The Diisability Paradox

Hey everyone! How are you doing today? I have something to share with you: I wasn’t always into advocacy. When I was growing up, I thought advocacy was just something my parents did to make sure I had what I needed from my school. To me, people who did advocacy seemed like they were just loud and not really helpful. My parents did a great job treating me like any other kid. They celebrated when I did well and corrected me when I made mistakes. They made sure everything at home and everywhere else was set up so I could do things on my own, like having a low bed I could easily get in and out of.

My family accepted my disability because it was all they knew about me. I even played baseball with other kids who had disabilities. But my family also knew that the world wouldn’t always make things easy for me. They enrolled me in regular classes at a public school. That’s when I learned about what I call “the Disability Paradox.”

Advocacy is about teaching people and changing their minds about things they’re not used to. Even though we have laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it doesn’t mean everyone with a disability is treated equally. Think about it: When a mom is expecting a baby, she hopes the baby will be “healthy.” But what does that mean? Why should having a disability be seen as a bad thing?

Did you know that Franklin D. Roosevelt used a wheelchair because he had polio? He hid it by using special braces on his legs, even though it was really painful. But even now, many people with disabilities still feel like they have to hide who they are. People have done amazing things like going to the moon and building tall buildings, but there are still a lot of people with disabilities who don’t get the help they need.

We talk about big issues like climate change, but sometimes the solutions don’t work for everyone. Imagine not being able to drink a lemonade on a hot day because of a ban on plastic straws. This is something that could’ve been avoided if people with disabilities were included in the decision-making process.

We’re not just here to inspire or be pitied. We’re part of society just like everyone else. But why don’t we see more people with disabilities in positions of power? We’re more than just a feel-good story during prom season.

Lots of people have disabilities, but society often sees us as broken and needing to be fixed. But we’re not broken. We just need the same chances as everyone else.

This is just the beginning of many conversations we need to have. It’s okay if you don’t understand at first. Just listen and learn. Once we all know better, we can all do better.