Passing Up a Discount

Tomorrow I am scheduled to be in DC for a day of meetings. Despite only living 30 minutes from the city, we tend to avoid traveling to the area. Between the traffic, confusing signage and one way roads, driving through the Capital can be treacherous.

Luckily we live close enough to both the train station and metro line. I find the color coded metro map nearly as overwhelming as driving myself, so we set out to investigate the train schedule. We discovered that the train will take me within 3 blocks of my destination, so I decided it was my best option.

While inspecting the train schedule I discovered that I am entitled to a reduced fare because of my disability. The discount has caused a bit of a conflict in my house because Scott feels that I should take the disabled fare whereas I want to pay the normal fee.

I do love a bargain, but I just don't feel comfortable accepting a reduced fare simply because I am an amputee. I am taking up the same amount of room as the bi-legged passengers and I am capable of paying for the fare. I see no reason why I should pay less for the same train ride, and accepting the discount would make me uncomfortable.

Although I am insisting on paying the full fare for the train ride, I am not against accepting other perks afforded to me because of my disability status. I will park in handicapped parking and I will utilize the "fast pass" at amusement parks to bypass the lines for rides. One of my favorite benefits of being an amputee is the pre-board status I am when I fly Southwest Airlines .

Every amputee handles accepting discounts and perks differently. Personally, I will accept perks of convenience, but I don't usually accept monetary discounts. Of course, I have been known to play up my limp in an attempt to get a better price from my tree trimmers, but I suppose that is an issue for another blog.