Disability Awareness Month

July is almost over and I realized I haven’t made a post about it being Disability Awareness Month. I’m assuming a lot of people weren’t aware of that because… well, why would you be?

I follow a lot of people with disabilities on social media and I have to tell you, the one thing that is common among all of them is that they are each unique and inherently different.  I have a spinal cord injury (which you should you know by now) but there are a gazillion other disabilities. They are not limited to those in wheelchairs. They are not all mobility issues. Not all of them are physical. 

Just like each individual disability is different, so are the opinions about them. Each person has their own views on how they feel about themselves, how the world treats them, and how they wish to be seen and heard. I’ve read a lot of varied viewpoints - this month especially. 

I’ve learned that there are way too many people who hate themselves and their lives. There are those who wish they had died instead of becoming disabled because they think it is THAT bad. There are people who stay home because they literally can’t leave on their own and have no one to help them. There are even people who stay home because they’re so embarrassed about what they look like that they don’t WANT to leave. 

This sounds like a miserable existence, but I can relate to where they are coming from. Having a disability is fucking hard. It makes everything in life more difficult. Almost everything takes longer. Even the most minute or mundane things can pose a challenge. I guess what these people (and many others) fail to realize or just can’t see is that:

BEING MISERABLE TAKES JUST AS MUCH WORK AS BEING STRONG.

You know what? Life does suck sometimes - for EVERYONE. Tragedy and trauma don’t discriminate. The one important fact that too many don’t take into account is that we have the power to react to these things however we choose. What we do with what we are given is one of the biggest differences between us all. 

There may be a lot of people crying at home, sadly, wishing they had the strength to end it all. That in itself is a tragedy. On the flip side, there are even more people who have overcome. There are some badass, beautiful, incredible people that are able to put their disabilities aside and move forward. I love reading about their adventures and accomplishments because they can be so inspiring. 

Of course their disability will always have a role in how or even why they do the things they do, but for those people, it is just a small part of who they are. 

One blogger pointed out that being called an inspiration was nice but also highlighting the fact that we are really just people trying to live in a world that was built for our exclusion. But isn’t that what’s inspiring? Overcoming obstacles? Living a fulfilling life despite the challenges set before you? It’s not easy, but it is remarkably possible - for everyone. 

The one major hurdle all of us need to overcome is the way we view ourselves. I would love to change the world - especially right now - but the first step comes from within.