WITH SNOW forecast for this weekend, I'll probably get a little nervous. No, I'm not among the legions of Baltimoreans who raid grocery store shelves of milk, bread and toilet paper at the hint of snow.
My trepidation centers around my mode of transportation: I am a disabled person who must use a wheelchair. A heavy snowstorm or a glazing of ice may leave me house bound for several days.
Almost everyone looks back on the winter of 1994 and shudders: The unusually long stretches of bad weather forced schools and many businesses to close for days at a time. For many disabled people, that winter was an absolute nightmare.
For example, I use Mass Transit Administration's handicap-accessible vans to get to work. During last winter's blizzard conditions, the vans did not operate, so I missed a total of two weeks from work. Fortunately, my bosses were understanding about my predicament.
I also understand that it was too difficult and dangerous for the vans to make the usual rounds in such weather.
My transportation problem seems minor when compared with the problems of many disabled people last winter. I cried when I learned the plight of one disabled man who regularly rides the MTA van with me. During one stretch of bad weather last winter, the person who helps him get dressed and ready for the day could not make it to his house for several days. The man, who lives alone, spent days in bed unable to do anything for himself. He didn't eat or drink until his attendant returned.
Despite the problems associated with snow and ice, my disability has not made me hate wintertime. I still enjoy looking out the window at a fresh blanket of snow, looking clean and pure. I wouldn't mind doing that at least once this winter.
But the mild winter we've had to this point has been a blessing for disabled people. It has allowed me to plan my daily schedule without fear of being trapped in the house.
However, if the snow comes, I'll accept it as just another challenge. After all, spring is only about six weeks away.
Janice Jackson writes from Baltimore.