To my able-bodied co-workers who elect to use the handicap button to open the door to the cafeteria, please stop. That button is not for your use. You hold up the line of people behind you and by going through the automatic door on the left, you also hinder the people trying to leave the cafeteria. I understand your fear of germs, but maybe washing your hands before you eat is a better practice than attempting to go through life without using your hands at all. And no, pressing the button repeatedly does not open the door faster. What it does do is stress the electrical system that operates the door, increasing the probability that it will break and be rendered useless when a person who does have a disability attempts to use the button. Did you know most doors can be pushed open with a forearm, elbow, shoulder or even a kick? Rarely does our day at the office require us to do anything resembling manual labor, so maybe when the very simple task of opening a door presents itself, you can exert yourself a little and hopefully delay the inevitable atrophying of your obsolete arm muscles.
I Saw You is an anonymous “man on the street” column. Email your rants and raves about co-workers or any badly behaving citizens to [email protected], or send to 380 S. First St, San Jose, 95113. Submissions should stick to about 100 words.
