Without help but far from helpless

One of the first times I used my wheelchair at work, a friend and I were headed in together. They knee about the chair and my issues so it wasn't at all a surprise. As we were rolling/walking to the door, she finally said: I'm going to push you because it'll be easier to talk.

It was, of course, much easier. I wasn't laboring to push or watching where I was going.

More important it also made sense to me. She didn't think I needed help and she wasn't just being kind. She had a good reason to help me.

I turn down help sometimes, annoying the person offering. They always offer out of kindness, but I turn it down because I read in their offer a sense of pity or a belief that I am helpless. I am not.