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- Coming home during the festive season can be quite daunting because there is so much to consider.
- Jema Whiley, a disabled woman, is forced to stay home when friends go out to parties on New Year’s Eve.
- She walks with a limp and has weak muscles, so she can’t stand for long at festivals and clubs. Over the years, she has had to learn to appreciate her time at her home while she misses the holidays.
I can partly relate to how Cinderella must have felt when she was locked in the attic and couldn’t go to parties. Being home knowing that other people are having a good time goes beyond the feeling of missing out on a night out.
While no one is stopping me from leaving the house and joining the party at a hot spot, my disability makes getting out a challenge. Needless to say, the biggest party night of the year is coming up, December 31st I can’t wait for the clock to strike midnight.
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Since New Year’s Eve celebrations often consist of parties and concerts in nightclubs and other public places, I often cannot join my friends and ring in the new year with them because I am lame and my muscles are weak, periods of time on my feet. physically demanding.
Going to clubs has always been more exhausting than a visit to the gym. Outdoor concerts where people have to sit in a field to watch the show are too uncomfortable due to my poor posture. Camping at a festival is too daunting for me to even consider trying.
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These challenges are compounded by the lack of accessibility in these places. Making a place accessible is expensive. It usually involves structural changes to a building, such as putting in a ramp so that a wheelchair user can access the different floors of a building or a bathroom that has space to accommodate a wheelchair, among many other things.
Meanwhile, while the venues are inaccessible, disabled people cannot enjoy the list of DJs that are advertised on the social media of those venues. And it looks like we’re running out of party of the year.
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I have often felt depressed when alone on New Year’s Eve. I am left questioning my self-esteem, which is fueled by my feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Adding insult to injury, I’ve heard loud music and people cheering, and seen fireworks from my house. I don’t want to be home on a night when people, especially my friends, are having the time of their lives.
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Although there is a consolation. As the years have come and gone and I’ve grown into a woman in my thirties, going to the biggest parties to ring in the new year now means less to me. I realized that spending the night with loved ones and watching a movie can be just as fun.
While I still feel a pang of sadness on this highly publicized night of the year, I know my circumstances could be much worse: I could be locked in an attic like Cinderella, while everyone else enjoys a fun night.
