It is very important to be mindful of what you say especially when around a person who uses a wheelchair. This is because some of the words you might use may turn out to be offensive to them and affect them negatively.
Here are three things you should never say to a person in a wheelchair.
1. It will be good to see you out and being productive.
This is quite an unnecessary statement to put across. Uttering this to a wheelchair user makes them feel unloved, lesser being and might, in turn, affect their self-confidence. This is because they will view themselves as useless and a burden to their loved ones.
2. I am sorry, I know what you are going through
Never should you say these words to a wheelchair user. This is because you cannot know the pain the person in a wheelchair is going through unless you have been in a similar situation. Also, you might have been in a similar situation but under different circumstances thus you can't really understand what the person is going through.
3. What happened that you are now in a wheelchair?
This might sound caring to you but it is rude to ask a wheelchair user what lead them to use it. This forces the person to talk about what he/she went through which in most cases they would wish to keep to themselves. Let them share their experience willingly.