As Dave Hingsburger found out, If you’re in a wheelchair, obviously you’re leaving your luggage unattended:
Suddenly, I lost existance.
I was waiting patiently in the airport, quietly watching people go by. My luggage was stacked up next to me and I felt that I looked like quite the world traveler. Suddenly this illusion was shattered when a security type guy came with a luggage cart and began loading my luggage. I sputtered a protest, ‘Hey, that’s my luggage.’
He looked at me, annoyed and said, “Luggage can’t be left unattended.”
“I AM attending it,” I said incredulous.
“You don’t understand, SOME BODY needs to be in possession of the luggage,” he said and I didn’t get his implication, not yet, I was still too startled.
“I am in possession of this luggage, it is MINE,” my voice is rising.
He looks at me with exaggerated patience, “SOME BODY (long pause) needs to be attending the luggage.”
I got it then, I wasn’t SOME BODY, “Are you suggesting that I can’t supervise my own luggage because I’m in a wheelchair?”
Meanwhile, in good old Blighty, the National Health Service let a man with Downs Syndrome starve to death. I’ve never been so glad to be as priviledged as being a healty, temporarily able white bloke as after hearing that news.