The Ties That Bind

            I believe in the power of words. Generally speaking, I can understand both the argument for, and against, taking words used negatively and reclaiming them in a more positive light. But there are some words and phrases that I simply cannot, and will not own. I was confronted with one such phrase recently, and it is a testament to the pride I now feel towards being a person with a disability that I found it disgusting.

Wheelchair bound.

            Now, I would be lying if I said I always hated this term. In fact, as a freshman in college, I frequently used it to describe myself and other wheelchair users in research papers and personal essays. It was, after all, impossible to get around without my wheelchair. A close friend confronted me on my use of the phrase once. I remember replying that referring to myself, and others, as wheelchair bound did not bother me. I simply used the term to acknowledge the very visible fact that I could not walk. The negative connotation had never occurred to me at that point.

            The following year, a course called Psychology of Disability was offered as an elective. I jumped at the chance to learn more about a culture I was struggling to find my place in. I learned a great deal that semester; but I think the most important and impactful thing I learned was my ability to move past my perceived limitations. I was not, nor could I ever be, bound to my wheelchair. My necessary method of moving from point A to point B could never dissuade me from an achievement or goal. I went skydiving. I studied abroad. I lived on my own. I think it would be more correct to say that my wheelchair is bound to me, and I am bound only to my passions; to my desire to experience the fullness of my life and change the ever-present perception of what using a wheelchair means to society.