"I worry that I’ll face inaccessibility or even be turned away because of my disability," says Evelyn McConmell, 17, who lives in Pennsylvania. McConmell uses a manual wheelchair and also deals with breathing difficulties due to weak chest muscles. She says her fear is rooted in previous negative experiences. "I’ve had many incidents where I actually can’t fit under the tables, since they’re often lower than my chair. I have had to sit rather far away and lean in," she says. "I’ve also had nail artists discuss 'what to do with me' without actually addressing me. It’s extremely disrespectful." She adds that sometimes she'd just rather do her nails at home to avoid the hassle, but ultimately feels like it's important to still go out in the world and advocate for other disabled people. "We need to be taken into account," she says.
That’s not to say every salon experience is abysmal for people in wheelchairs. After Mintner posted her Yelp review, she ended up taking her daughter to a different salon where they were quick to accommodate her. “I’m so glad it made my daughter feel better. It made me feel better,” she says. “We were able to go home [relaxed] instead of thinking about what happened.”
When you have a disability, at least in my case, I don’t want people to feel awkward about asking me how they can be helpful or what they can do to make me more comfortable. What I do have a problem with is when they decide that I can’t do something before even trying to discuss a solution with me. It does, however, make it easier to pick a good salon. If my money isn’t as valued as an able-bodied person’s money for a service, they don’t deserve it.
Alexis Villa, 23, who lives in California, has struggled over the years to find a salon that can accommodate her needs. She has spinal muscular atrophy or SMA, a progressive muscle-wasting disease that necessitates her being in a wheelchair. "I found one lady and I only go back to her," Villa says. "I’ve gone into my nail salon, asked for her, and when they say she’s not in, I’ll leave. I won’t make an exception. But Liz isn’t afraid of me, won’t overextend my legs, isn’t afraid of my hands, and will do my brows with tweezers because I’m a princess! I’m only giving her my money and always a good tip for her efforts."
When you look at a woman with a disability, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t, Man, it must be really tough to get your nails done. Everyone asks questions like “Do you miss walking?” and “How do you get in and out of bed?” I mean, yes, I miss walking, and I do have to get assistance with what others consider to be basic movements. But the invisible struggles, like the anxiety that a place will turn me away simply because my mobility makes me "difficult" to serve are the hardest to process, especially when it comes to everyday luxuries like getting a pedicure or having my hair cut. The reality that some businesses still see people with disabilities as a burden, not a customer, is frustrating. I’m tired of being put into a box that dictates what a person with a disability can and can’t do based on assumptions.
