An Open Letter To People Living With A Disability | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

An Open Letter To People Living With A Disability

You are not the words of the world.

2169
An Open Letter To People Living With A Disability
Unsplash

Life is normal, and everything is great, until that one day when everything changes. Life isn't so normal anymore. You're in the words that read something along the lines of, millions of people have a disability in the world. Depending on your age, you don't know how to feel about this. Maybe you have a physical disability that you've lived with since the day you were born. Your disability might've come later in life. You might have a learning disability. You may wish you didn't have to deal with all that comes with a disability.

There's always that one person who loves to poke fun at disabilities because they think it's funny. Unknowingly, that person continues to dig under the skin. They seem to create a fury inside that makes you want to sit them down, and tell them how it really is. You want to tell them your disability isn't what the media makes it out to be. As you go throughout your daily life, you're either at peace because you don't have to put up with the words of ignorant people, or there's one person who decides to say something. As you try to inform them, they continue to belittle you. You refuse to listen to what you have to say. This is what can make living with a disability suck.

As your life goes on, you may have come to "learn" how to live with your disability. In some cases, a disability isn't awful. In some cases, you can see the world in a different way. You see the world from the point of view where you have been in the deepest moments of pain from words that you hear and can do nothing about. You've been in the deepest moments of pain from being mocked for the disability that you probably wish you didn't have.

This world is filled with people who enjoy poking fun at people who are disabled. Some of those people don't realize that there are more disabilities than the ones you can see. Those lovely people are the ones you place in our minds trying to think of ways to tell them the life of a person with a disability. You try to think of ways to kindly tell them the life of someone with a physical, learning, or behavioral disability. You are sometimes unable to find those words resulting in frustration.

There might be days when you wish you didn't have to live life with a disability. There might be days when you wish you could be like everyone else. But, you shouldn't feel that way.

In the opinion of someone who lives with a disability, it's a weird blessing to have one. In the opinion of someone who goes through life every day hoping to not hear the mockery, it doesn't get easier. In the opinion of someone sees the world differently now, you are not defined by your disability.

I see you. You are important. You are loved.

Thank you for being you.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

11 Struggles of Packing for College

It would be so much easier to just pay someone to do it for you

59
a room with boxes and a window

1. Figuring out when to start

Timing is key, you don’t want to start too early or too late.

Keep Reading...Show less
parks and rec
Liz Keysmash

Amidst my hectic college career, I always find time for one thing, even on the busiest weeks: Parks and Recreation. This show has made me laugh and has made me cry, but most of all I have related to this show more than I would like to admit.

Here are some "Parks and Rec" moments that relate to life struggles that just about everyone faces.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate
Facebook

April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation is notorious for her "I don't care" attitude. She speaks her mind without caring what anyone thinks of her. Fans love her because she isn't afraid to be herself. April can seem cold and negative, but she's really just fearless and strong-minded. And despite her sometimes harsh words, April truly cares about the people she's closest to. These are all reasons she is the epitome of a college student. April complains whenever she has to do any kind of work, but ends up doing the work anyway. April Ludgate is the ultimate college student spirit animal.

Keep Reading...Show less
girl running late to class
StableDiffusion

Why are girls consistently so late? They just can't help it. Our internal clocks are always just a few minutes behind, or maybe more for some of us. Arriving on time to class is a challenge every morning. If you're continually finding yourself being the last one to walk into class, here are 13 possible reasons why you didn't quite make it on time.

Keep Reading...Show less
coffee

It's finally flu season! It's around that time in the school year where everyone on campus is getting sick, especially if they live in the dorms. It's hard to take care of yourself while being sick at school, but here are some coping mechanisms to get you on the path to feeling better!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments