Simulation Experience

For my simulation experience I wore a boot on my foot because I figured it

wouldn't be as challenging as if I was to stop using my hands. I decided to do this
experience while traveling and vacationing in Mexico. My thought process was that it
wouldn't be as bad because I normally don't do much when I visit Mexico. The first day I
would be traveling and not doing much but sitting on a plane and watching movies. The
second day we had plans to walk around downtown and visits some of my mom’s
friends.

The only person who knew I wasn't really hurt was my mom, but I wanted to
make sure no one else knew because then they wouldn't treat me any differently. When
it came to boarding, people who took a longer time to get settled in were allowed in first.
I didn't pay much attention to it because I have never had to use that privilege, but the
person I was sitting next to noticed I was struggling walking and carrying my stuff to the
gate and told me I should go in first. I thanked him but told him I was okay. However, I
regret not taking advantage of that. I felt horrible because it took forever to get adjusted
in my seat and people were waiting for me to get situated. Although the people were
nice enough to wait, I felt rushed and like a bother. While on the plane ride, I found I
was thinking more about what the people next to me felt than how I did. I felt really
uncomfortable and I needed to use the restroom, but decided to hold it in because I
knew it would take a while for me to move out the isle and back. Once I got to Mexico, I
found it hard to keep up. Everyone at the Mexico City airport would walk with a purpose
and I found it difficult to have my suitcase and walk with the crowd. Up until that point I
found that people were nicer about accommodating to me in the US. Once I arrived to
my grandma's house where my aunts, uncles, and cousins were awaiting. Everyone
saw my foot in a boot and took all my luggage from me. Throughout that night everyone
wanted me to sit down and everything I needed was brought to me.

The following day I was treated the same by my family and I was so comfortable
that I didn't care to go out and do anything. My mother was going to visit one of her
childhood friends and asked if I wanted to go. I eventually convinced myself that the bad
experience was just at the airport, but that it may be different here in my grandma’s
town. I decided to go and we took a taxi to downtown Cuernavaca. People were too
busy and worried about themselves to care if I was okay. My foot was hot, sweaty and
really uncomfortable. I was so miserable and felt like I just wanted to take it off. The
streets in Mexico aren't like the ones in the US. There are crooked, broken and
sometimes there is cobblestone. We went into a restaurant and in Mexico there's no
such thing as personal space. The tables were tiny, and the table next to us was about
a foot away. By boot took so much space and I felt bad telling people to move over
because they didn't have much space either. I did my best to just eat quickly and get out
of there. At that point I didn't care to do anything else. I took a taxi home and just
relaxed for the rest of the day.

I always noticed Mexico didn't make accommodations for people with disabilities,
but I was much harder when I had to deal with it. People with disabilities in Mexico
aren't treated like people. They aren't allowed a job and have no other choice but to beg
for money. I chose to do this experiment in Mexico because I thought it would be easier,
but I feel like people with disabilities live a harder like in Mexico. Although I didn't need
wheelchair accessibility, I was more conscious of looking for disability accommodations.
Other than the normal dips at the sidewalks, there was nothing else done for people in
wheelchairs. It was really shocking and then it all came together. You don't see people
with disabilities outside because nothing is accommodated to them. I had an aunt who
was in a wheelchair before she passed away, and there wasn't a day she wasn't either
in her room or the backyard. It is really unfortunate and saddening to see people with
disabilities not be able to live a normal life. There are controversies on whether or not
this experiment is helpful, but I found this experiment to be very eye opening.