Disability Perks

Several years ago my brother Jake, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy as well and also uses an electric wheelchair, coined the phrase “Disability Perks” to describe some of the lucky happenings that occur for us while travelling or going to events, as if we are members of an exclusive perks club.  One such story is that Jake was going to get tickets for a Flight of the Conchords concert in town.  The day the tickets went on sale Jake was waiting in line to purchase the tickets.  The ticket booth opened at 11 AM.  At 11:15 AM the ticket booth announced the event was sold out.  Jake glumly approached the window at 11:30, after the crowds had thinned, and casually asked “you wouldn’t happen to have any disabled seating left, would you”?  The ticket seller replied “Oh, we sure do”.  Jake ended up purchasing 4 tickets to the sold out event, as each accessible seat comes with a companion seat for the same price.  So Jake, our brother Ethan, one of Jake’s friends, and I all wound up going to an awesome sold out concert by virtue of having two wheelchair users in our group.