The March
OK, OK, I’m glad you’re all here. I see a lot of new faces in the crowd tonight, and that’s great, it’s really great to see so many friends and family come out to support the movement. We’re going to be leaving for the march in a few minutes, I just want to wait a little bit and make sure we don’t leave any stragglers behind. I want to take a few minutes too to just go over things and make sure we’re all together and also, for some of the new people, just bring everyone up to speed with what we do, why we do it, and also to let you know just how much we depend on your support and appreciate it tonight.
Our march tonight is a direct offshoot of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the law that said people with disabilities cannot be discriminated against in the workplace, in their search for adequate housing, in their search for the American Dream. But friends, the American Dream is not just a home. The American Dream is not just a good job. The American Dream is much more. The American Dream is buying groceries. The American Dream is seeing a movie. The American Dream is buying clothes without fear of blank stares. The American Dream is those thousand common everyday things that people without barriers take for granted. And friends, for us, tonight, the American Dream is going to the bars! Now, we’re not sanctioned by the ADA, I want to make that perfectly clear. I don’t want to hear any stories about people complaining that the Rehab Institute is responsible for what happens to them tonight. We’re all over 21, I mean some of us remember the Seventies, so we’re all grownups.
Now, there are those who are going to say this is just a pub crawl for gimps. Well, to those people, I just want to say – it’s about time we had one of our own! We need a sense of community as much as anybody else. No, more than anybody else. When there’s nobody else like you at work, and there’s nobody else like you on the bus, and there’s nobody else like you in the movies or on TV, you need to gather together for support, and to maintain your identity as a people.
Some of you here are old enough to remember what it was like to first go to the bars in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It was rough, am I right? If we could find a place that wasn’t too far away, that we could get to on our own power, who knew if we could even get inside? Maybe there was a step, or a few steps, or the door was one of those really narrow ones, and the entrance was so crowded with tables we couldn’t even get a manual chair between them. And once we got inside, getting people in the crowds to notice we were there in the first place – that was the real physical challenge, am I right?
They couldn’t see us because we sit down below their line of sight. So we’d go into a place and be looking at everyone right in the butt. And we’d have to watch out in case someone turned a little too fast, and gave us an elbow in the eye. And if we made it up to the bar it was even worse. Everybody leaning over the bar, their backs to us, and there we were, trying to tap people on the shoulder and saying “Excuse me, excuse me, hello, trying to get by,” but nobody could see us. And then finally, once we got that far we figured the heck with it and gave them a little shove with the chair -- you know what I mean? And then all of a sudden they’d turn like “Hey, what’s going on!” and then we would have to say, “Hey I’m just trying to get by, get a drink, you know? Can you move a little bit?” And then they’d make a big deal out of leaning way over and saying, “What? What?” because they could never hear us. And once we got them to understand we needed them to move, that was another struggle. Sometimes it was just too crowded. Sometimes they just didn’t want to.
These people – call them physically able, able bodied, I call them “barrier-free” – are not bad people. They’re just a little naïve. They’ve led sheltered lives. Many of them have never seen anyone with a disability, except on TV. So remember, smile, introduce yourself, let them know you’re out here to relax and have a good time just like they are.
Some of you out there are wondering why we do this. I mean, it’s not like going to a bar, having a drink -- you know, just hanging out – it’s not like that’s really necessary. I mean it’s not. It doesn’t pay the rent, it doesn’t put food on the table, it’s not one of those – like they call them, “activities of daily living.” Then why do we do it? Why do we go out, year after year, trying to make people aware, trying to get bars lowered and barstools banned, trying to get more wheelchair stalls in the bathrooms – ladies rooms too – why do we do it? Why do we put up with the looks, why do we put up with the questions, why do we put up with the spilled drinks?
You know why. For you new people, I’ll tell you why. Because there’s more to life than just going to work and going home. These are the things that make life worth living. The extras. The things those people on State Street take for granted. No, we don’t want to stumble home with a stranger at three in the morning. Well, I don’t know, maybe some of you do. But if that’s what you want to do, you have the right to do it. And you should be able to do it without having to worry about whether you can get in to a bar, or how you’re going to get the bartender’s attention. Sure, there are other extras that make life more fun besides drinking. But let’s face it. For many people, the major part of their socialization takes place in an atmosphere of casual drinking. And so we go not just to drink, we go not just in search of a quick pickup, we go to learn the social skills that most folks take for granted, that no one can teach us, that we can only learn for ourselves in the crucible of a shot glass.
OK, Our first stop tonight is Dublins bar on State Street. Then we go a little south on State, cross at Bellevue, and hang out at Gibson’s for a while. Next, over to the Tavern on Rush. And finally, whoever’s still with us, we end up at Carmine’s to regroup and celebrate. There are two things we want to accomplish tonight. First of all, we want to have fun. Our second goal tonight is to raise consciousness and let people know we’re out here. When we come to a bar that’s accessible, we give them our business. We stop, we go inside, we have a couple beers. We show them our support. And when we find a place that’s not open to us, we make sure that that place knows that we were there. We mark those places with these flyers. We show their shame. As you can see, it’s the international symbol of access together with the international symbol of partying. So, markers, make sure you have a supply of flyers and tape. For every bar that is not accessible, post at least two handbills in the window. At least two, no more than five. Don’t plaster them all over, we don’t to be obnoxious about it.
So tonight, when we’re out there, and the barrier-free are looking at us, and wondering what we’re doing, be sure to hand out your flyers. Does everybody have their flyers? Hold them up so we can all get a good look at them. Our slogan is “Barrier Eradication Empowers Rollers.” Explain to folks that when all the barriers are down, everyone benefits. (Leads cheer.) Give me a B! Give me an E! Give me another E! Give me an R! What’s that spell? (Beer!) What do we want? (Beer!) What are we here for? (Beer!) Okay, if you don’t have a flyer, make sure you get one before you leave, we got some over here down in front. It’s really important that you let people see your flyers because we don’t want them to think we’re just trying to make trouble so we’ll get free drinks. And I don’t want anyone chaining themselves to a barstool this time. Last year, and I’m not naming names, somebody had to drag one all the way back to her car. We’re here to change attitudes, people. Attitudes.
You’ll notice a few folks here wearing red baseball caps. These are the designated rollers. It’s their job to make sure we hit all the bars and mark those that are not accessible. They will also be leading the group as we go from bar to bar. If you’re behind one of them, be sure you don’t start drifting over to the curb, because everybody behind you will drift with you. We want to be safe, and we want to make sure everyone gets home OK. If you’re sitting with one of them, pitch in and pay for their cokes or whatever. (To the rollers) Because you know, you guys can’t drink tonight, OK? Keep an eye on these folks, and especially you new people, stay close to them. Rollers, please keep an eye out for the new people and make sure they’re doing OK. Remember you can roll down curb cuts as well as up, and sometimes the sidewalks slant towards the street. We’ll be riding single file down the sidewalk. Keep an eye on the person in front of you. Stay in line and don’t drift. Remember, wheelchair motors aren’t affected by alcohol. So after Gibson’s we’re going to do a speed check. I want everyone at half speed. ‘Cause if you tip over, you might not get hurt, but you could wreck your wheels. Let’s not have a repeat of last year’s Mother’s embargo. We lost three good people that night. They’d be with us tonight but they’re still waiting for DORS to come through with the money for repairs.
Okay. It looks like everybody’s here. Let’s get started. And try to stay together. Remember there’s strength in numbers. Some of you in the newer Quickie chairs, remember you might go faster than the rest of us, so try to stay with the group and don’t leave anyone behind. All right, let’s go, and let’s have fun.