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Disability is often seen as something bad that needs to be cured because people tend to think that everything about disability is negative but what you donât hear a lot of people talking about is how disability changes you. Disability isnât only about the challenges, and it changes your opinions on certain things and how you approach situations which is not always bad. My disability is frustrating at times, but I am the person I am today because of my disability and in some ways, I am grateful for my disability because it makes me appreciate the little things a little bit more. Some of the opinions I have as a disabled person are different from able-bodied people because I see the world in a different way and sometimes understand things that able-bodied people fail to understand because disability doesnât personally affect them. How has does a disability change a person? In this post, I am going to talk about how I have changed because of my disability.
It makes me want to writeâ Blogging can be done by both abled and disabled people but usually able-bodied people start blogs for different reasons than disabled people. I started my blog because I saw how ableist and inaccessible the world is for disabled people and thought it was important to spread awareness for all disability because you wonât create change without doing your part. My disability has made me want to write because if it wasnât for my disability, I would have probably been able to find a job and had no reason to starting to start a blog because I wouldnât face the discrimination in job interviews that I do as a disabled person. I am not one of those bloggers who has loved writing since I was a child, and it was something I picked up a few years after I graduated high school because I saw the need for it. My disability makes me want to write because itâs one of the very few things my disability does not prevent me from doing well.
It changes that way I think about disabilityâ A vast majority of able-bodied people view disability as something bad that need to be cured and think that someoneâs disability is the problem because that is all you hear in the media. As disabled person I view disability in a completely different way than a vast majority of able-bodied because I understand ableism since it negatively affects me whereas as an abled person may not even know what ableism is and are ableist without know it. Disability changes the way I think about my disability because if it wasnât for my Spina Bifida, I would think about disability like abled people do which sometimes is a little ableist.
It makes me creativeâ As a disabled person I am constantly dealing with unnecessary barriers even in my own home because we live in an inaccessible world where people think that accessibility is optional. My disability makes me more creative than I would be if I was abled because sometimes things are so inaccessible you kind of have to get creative. I am not artistically creative and if you asked me to draw something you would probably not be able to recognize what it was but when it comes to making things more accessible, I am creative. Most things in life are not accessible for disabled people and you canât even do a workout without getting a little creative because almost everything is made without disabled people in mind. Disability makes you more creative and sometimes I am impressed with myself with how creative I can get when it comes to making my life easier.
It has built my pain toleranceâ Surgery is not necessary for all disabilities because not all disabilities have surgeries that could improve your life but as a disabled person it has most definitely been part of my life. Surgery is frustrating because it puts your entire life to a complete stop while you recover but the one good thing that my surgeries have done for me is it has built my pain tolerance and with every surgery my pain tolerance gets a little bit better. I have had dozens of surgeries some that are worse than others and I donât think I go as crazy with high levels of pain than someone who has never had a surgery would because for most part, I know what to expect. I think I could handle having a child like champ because I have had so many painful surgeries and live with chronic pain that most definitely has help with improving my tolerance. My pain tolerance is higher because my disability has forced me to have a lot of painful surgeries that abled person would never experience.
It changes the way I view my bodyâ As a disabled person I have been forced to view my body in a completely different way because I have two stomaâs that are ugly and sometimes makes you feel less confident about yourself. When you have stoma or are a wheelchair user that canât exercise much, you view body confidence differently than able-bodied people because disabled people sometimes canât do super intense workouts to get their dream bodies like able-bodied people can. As a disabled person I donât look at my body on a daily basis and tell myself what needs to change but instead appreciate what I do have rather than be mad about what I donât.
It makes me more sympathetic of medical conditions- Able-bodied people often are sympathetic toward medical conditions of loved ones but sometimes are not understanding of medical conditions that they donât see often and will make fun of them. As disabled person, I think my disability makes me more sympathetic toward medical conditions because although I may not experience the same challenges as another disabled person, I do understand that life is hard more than an abled person.
It is frustrating to live with a disability but my disability itself is not the most frustrating part and the lack of accessibility and ableism that makes disabled people think that they are problem. I am the person I am today because my disability has given me challenges that you wouldnât experience as an abled person, but it has made me stronger. The world needs disability because without disabled people no one would understand ableism or what it means to be accessible. Disability changes a person, and you shouldnât only see the negatives of disability but instead try to understand how it shapes a person. I am not my disability and itâs just something I live with it, but I would be lying if I said that it hasnât shaped my personality because everything though I have and how I approach situations is because of my disability. Advocacy is more important to me with a disability because I see things that my abled sisters completely miss. How has your disability changed you?
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