Fortunately, I am not in a wheelchair permanently. This past weekend I did get the idea of how these people feel.

Due to recent surgery, I was in a wheelchair at the Great Falls Balloon Festival. All I wanted to do was to see one show and the fireworks on Friday.

My husband and I got there early so we could be close to the stand and be able to see the show.

Did that happen for me? No.

Although we were close, people came and stood in front of me, turned and looked at me, then continued to stand there. They even invited more people to join them, without even taking into account that I was a person and I wanted to see the show too. I got kicked, tripped over and pushed without a word of sorry spoken to me, with only one exception: one girl did say, “Me bad.”

I finally got disgusted and left, which was a chore in itself. People saw my husband trying to push the wheelchair out of the crowd and they not only would not step aside, they gave me dirty looks as though I did not belong there.

This event in itself was an education. I have always been respectful of people, handicapped or not, but this treatment my husband and I recieved was an eye-opener for us.

Did I think the balloon fest was great this year? For me, I don’t think so.

Arlene Rousseau, Lewiston