An eighth grade student managed to convince a team of legislators to participate in a day-long lesson which they will remember for the rest of their life.
14-year-old Alex Johnson has been using a wheelchair since he was in second grade due to a form of skeletal dysplasia—a condition which affects the growth of his bones and cartilage.
Since the teen from Lebanon, Tennessee has now been using a wheelchair for most of his life, he has been issuing a simple challenge to his peers and classmates: spend a day in a wheelchair so they can understand what it’s like to be disabled.
RELATED: First US National Park to Offer Heavy-Duty Wheelchairs for Disabled Visitors to Enjoy the Scenery
Not only has the youngster gotten dozens of students to participate in his “Spend a Day in My Wheels” challenge, he recently got ten state lawmakers from across the aisle to participate in the challenge as well.
With Alex’s help, Tennessee Rep. Clark Boyd, R-Lebanon hosted the bipartisan event last month—and the challenge was definitely an eye-opening experience for the legislators.
“Even in a building that is handicap accessible, still you bump into doors,” Boyd told WSMV. “You bump into walls. Some of the doors become very heavy for someone in a wheelchair. Opening a refrigerator door, doors seem to be a pretty big challenge.”
Alex now hopes that the experience will help lawmakers to understand the difficulties of the disabled so they can pass more handicap-friendly legislation.
“Our whole community is very supportive of Alex and proud of the effort he’s made to create greater understanding about what it’s like to live with a disability,” Boyd added in a statement. “He’s an amazing young man who has found a way to use his disability as an ability to educate others.”
(WATCH the news coverage below or you can watch the interview on WSMV)
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
Thanks to Alex and the Tennessee elected officials who know that empathy and understanding is needed in order to pass laws that serve the needs of its population, including those with disabilities or special needs.
Not quite the same thing, but I once suggested to a town that wanted to increase tourism that they needed to gather together a mom with a double stroller, a granny with a walker and a wheelchair-bound person and then walk around the town and mark everywhere that it was dangerous for them to go.
Of course, like most good ideas they ignored my suggestion, budget thousands of dollars for a “professional” study and never did anything to make the town more accessible.
Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.
Olde Wisdom from Thee Frugal Curmudgeon