btw: Wheelchair user

I'd really like to blame Facebook because it made it so easy to interact with people you have not seen since grade school. But truth be told I have had similar problems for years: How do I tell people who have not seen me in a while that I use a wheelchair?

I have tried to be cute. I told someone in an e-mail that I was walking my dog at work, and that I was not lying: Claren comes with me because she is a service dog and I use a chair. I never heard back from that person.

My boss once told a partner to e-mail me and the partner told me she got the impression I used only e-mail and wondered why. I told her and we remained friends. She had special-needs kids so it was probably nice to e-mail a special-needs adult.

Recently, someone on Facebook mentioned a planned get-together at a downstairs location. I just told her I couldn't use stairs, not why. For all she knows I am scared of stairs.

I looked up someone who has written a novel and started lots of programs. In short, someone who has done much more than I. I told him that he embarrasses me, and he replied thanks, what have you been up to.

What was I supposed to say? I am not my wheelchair, but at the same time it is responsible for a lot of turns in my life. Mainly, I wanted to mention it so I'd have a good excuse for not being as successful as he.