Disabled but Capable of Dreaming

ESPN

Social groups make this world diverse, but if we can’t accept the differences in this world, we’re going to have bigger issues than climate change. Disabled people prove to be different from others, showing that they have less to work with, but having more to deal with. Some issues that people who are disabled deal with is lack of respect, the capability of doing certain things is lessened, and lack of faith. People who are disabled make their identity in a way others can’t, prove to be diverse by showing that the problems they face are issues that are growing for them, and that justice is slowly, but surely growing and supported for those who are disabled.

There are tons of stories with people who fight through their mental or physical disability. One of the stories is Zion Shaver who is an American wrestler who has no legs. A former senior at Massillon high school in Ohio, 2016. Individuals like Shaver are the ones who shape this world with determination and confidence. Stories like Shaver’s show that being disabled in a way shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dreams.

Stephen Hawking

“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.” -Stephen Hawking. My experiences with disabled people come from not knowing how they do the things they do. People are talented in their own way, but I’ve seen many great things from those who can’t walk, talk, or even hear. Stephen Hawking, a man of amazing things is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology, general relativity and quantum gravity. Hawking had Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), and that didn’t stop him from being one of the smartest people known on earth. Everyone has their own story to tell, what makes every one of them amazing, is that they are different.

Let’s get one thing straight, everyone is different from each other. Instead of saying, what do incabalable people have that we don’t, think of what they don’t have. An article from “The Center for Disease Control and Prevention” states that some challenges a disabled person would face are “physical environments that are not accessible, lack of relevant assistive technology (assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices), negative attitudes of people towards their disability, and services, systems and policies that are either nonexistent or that hinder the involvement of all people with a health condition in all areas of life”. We think of others with autism stupid or people who are physically impaired get called crippled, can you imagine how much pain that person must feel from being called horrible names by people who don’t understand them? This world needs to know that the less people we treat with respect, the less people we will earn respect from in the future. Imagine yourself, having a harsh stutter, secretly being made fun of by the people you talk to, not able to do anything about it. We make fun of and despise the disabled so often, that we miss out on how life has been for this person and what they’ve done to overcome their disability. “Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” – Stevie Wonder Everyone of these individuals are different in their own special way, and they overcome challenges in their own way.

Source

The challenges that affect disabled people are not understandable to others, due to not being in the same position as them. Nobody wants to have the challenge of not being to speak or hear. Not everyone can be understood, in every circumstance, but some people don’t get chances to be heard. It’s bad enough to laugh at those who are mentally retarded, but it’s worse to call someone who isn’t retarded. One, you’re implying that he or she has the same issues as someone who is mentally retarded, and two, when calling someone retarded as joke, you’re basically trying to call that person stupid, which means you think all mentally retarded people stupid. To understand the challenges disabled people face, you can go to groups such as “Circle of Friends”. Circle of Friends is “a school inclusion program for students with disabilities of all ages to that establishes an understanding and acceptance of differences on school campuses nationwide”. “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” –Helen Keller  Negative stereotypes will cause people who are disabled to stop believing in themselves. If we put no faith or make fun of people who have less than us, then we start giving them less rights or freedom. We look down to people who are incapable when we should be looking up. Circle of Friends is a great example of how we do support disabled people in our communities, but outside of that program, there are still going to be people who will try to make themselves higher. A solution to the bullying of those who are disabled is making it a bigger topic in schools, then kids can have a better understanding at a possible young age and learn to not assume someone's problems and life.

CHCNE

People who are disabled make their identity in a way others can’t, prove to be diverse by showing that the problems they face are issues that are growing for them, and that justice is slowly, but surely growing and supported for those who are disabled. People are talented in their own way. The less people we treat with respect, the less people we will earn respect from in the future. The challenges people face, can’t be understood from one standpoint. The social groups that this world offers doesn’t define who you are, it’s not chance either, it just means you have something new to show.

Other sources:

https://www.circleofriends.org/ - Circle of Friends

https://www.vantagemobility.com/blog/incredibly-inspiring-quotes-for-people-with-disabilities - Quotes from famous people who are disabled