DISABILITY: Just a Part of Who You Are

Today I did my talk on disability and the family. I've begun to start with "What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word disability?" I got the standard answers, but today was the first time that I got "Disabilitiy means handicap."

"Can you expand on that?"

No

Today was the first time I chose to speak about how bipolar affects me, and I really wowed myself. I spoke in December but it didn't come up and at that point I was in such a horrible state that I really had no clue how it effects me. I like to talk on panels best. I feel that it is better to learn about disability in the plural sense as opposed to the singular sense. Disability is not singular. What I found today is that I am now my own panel. I am proof in and of myself that what is invisable affects someones life as much as what is visable.

Afterwards I got "I never realized that disability can also be mental and other things and that cancer is also a disability." Afterall, I had to talk about my family, and both my mom and uncle have cancer.

And Ms "disability means handicaped?" She said "You know, really a disability is just a part of who you are." That was the best thing I heard all day. It lets me know that I did my job.

The professor said afterwards that I really inspire (gag me) everyone, including herself, to really begin to think about things in a different way then they did before (I took back the gag in my head). That's the point of it all.