Does standing room only apply to me anymore? After all, I no longer stand.
Yes, I’m being cheeky but something that happened earlier this week got Dan and I thinking.
Central Michigan University hosted many events to celebrate Martin Luther King Week, highlighted by a keynote performance by Danny Glover – yep, Lethal Weapon Danny Glover.
He, along with his lifelong friend Felix Justice, presented An Evening with Martin & Langston. This performance intended to “bring audiences inside the worlds of two of the greatest orators of the 20th century: Martin Luther King Jr. and Langston Hughes.”
Sounds pretty interesting, right? It was a free performance with no tickets required. But, again, it was Lethal Weapon Danny Glover! How were Dan and I going to get accessible seats?
Dan knew I wanted to go so he called ahead and they were able to accommodate us. And they weren’t just any accessible seats: They were in the front row!
When we arrived 30 minutes before the performance, there was a line all the way down the hall with people trying to get seats in an already packed Plachta Auditorium. The ushers spotted us, called us forward and showed us to our seats right at the foot of the stage.
I was so excited and was so appreciative that CMU made the performance accessible for me as well as two other people in wheelchairs. We were the front row! For Lethal Weapon Danny Glover!
As Dan and I turned around to see the mob of people lining the walls at the back of the auditorium, I leaned over and whispered to him, “Membership has its privileges.” It’s wrong to say, but I guess great seats are a perk of being disabled.
It was a powerful performance that we both enjoyed. When it was over, Dan leaned over to me and whispered, “Membership does have its privileges, but all things being equal, I would have given anything for you and I to be among those standing at the back of the auditorium for the entire performance because it would mean you didn’t have MS.”
And you know what? I would have too.
YOUBETCHA! A lot of vcenues go out of their way to accomodate those of us in wheelchairs. We just have to find out which ones they are and support and take advantage of them. I just had a great experience like yours, but you will have to read my blog to learn about it. ( :>
Michael
Dan, thank you for posting my blog on your home page. I hope you and others continue to find meaning in my poems. I am blown away by the fact that both you and your wife have MS. It’s daunting enough for one person to live with this illness, but two? I wish the best for you both.
Judy