Disability is Not A Dirty Word
Lately, I have noticed that people on social media are trying their very best to avoid being mistaken as one of us - disabled - and it's genuinely heartbreaking. No one wants to admit that even Autism is a disability. People want to argue and say they don't feel debilitated by it, so that meant it wasn't an actual disability, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Part of the criteria for meeting the standards for Autism diagnosis is being disabled - it's right there in the diagnostics. It must cause a level of disability. Any chronic illness, amputations, elderly folks struggling to get around on their own two feet these days - they're all disabled.
Refusing to admit when you are wrong keeps you from holding yourself accountable and halts progression in its tracks. However, so many will double down if you push back to tell them that they do, in fact, meet the category of disabled. Why is it that everyone is so ashamed of disability? It's not a dirty word. It doesn't mean you're stupid, ignorant, or any other accusatory or derogatory descriptors. It simply means you are not able to do certain things in the same way others are.
My daughter is Autistic - as am I - and she was really hung up on the fact that she was being put in what is called "Special Education." She felt like it made her seem silly and incapable, even though she worked her ass off to maintain her grades as high as possible and keep up with the workload. It turns out it wasn't anything but the name that was bothering her. "Special Education" can carry with it a somewhat negative tone, and she thought it was essentially punishment for not doing well enough in her classes.
That wasn't actually the case. Her counselor and teachers decided it would be best for her going forward, so that she had full access to a whole team of people for the next year. So, last year was her first year under the Special Education umbrella, and the accommodations seem to have helped her immensely. In the end, she learned there is no shame in being in Special Education, and the same applies to disabled adults. There is no shame.
I can understand not wanting to admit to yourself that you desperately need accommodations, but I can guarantee you will regret not asking for them in the first place once you finally get them. Swallow your pride and admit it.
Say it with me.
I am disabled, and that's okay.
One more time!
I am disabled, and that's okay!
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