WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE DISABLED?

According to Mariam Webster’s Dictionary, Dis-abled means: 1: To deprive of legal right, qualification or capacity. 2: To make incapable or ineffective, especially to deprive of physical, moral or intellectual strength.

With definitions like this, it must really suck to be disabled and one would rather not be disabled……lol who would blame anyone for taking such position when the definition didn’t do any justice to it living people wondering that being disabled can only be ‘worse than death’.

Growing up, I get asked what it means to be disabled from both adults and children. The questions and attitudes I get can spring up so many emotions……. From anger to fear to pain and sorrow etc. (Educating children about disability is now part of my awareness campaign) I just thought to mention that. Let’s move on.

Being disabled is being misunderstood. It is being portrayed often as sick, pitiable, evil, depraved, villainous, an object of charity………….. It can get worse depending on where you find yourself but, none of these descriptions of us are appropriate and accurate.

Some persons have been relegated to very unpleasant living conditions because of their appearance, level of disability and their total outlook. Over the years, we have been subjected to genocide, put in institutions, beaten, kept in nursing homes, experimented upon, abused and killed.

It is also about wanting to do something and your body is saying otherwise. It is a constant battle between your mind and your body. However, it would be nice to see disabled people as beautiful, funny, creative, strong, caring, intelligent, smart etc. because we really are beautiful. Unfortunately society only sees us as broken and fixable.

The word ‘disability’ has been used across continents incorrectly politically. Disability is not a death sentence. It is part of a natural human experience. The disable community are a minority group that share discrimination, denial, fear, barriers both attitudinal and physical, stereotypes and poverty. Also bear in mind that it is also a group that anyone can join anytime in their lifetime.

We do not ‘suffer’ disability rather; we suffer the attitudes, prejudices, labeling, assumptions and exclusions society met on us. These are the real problems we suffer on a daily basis.

Change the way you see person’s with disability. Remember, we are not just the sum of our body parts; we are the sum of what we can be, teach, contribute, create………. If given a chance and support, we can achieve.

So yea it takes a lot to be disabled........ but you've got to live through it and consciously remind yourself that YOU CAN.

Sharonxxx