AITA for telling the teacher to stop making comments on my wheelchair?

An 18-year-old Reddit user, who is an ambulatory wheelchair user, shared their frustration with a teacher who constantly comments on the condition of their wheelchair. The wheelchair, in use for 7 years, is worn but functional, and the user is saving for a costly replacement.

After repeated remarks from the teacher about the chair’s appearance and noises it makes, the student finally snapped, suggesting the teacher either pay for a new one or stop making comments. The teacher seemed taken aback, and a classmate suggested the response may have been overly harsh. To find out more about the situation and how others reacted, read the full story below…

‘ AITA for telling the teacher to stop making comments on my wheelchair?’

I’m 18f, have a pretty messed up pair of legs, have had since birth, I can walk but am an ambulatory wheelchair user. I’m currently due an upgrade for my chair, I’ve had it close to 7 years and it’s a bit messed up. It’s gotten pretty uncomfortable and it makes noise but like I said, I’ve had it 7 years and I’ve grown rather attatched to it.

We’re saving to pay for the new one at the moment. I have one teacher, my English teacher, who constantly makes comments about how banged up looking it is, and gets pretty pissed any time I dare move and it makes noise. She says it’s distracting.

The comments about the appearance of the chair annoy me a lot because it’s hardly going to look brand new after 7 years of constant use. She made a comment this morning along the lines of “You know, you should really get a new one, that one looks like it’s about to collapse under you”.

I got really mad about this and I said, “You know what, if you think I should get a new chair so bad, you can pay the nearly 4 grand it’s gonna cost or you can stop making n**ty comments about something that literally doesn’t affect you.”

She didn’t really look at me until the end of the class but the boy who sits besides me said it was slightly assholeish as she probably didn’t realise how difficult the process was. AITA?

Here’s what the community had to contribute:

ughneedausername −  NTA. It’s bizarre and SO rude to comment on someone’s wheelchair. Has she just crawled out from under a rock? Of course wheelchairs are expensive. I would reach out to the principal just to be sure she doesn’t hold this against you come time for grades.

riano25 −  NTA Mobility aids are often expensive and hard/slow to get the right fit for the individual. It doesn’t take someone with vast medical knowledge to know this. And even if it did, she’s an adult and supposed to be a professional, it’s not acceptable for her to pass comment on any aspect of a students appearance.

[Reddit User] −  NTA It is not your responsibility to educate her. She got what she deserved.

G8RTOAD −  NTA She should’ve spoken to you quietly and away from the other students. I know how expensive wheelchairs are as my middle kids wheelchair is worth $10500+ and that’s just a basic chair with thoracic support, belt and harness points for travelling in a wheelchair van.

Edit Would the school possibly consider doing a fundraiser to help purchase you a new wheelchair?

sci_geek102 −  NTA- as a teacher myself, I am mortified by your English teacher. If she is that concerned over the condition of your wheelchair, the only acceptable thing would be to pull you aside and maybe ask if you are open to her helping doing some fundraising. She knows those chairs are not cheap.

We all know those chairs aren’t cheap. It also bothers me about how concerned she is with the noise from your chair distracting her. Legit, the other noises coming from everywhere while teaching are distracting, and you get used to them. Pencil sharpener being used? Still teaching.

Kids whispering to each other? Still teaching. Kids running down the hall outside your classroom? Yeah, still teaching over that too. I wish you the best dealing with this teacher (I would consider reporting her) and I hope that only for your sake, since you talk about being uncomfortable sitting in it, that you get your new chair soon.

[Reddit User] −  NTA. She can go stew in her ableism in silence.

[Reddit User] −  NTA your teacher however is a insensitive m**on at best. You called her out perfectly. High school is hell to begin with and teachers are supposed to lead by example not act like their a teenager.

[Reddit User] −  You responded so well! That will keep her from making any future comments.

shicole3 −  I’m sorry but there’s no way you actually think you could possibly be TA here. This sub is weird.

BassElement −  NTA. Definitely NTA. This made me mad just reading it, so I can’t imagine how angry you must have felt.