“Oh you’re not disabled, you’re just ill”. That’s one of the reasons sometimes I struggle to use the word. But the reality is I am.
I think there can be so much misunderstanding and ableism when it comes to people disabled by illness rather than something like paralysis. From those who are well enough to still walk a bit but also need a wheelchair (ambulatory wheelchair users) to those who are so ill we can’t tolerate using a wheelchair. I have an incredible wheelchair that is the best fit it could be for me and I still can’t use it. And there’s nothing that could be done to make the outside world accessible to me.
I’m ashamed to admit I’m maybe not proudly disabled. Well, I am, but unfortunately I feel the pressure of society's ableist views on disability.
For so long I couldn’t bring myself to buy a gorgeous print that said disabled and proud because of other people seeing it. There’s a presumption that being proud to be disabled means I want to be disabled or I want to stay this way. As many people have already shared, being proud to be disabled doesn’t mean we have to want our pain or suffering.
But I am proud of who I am as a disabled person, proud of who I am with my disability. Proud of my responses to ableism. Proud of that I get through each day. Proud that I can share my disabled reality through Instagram. Proud to be a part of this amazing community, and proud of it and its kindness and solidarity.
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