Dear Prudence,
A few years ago, I suffered an injury which, as well as being permanent, makes walking very difficult and painful, and leaves me at risk for falling at any time. I wear custom orthotics that must be worn within shoes. I’m supposed to wear them as much as I can, which means I really only take them off when I am getting ready for bed, taking a shower, swimming, etc. I am wondering what the correct etiquette is when I am told that I cannot enter a residence without taking off my shoes. Some things to keep in mind:
The shoe covers from the hardware store are extremely slippery and honestly make it harder for me to walk.
Wiping off my shoes or washing them will not get them clean enough for this specific host (a family member), only sending them through the washer will, which I am not willing to do because shoes that fit ankle-foot orthoses are pricey and hard to find.
I cannot wear just anyone else’s slippers because I wear a hard-to-find size.
I cannot use my wheelchair within the house because the wheels have been outside and cannot be cleaned to the host's satisfaction.
It never occurred to me to bring slippers as in the past in this particular home, they have been OK with shoes on the first floor. (Also, traveling while as medically complicated as I am is difficult enough without having to take other people's floors into account.)
The host insists that their small children play on the floor and that if I knew how filthy the floors were and what germs shoes bring in, I would not be asking them to wear shoes in the house. They say that if it is so dangerous and painful for me to walk, I should just sit down the whole time.
—Accessibility Denied