My partner uses a wheelchair and we've been having this ongoing tension about how much I should help versus when I'm being patronizing, but we've never actually talked about what independence means to each of us or how to navigate the space between care and condescension. We both just get frustrated and retreat into our own assumptions about what the other person needs.
More people experience this than they realize.
You're navigating the complex territory between support and autonomy without a shared understanding of what dignity looks like in your specific relationship.
“Where Are You with Disability & Accessibility?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.