My legs were burning when I went to bed the other night, but I was content despite having a sore back. I was on my laptop or tablet from 11:00 in the morning until 11:30 at night. My brother asked several times, “Are you done yet? Where is your finish line? Something has to be said so someone else can finish the job that people before me started. I must issue a favorable warning before continuing. I might make some unjust comparisons in the course of this writing. It is not to offend anyone; it is simply an illustration point.
Philippians 3:13-14 NIV “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
The work I do to advocate for those with disabilities is not for me; it’s for someone in the next generation. So they don’t have to fear society and not be seen as equal by their peers, whether they have a disability or not. People don’t want to admit this, but there are people out there who want people with disabilities dead after a certain age. After they stop being cute, we need a social movement to make it okay for people with disabilities to live and thrive in their communities. Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) is a great concept and it will lead to system change eventually. Parents of a disabled child should never have to fear the day they can no longer be there for their child. Working with those who are the most vulnerable cannot be seen as a dead-end job. It needs to be seen as a fulfilling career. To use an antiquated term, this has to stop being ‘pink-collar work.’
Speaking of work, those of us who should be working should be offered better jobs than greeters at Walmart or in the back of a restaurant washing dishes. Do our hands have to shake when we hand our resumes to a potential employer? The first concern of an employer should never be, “How much is it going to cost to accommodate you to work here? We have to stop being inspirational just for going to college. I know so many individuals who have finished their college degree but cannot find meaningful employment because they need their health benefits.
"In these days of difficulty, we Americans everywhere must and shall choose the path of social justice—the path of faith, the path of hope, and the path of love toward our fellow man."
The LGBTQ+ community fought for several years to have marriage equality. I am sorry to say this but we still don’t have marriage equality because people with disabilities are still penalized for wanting to get married. I feel like there is a false illusion that if people with disabilities had children, it would be more of a burden on our society to take care of them. Most disabled parents are more loving and caring than able-bodied parents. Yes, they will need more support but that means more jobs and more opportunities for people to see us as part of their local communities. People like me who look different should not be ashamed to be on a dating app. People don’t understand what it’s like to be afraid to talk to a pretty girl. Imagine what it would be like not being able to talk at all to that same girl.
People with disabilities are currently in financial and social slavery! Brad Lomax and Judith Heumann did their part. A generation later, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was a gigantic step forward. As a community, we need to come together and stop letting society divide us.
I will continue to work with the system so that one day someone can either emotionally, mentally, or physically stand up for others. I’m proud to be a nobody. My name will not go down in history books. I work so that one day someone can get married without fear. I work so a mother will not have to cry when they have to hand over the care of their child to someone else. I work so that one day someone you know using a wheelchair will not be seen as an inspiration when they are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. This may not make sense to a lot of people, but one day it will.
Disability does not care what color you are on the outside. Your sexual orientation is of no consequence. Your political views are irrelevant to people with disabilities. The disability is just part of the person, not the whole person. I know I said all this before on other blogs. I probably sound like a broken record. I’ve never asked my small audience for anything, but I asked that you please share this with someone who has no concept of disability. To someone who thinks we are less than. We are not lost. We are the ones who are strong because we value life, cherish our blessings, and take advantage of the opportunities we’ve been given. We might be broken on the outside, but some are even broken on the inside. we understand that our lives have meaning. Sometimes it’s better to have a life of struggle with a great ending than to have a life without knowing or wanting the destination because you’re searching for the illusion of perfection.
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