Disabled people are often isolated by non-disabled people because when people see a disabled person, a lot of the time they think we are so different from them but we are alike in more ways than people think. My disability makes me different but there are a lot of things that I enjoy as a disabled person that a non-disabled person would also enjoy. Non-disabled people sometimes think that we are polar opposites of each other, but the reality is I like a lot of the same things as non-disabled people. A non-disabled person may not be able to relate to my disability and that is okay, but we don’t always have to talk about my disability because I like a lot of things that have nothing to do with my disability and would rather not talk about my disability 24/7. Disabled people have very similar interests to non-disabled people, and you can have a lot of the same conversations with a disabled person that you would with a non-disabled person. There are some things that I will never understand because of my disability but you would be surprised by how much can relate to. In this post, I am going to talk about five things that both disabled and non-disabled people can talk about that we can relate to.
We both may prefer the same form of exercise– When it comes to exercise people sometimes think that disabled people exercise in a completely different way and are going to be completely lost when you start talking about your exercise routine. Fitness is not accessible but disabled people do a lot of the same exercises as non-disabled people and the only difference is sometimes, I may have to modify some exercises to accommodate my disability, but I do the exact same exercises as non-disabled people. You can talk to disabled people about your workout routine and unless you are telling me about a muscle group I can’t work, I will probably know exactly what you are talking about. Disabled people sometimes will choose a different form of exercise than non-disabled people because I don’t have the privilege of being able to do whatever exercise I want but I know what a tricep extension is and do them myself. I wouldn’t talk about my workout routine with disabled people who can’t exercise because they probably won’t know a lot about fitness but most people will know what you are talking about.
We probably watch the same tv shows– There are some TV shows that my non-disabled sisters might watch such as a medical drama that I will have no interest in but there are a lot of shows like New Girl that I can enjoy with my non-disabled friends because I watch them myself. You can talk about your favorite TV shows with disabled people because disabled people like a lot of the same TV shows as non-disabled people and we aren’t watching shows that are completely different from you. There may be some types of TV shows that a non-disabled person might watch that I have no interest in, but it has nothing to do with my disability and I am just not entertained by that specific show, but I am sure we can find another TV show we both can watch and enjoy. You can always talk about your favorite TV shows with disabled people because it is likely we watch very similar or the same show as you. Some disabled people spend a lot of time in bed because of pain and I want to hear your favorite TV show for the next time I have a pain flare.
We probably have similar hobbies- Many disabled people are unable to work and are at home a vast majority of the time because not all disabled people can drive or work. Disabled people who are stuck at home a vast majority of the time are better at entertaining themselves than non-disabled people because we don’t have jobs that take eight hours out of our day. Disabled people often have more time to take up a hobby than a non-disabled person with a job would but we do enjoy the same types of hobbies as non-disabled people. There may be some hobbies that a disabled person will not physically be able to do but you can talk about your favorite activities with disabled people because disabled people blog and take up a lot of the same hobbies as non-disabled people and the only thing that might change is how we do it. I wish people would talk about their favorite hobbies with me because disabled people have similar interests.
I might read the same books as you- As a disabled person I have never been a big reader and the most I will ever read is a couple of blog posts, but you can talk about your favorite books with me. There may be some genres that my non-disabled sisters would enjoy that are boring to me, but disabled people read the same types of books as non-disabled people. A disabled person may be more passionate about disability awareness than non-disabled people but we also enjoy fantasy books that have nothing to do with our disability. You can talk about your favorite books with disabled people because it is likely we aren’t reading things that are completely different from what you are reading.
You can talk about politics- Some disabled people are not going to be interested in politics and will want to talk about literally anything else, but you can talk about your political views with disabled people. Disabled people sometimes might vote differently than you and will have different opinions, but you can still talk about politics with us because we might have the same opinions as you. Disabled people sometimes can provide different insights on some of the issues we have in this country that are hurting the disabled community that politicians need to address. I am not super into politics but you could talk about your political views with me, and I wouldn’t be completely lost.
Non-disabled people sometimes don’t know how to talk to disabled people and think that they have to relate to our disability to connect with us but not every conversation has to be about my disability and I wish it would be. As a disabled person I don’t mind talking about my disability sometimes, but disabled people don’t always want to talk about their disability, and we shouldn’t have to. You can talk to disabled people about normal everyday things because we read books and engage in activities that have nothing to do with our disability. There may be times I have to modify an activity to accommodate my disability but there are a lot of things that I do in the same way as non-disabled people because not every opinion I have is completely different from non-disabled people. Talk to disabled people like you would to any other person because it’s frustrating when non-disabled people think we are so much different than them. Disabled people have other interests outside of their disability but a lot of the time people struggle to see that because they are so focused on their disability. If you are disabled, what do you enjoy that a non-disabled person may also like? If you like this post, please leave a comment and share it with your friends.
Subscribe And Never Miss A Post
My Rockin Disabled Life 