UNEXPECTED REALITIES DISABILITY BRINGS

Hey guys,
Today I'll be talking about unexpected realities of persons with disabilities live with.

As much as we have lots of myths and misconceptions that are not necessarily true about persons with disabilities, Persons with disabilities live with certain realities people generally do not pay attention to.

People take for granted the little privileges of doing certain basic things for themselves because they feel it 'normal' to ordinarily do those things.

I am dressed to go out but here I am seated, hands on my chin because I am painting a mental picture of how my day would go and most importantly, how I will overcome the barriers that I'm yet to face.

Lets start with my prep stage:

My prep routine involves getting out of bed, taking a shower, fixing breakfast, finding what fits to wear etc. Most homes persons with disabilities live in are not tailor made meaning they are NOT friendly so we have to make do with what we have and find our way around it.

• So this morning, I get out of my bed, hop over a curb to my bathroom to take care of business and am out (Unfortunately, this is not the story of may persons with disability. Some would actually need assistance to get out of bed and be carried into the wash room) however, this is not my situation but this is someone else's reality.
• I go into my kitchen, fix myself breakfast of choice, feed myself and I clean up after myself. For other's, they would need assistance with this because the kitchen is not friendly for them to move around in. They can't cook because whoever built the kitchen did not consider the word 'disability' or thought that someone with 'special need(s)' would occupy that space.
• To the wardrobe. I've picked out what I would really love to wear but I won't be wearing it because I remembered the road condition (It is an orange coloured pant trouser paired with a yellow peplum top) and the numerous buses and taxis I'll have to take to my destination and back (I will be extremely dirty .... remember I walk with my hand on my leg??? Lol ) So yeah I'll go with a darker shade to hide the dirt's. P.S..... Just so you know, for every pices of clothing I wear, I personally make adjustments on them to suite my body shape....... Another REALITY I have to go through. P.S ... Do not take for granted the gift of wearing ready made clothes straight away off the shelve.
• SHOES!!! Let's talk shoes shall we? People who know me can attest to this fact however, shopping for shoes can be very daunting. It is a combination of different kinds of emotions ..... anxiety, fear, headache, tears .... frustrations....  As much as I love shoes, I get really frustrated shopping for shoes. It however doesn't end at buying shoes, it is also about finding what fits as both my legs aren't equal. FRUSTRATION is when you see what you love, you try it on and it fits only one leg and look wired in the other Lol..... This situation has turned me into a shoe creative designer. I now buy shoes and creatively work on them to fit both legs. This one too no be beans ooo  My reality! P.S This is why some persons with disability don't wear shoes.
• TRANSPORTATION!!! I'm all dressed now and good to go abi? Now here I am doing the job of a search nerve abi na GPS on my journey our transport system is rubbish (I don't drive yet) the system is not meant for us at all. I am also calculating and punching figures. Transportation fare budget for persons with disabilities is expensive!!! It is even worse for persons on wheelchair, cane or crutches.

Of course I will finally go out at the end of the day but imagine the mental strain and pain I have had to go through working out my journey not to talk about my fear and worries about my actual destination. I worry about the building, the street/road, the rooms/halls, the conveniences, the people, their services ........ These and many more are some of the harsh realities disability brings.

The realities disability brings are similar but different at the same time from person to person depending on the level and degree of their disability.

Do you take for granted the above reality?  Do you have more realities you deal with daily? Please share them with me.

 

 

Sharonxxx