A teenage girl was stunned when she was screamed at by a man on a bus.
Kirsty Swift said her daughter Amelia was on an Arriva 89 bus yesterday, May 16, when she was approached by an older man who started shouting and swearing at her for sitting in the priority seat. The man allegedly called her "rude and stupid" and an "ignorant teenager" for sitting in the seats - and added: "I hope your mum is proud."
Kirsty told the ECHO there were plenty of empty seats on the bus, but the man aggressively stamped his feet and continued his foul-mouthed tirade to intimidate the teenager. Amelia, 17, is entitled to sit in the priority seats as she has several hidden disabilities.
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The teenager, from Speke, has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) - a condition that causes an abnormal increase in her heart rate when she stands up. Amelia, who is on medication and has to monitor her fluid intake, has passed out from the condition. She also has hypermobility - which affects her joints - as well as autism and ADHD.
Mum Kirsty told the ECHO: "Amelia was very distressed, she doesn't like conflict. She's not naturally able to speak to people. We had to go and meet her at the bus stop.
"I was heartbroken when she told me what had happened. It's taken months to build up her confidence to take the bus on her own. I've worked hard to help her get her independence so I can't always be there to protect her."
Kirsty said Amelia's conditions affect her both physically and emotionally. The mum-of-three added: "She faces a daily battle to function - she's exhausted when she gets in at the end of the day."
Kirsty and Amelia want people to know that not all disabilities are visible - and have encouraged people to not judge those they don't know. Kirsty told the ECHO: "It's very easy for people to judge.
"The world would be a better place if people were kinder and showed some compassion. I know my daughter would have moved straight away if someone who needed it more had nowhere to sit."
Kirsty recently volunteered at the EuroVillage to help those with disabilities. She said: "We'd never question someone's disability - if someone looked in need then we'd give them a smile and offer to help."
Kirsty posted her daughter's experiences on social media today and said the responses have been positive. As well as offering support to Amelia, others have shared their own experiences of living with hidden disabilities.
Kirsty hopes this will encourage more people to talk about disabilities and how they affect different people. She told the ECHO: "Perhaps hidden disabilities wouldn't stay hidden if we were open and spoke about them more.
"Other people don't have the same levels of strength my daughter does. I'm very proud of Amelia."
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