When you are disabled, people often see your disability as something bad that needs to be cured because the media wrongly portrays the disabled community and tends to only focus only on the negatives of a disability. Disability has more negatives than positives, but it shapes you into the person you are today because, without your disability, you would be a completely different person, which might be good or bad. My disability is part of me because you can’t deny the fact that everything in life is hard, but it’s not my entire identity, and I am just another person who does things a little bit differently than you. It is frustrating to live in a world that is designed for non-disabled people because you are constantly navigating inaccessibility and ableism, but it does change your opinion on things, which isn’t always bad. I have no idea what type of person I would be without my disability because it has changed the way I view the world and has given me the ability to understand things that non-disabled people will never understand. How does disability change you? In this post, I am going to talk about how I think my disability has shaped me into the person I am today.
It made me want to write– Non-disabled people sometimes have some concept of accessibility and ableism, but people with disabilities will never understand the negative impacts of ableism to the extent a disabled person does. My disability has made me want to write because I see the lack of accessibility and ableism we have in this world, and I have a better understanding than non-disabled people because it affects me. I started my blog because I faced a lot of discrimination in job interviews and needed something to do in my spare time that could make me money. People without disabilities do blog, and it is possible I could still have a blog if I were not disabled, but I could not do the work I do without my disability because it allows me to spread awareness and share my thoughts from a different perspective. Most bloggers are not disabled, and it is possible that I could still have a very successful blog without my disability, but I would likely be blogging about different topics, and the reason for doing it would be different. My disability has made me more passionate for advocacy because I see the problems in the world that negatively affect disabled people, and I know from experience that we need to create change.
It taught me to appreciate the little things– Non-disabled people can work hard and do whatever job they want, but when you are disabled, you don’t always have that privilege, because sometimes it’s difficult to find a well-paying job. As a disabled person, I don’t think I will ever be rich unless by some rare chance, my blog exploded and it was generating thousands of views that created a lot of well-paying opportunities, or I married a rich man and didn’t have to work, which is also unlikely. I wish I made more money because it is frustrating not to be able to afford to buy a new computer when yours stops working, but at the same time, it can also be a good thing because it taught me to appreciate the things I do have a little bit more. Non-disabled people sometimes take a lot of things for granted and act like the world is going to end because there was a minor inconvenience, but when you are disabled, you are just glad you have a roof over your head. My disability has helped me appreciate the little things a little bit more because even though I may not have the most expensive computer, I have something to blog on, and that will always be better than nothing.
It made me creative– I am not artistically creative, but when it comes to accessibility, I am very creative because I have to be. Disabled people sometimes have to get very creative in order to work through accessibility barriers because not everything in life is going to be accessible. My disability forced me to be a little creative because of the lack of accessibility, and my life would be so much harder if I didn’t constantly look for creative ways to navigate inaccessibility. My disability has given me the skills to be able to find creative ways to navigate accessibility because, sadly, the world does not view accessibility as important, and you have to anticipate inaccessibility. I can’t even do a workout without getting a little creative because almost all workouts are designed for non-disabled people.
It made me more understanding of medical conditions- Non-disabled people sometimes try to be understanding of a disability, but sometimes will say things that are a little insensitive because you will never understand a disability you have never experienced. There are a lot of disabilities and chronic illnesses that I will never understand because I don’t have them, but because of my disability, I think I am more understanding of medical conditions than non-disabled people. Non-disabled people sometimes will never make fun of medical conditions, but I will never do that because I have had people make fun of my disability and it does not feel great. My disability has made me more understanding of medical conditions that I have never experienced, and you will never see me call someone a faker because they don’t look disabled. Many people lack understanding of medical conditions and think it’s funny when they see someone running to the bathroom but there is no humor in someone’s pain. I know what is like to struggle constantly and because of that I am not dismissive of pain you cannot see.
When you are disabled, it is frustrating to have to constantly navigate barriers, and it shouldn’t be so hard to be disabled, but it’s not all bad because disability changes you. It may be harder for me to make my bed than it would be for a non-disabled person, but because of my disability, I have learned to appreciate the little things and focus on the things I can do rather than get upset over the things I can’t. Disability changes your opinions and allows you to use your experiences to help non-disabled people understand things about your disability that you will not read in a medical textbook. Life is hard when you are disabled, but the hardest part of living with a disability isn’t the fact that I can’t walk, but it’s how people react to it because if people were more understanding of medical conditions, it would be easier to accept your disability. If there is one thing that my disability has taught me, it’s that people are going to be rude, but you can’t take every rude comment personally because some people are immature and don’t understand. If you are disabled, how has your disability changed you?
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