NOT COOL Stuff #13

I currently am having renovations done at my home. They are long overdue but they will make my house more handicapped accessible. Now that I am in a wheelchair pretty much all of the time, I could no longer ignore the needs I have.  “Making do” with what I have no longer suffices  even though I wish it did; I wish I could force myself to get things done but… I need help now.  The man doing the work is more of a perfectionist than I am. I didn’t think that was possible! But it is. I have found him.

He has excellent vision and pays attention to detail. That being said, my house is so stinky right now! Being chemically sensitive, I can’t even take some people’s perfume or cologne let alone stain and polyurethane. So, Sean and I had to vacate.   We stayed at a nearby hotel during the power outage  where the beds were absolutely the most comfortable thing I have ever slept in and the continental breakfast was superb! The eggs were delicious!  There was no question that we would stay there again during this time of the “stinky house.”

This is where the NOT COOL stuff #13 occurs.  ADA law covers a lot of Americans  and my mom knows to ask for specifics regarding amenities needed for me. She called to make the reservations because she is a member at the hotel I wanted to reserve my room. She was very specific amenities needed. It seemed like it would be a seamless  reservation.

Enter the first seam:  The room that was reserved for me was an ADA room; however, it was not for a physically disabled person but rather a hearing impaired person. The room did not work for me and my needs. So, back to the front desk #1.   As it turns out, there were no handicapped accessible rooms available at that hotel but there was a semi-nearby hotel  in the same chain where we could stay. So, we got into the car and drove to the other hotel. We get into the room and check out all of the needed accommodations.  We find out, this room will not suffice.  Back to the front desk #2.

 Now, in this instance, it is not me being “high maintenance” NOT that I’m NOT “high maintenance” but I prefer to say I am “high standards.”  Sean will be the first to  laugh and say that I am “high maintenance” but in this situation, I cannot physically navigate through  this particular room to be comfortable.  So we get a third room. It was kind of like a game of “Hot and Cold.” We were getting “warmer”  but not quite. To save me from trip to the front desk #3.   My mom handled the transaction over the phone in the room and dropped me off at the new room before going down to the front desk.

While in the hallway waiting for her to come back, I stared at this and was excited that this room could really work out (notice the second peep hole in the door, for someone in a wheelchair):

 It wasn’t until getting ready this morning, I realized  that the bathroom is just not working out for a physically disabled person. My mom came by this morning and became my “spotter” to assist me but things just weren’t  working out, it wasn’t because of a lack of effort. We had a will, but just couldn’t find away. We get on the phone with the original hotel. Turns out, they have the room  I need available for tonight because my house is still really stinky! So now it is back to the original hotel for tonight’s stay.

 What really is NOT COOL about this whole  ordeal is that each time we came across an obstacle or barrier or whatever you want to call it, I could feel tears  beginning to sting mt eyes and with each new room, I couldn’t believe how inaccessible it was even though it says that it is. My Mom, being my Mom,  took the reins on this whole thing for a room for Sean and I because she  could see my stress level rising and my body’s response to that stress which is just to shut down.   The beds are really comfortable and Sean really likes the continental breakfast  but disabled people matter too!  And, man, MS sucks! Oh, AND my knee is still broken!