in the box. I put the token in the box anyway.

The interesting thing is that this is not the first time that I have had this situation. It has happened quite a few times.I don't know if this is because of my disability or another reason such as the driver is in a rush. And I am not trying to toot my own horn, saying that I am wondering because I pay my fare. I am just saying that it is a matter of community inclusion. I just want to be treated equally as a member of the community. To me, this is a matter of give and take. I will enjoy the benefits of being part of the community and I will fulfil my responsibilities, including paying what I owe.