In this story, a woman and her 5-year-old daughter are on a crowded bus and ask a person using a wheelchair to move so they can sit together. The person declines, saying they need the space for their mobility device, and the woman ends up standing for the entire ride.
Source: Reddit
I (32F) was on the bus with my 5-year-old daughter when we got on at a busy stop. There were no empty seats available, except for one near a person using a wheelchair (40M). I asked the person if they could move their wheelchair to another spot so that my daughter and I could sit together, but the person declined, saying that they needed the space for their mobility device.
I was taken aback and frustrated by this response. I explained to them that my daughter was very young and needed to sit next to me for safety reasons, but they still refused to move. I ended up having to stand for the entire ride with my daughter in tow, which was uncomfortable and tiring for both of us.
When I told a friend about what happened, they said I was being insensitive and ableist. They pointed out that the person in the wheelchair had a right to the space they needed and that it was unfair of me to ask them to move.
Now, I’m questioning whether or not I was in the wrong for asking the person to move. Am I A Jerk for asking a disabled person to move seats on the bus for my child?
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
