Far be it for me to try to gainsay the great Aesop but I think he got it wrong with his fable about the lion and the mouse. The moral of that story, remember, is that we always need those who are not quite as big and strong as we are. That’s probably not true. But I think we should always behave as if we shall always need those who are not quite as big and strong as we are. That would make the world a far, far better place.
Here’s why I’m in the mood to moralise at you today. I was at the Royal Road Quick Shoppe last Sunday morning (July 26th), waiting for my turn to put some air in a tyre. The driver in the car ahead of me, a lady, was having trouble reversing – the cynics and the sexists might say that’s not unusual – and she seemed to be ignoring my advice – even the cynics know that that is very unusual!
As I waited patiently for her to get things right, one of the female station attendants went past me, muttering audibly that she had offered to assist the driver but had herself been ignored. Commenting that she could have summoned some help for her but she wasn’t going to, she disappeared behind the building. The reason for her displeasure? “She attitude.”
It was not long before the car had reversed far enough for the front seat passenger to be in line with me. The passenger, also a woman, asked for help to change a flat tyre. I have to admit that I had not noticed the flat until a moment before the request for assistance came. However, I did notice that the speaker’s English did not sound natural; I guess you would have to call it “stilted.” It only took a moment for me to realise why my displeased attendant friend had been ‘ignored’: both the driver and the passenger were deaf. They could, of course, lip read but even if you were the world’s best lip-reader, I imagine that you would be unable to read someone’s lips if that person were not looking your way when (s)he spoke to you.
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| Sign language is the most effective means by which hearing-impaired people communicate. |
Man-on-the-run that I am, I had little time to spare. So, I told our displeased attendant friend that she was dealing with two hearing-impaired persons and attempted to get her to call for the assistance she had previously offered to find. Initially reluctant, she eventually went in search of the promised help when I insisted. Thinking to save time, I took out the spare, the jack and handle and the wheel spanner and placed them beside the flat tyre. But the help never arrived until five minutes later, by which time my conscience had long since prodded me into moving my car aside and beginning to change the tyre myself.
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| Ask around; I'm quite adept at tyre changes! Even in the blazing hot sun and in office wear too! |
Maybe it was my own cynicism that spawned the thought that the help had waited for someone else to start the job before appearing. Be that as it may, he quickly disappeared, saying that it was clear that I had the situation well in hand. I guess he was right since a few minutes later the tyre had been changed, the flat safely stored in the trunk and the tools used back in their proper place.
Advising the ladies that they should have the tyre repaired as soon as possible to avoid being without a spare for any extended period, I wished them both God speed. I was repaid for my solicitude with a bottle of cold water and a thankful, wordless smile that warmed, no less, the cockles of my heart.
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| Kindness is truly timeless ... |
It would be remiss of me to end my story without informing/reminding you that my father is visually impaired. His disability is the major reason why I am very much in touch with the issues and concerns of that community. I, therefore, wish to take this opportunity to urge you to be mindful of the disabled/differently-abled community and respectful in your dealings with them.
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| In case you were wondering about hearing-impaired persons' driving abilities. |
Only the common sense-impaired can think that there is anything to be gained by treating members of this community as second-class citizens or any differently from those in possession of all their faculties.
