I am so tired of hearing people act like someone has to be at their absolute worst before they are allowed to use a mobility aid. The way I see it, that logic sounds just as ridiculous as saying I do not need my glasses because I can still kind of see without them. Sure, I could hold something at the right distance, close one eye, squint, and maybe make out most of the text. That does not mean glasses are unnecessary, and it definitely does not mean I should have to struggle first just to prove I deserve help.

That same harmful mindset gets thrown at people with chronic illness all the time. If we are not in constant crisis, if we can technically get through a task while in pain, exhausted, dizzy, or drained, people decide we do not really need a cane, a wheelchair, a rollator, or any other mobility aid. But mobility aids are not prizes for suffering enough in public. They are tools that help people move through the world more safely, with more dignity, and with less pain.

I am calling on medical providers, clinic leaders, and professional healthcare associations to stop gatekeeping mobility aids and start treating them like the legitimate assistive tools they are. That means listening to patients with chronic illness, respecting quality of life, and supporting access before someone gets worse. People should not have to perform disability in the most extreme way possible just to be taken seriously.

If you are tired of disabled and chronically ill people being told to wait until things are unbearable before getting support, please sign this petition. Help demand a healthcare culture that values function, dignity, and access now, not after more harm is done.