Disabled people are forced to live in a world designed for non-disabled people, which can be frustrating sometimes because it prevents you from being able to do things that you would be able to do if it was accessible. Non-disabled people sometimes are the reason disabled people struggle with disability acceptance because they make us feel like we aren’t good enough unless we are fixed. People without disabilities sometimes don’t realize how many things they do in a day that are privileges, and often treat disabled people like they are better than us. I wish that there were some way to help non-disabled people understand what it feels like to live in a world not designed for us, because change would happen if everyone understood what it felt like to live in an inaccessible world, but that is never going to happen. It doesn’t feel great to be disabled in a world designed for non-disabled people, which is something that a non-disabled person is never going to understand. What does it feel like to live in a world designed for non-disabled people? In this post, I am sharing what it feels like to live in a world that is not designed for disabled people.
Sometimes I feel like I am being punished- I have been disabled since the day I was born because Spina Bifida is a birth defect that develops while you are still in the womb. My disability was something that was not in my control because although there are theories as to what causes Spina Bifida, the exact cause is still unknown, and there is currently no cure. I am on Medicaid and receive disability benefits, which sounds like it would be a positive, and that I would receive all these things for being disabled, but most times it doesn’t feel that way. There are so many rules you have to follow when you receive disability benefits, and if you don’t follow them, you risk losing your benefits permanently. Disabled people receiving disability benefits often are told how much money they are allowed to make, which isn’t much, and often can’t get married without risking losing their benefits, which often feels unfair. I am glad I get disability benefits because I have so many medical supplies that I could never afford to pay for myself, but when there are so many rules, I feel like I am being punished for a disability I cannot control.
It feels isolating– When you are disabled, sometimes it feels isolating because you are not always included in activities, and people tend to treat you differently when you have disability, because they don’t know how to act around you. Disability is often not acceptable to non-disabled people and is viewed as something bad that needs to be fixed, which is not a great feeling. Disabled people are all too familiar with the feeling of isolation, and I hate that it is a reality of being disabled because you shouldn’t be isolated for a disability you cannot control. Disability can sometimes feel lonely, and it feels like no one understands because a vast majority of people will never experience feelings of isolation. Disabled people want to be included, but a lot of the time, we are not because people lack understanding and think we are contagious, so they want nothing to do with us. It shouldn’t be so hard to make friends as a disabled person, but it is because people judge you before knowing anything about you, and isolate disabled people.
Sometimes I feel like I can’t reach my full potential- Non-disabled people often do not view accessibility as important because a lot of people think that accessibility is only for disabled people, which it isn’t. Accessibility is important to me because it allows me to be independent and requires less help from others, but it is often an afterthought. I sometimes feel like I can’t reach my full potential because the lack of accessibility is making me feel restricted. There are some activities I am never going to be able to do because of my disability, but there are some things I could do if it was accessible to me. I sometimes feel like I can’t reach my full potential because people don’t prioritize accessibility, and it’s too difficult to navigate with a physical disability, forcing me to rely more on others. Living in a world designed for non-disabled people often feels restrictive because I know I could do so much more if more people cared about accessibility.
It is exhausting to constantly have to advocate for yourself- When you are disabled, you constantly have to advocate for yourself to get your needs met. Disabled people fight with insurance companies more than non-disabled people because we need expensive medical supplies that a non-disabled person would not need. Advocacy is important, but it can be exhausting to constantly have to advocate for yourself because not everyone is willing to listen, and sometimes it feels like you are talking to yourself and no one is listening to you. Disabled people are often accused of whining too much when we advocate for ourselves because non-disabled people confuse advocacy with complaining.
I have been disabled my entire life and over the years have learned to adapt and make my life easier, but it is still hard to live in a world not designed for us. Disabled people are often told that we should love our disabled bodies, but it can be hard to do that when we are constantly being isolated by non-disabled people. Life is physically more challenging for disabled people than it is for non-disabled people, but that is not the hardest part of being disabled; the hardest part is how society treats disabled people. We have made some progress in a more inclusive world, but we still have so much more work to do because people are still ableist and don’t want to include disabled people. People sometimes are aware of how inaccessible the world is, but what you may not completely understand is how being isolated makes you feel, because we don’t talk about it enough. How do you think it feels to live in a world designed for non-disabled people? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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