Curate, connect, and discover
You know, sometimes I struggle to call myself disabled. And it’s not because I think the word “disabled” is inherently negative or demeaning. (I’ve long since grown out of that mindset.)
Really, half the time I feel like, “well, I can still hold my own in hearing spaces! I don’t even use aids! I don’t have it that bad. I’m not disabled enough.”
But even so, if I’m not focusing hard on the person speaking to me, I probably wont be able to understand them.
If a room has background noise, or if someone is standing on my left side, hearing them will basically be impossible.
If people aren’t right in front of me they really have to project or else I won’t be able to understand a word they say.
It takes so much energy every day to make sure I’m hearing and understanding everything around me.
I am disabled.
Yet general society has pushed the narrative that disabled people cannot function ever. To truly count as disabled, you must always be cared for. You must always be in a wheelchair. You must always have aids. If your struggle isn’t immediately obvious, are you really disabled?
And that’s bullshit to me. Because all it leads to is being infantilized, looked down upon, and scrutinized endlessly. It’s especially bad for those who are neurodivergent or otherwise mentally disabled.
We shouldn’t have to live like that. We shouldn’t have to justify and prove our suffering to everyone we meet so we can get the accommodations we need. We shouldn’t have to be looked down upon for being disabled.