Sometimes being different has its perks, but there are a lot of ways in which society punishes different. As a woman with a disability, someone diagnosed with Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, and a generally weird person, I’ve experienced the pain and sometimes bliss of being othered.
Though the positives vary, wax and wane; the negatives are strong and ever present. Disability is often pitied, but not for the reasons it should actually be pitied. Some of the very worst things about having a disability have nothing to do with having a disability itself, but instead the way we are regarded and treated by society as a whole.
The first thing that comes to mind — it’s expensive as hell to have a disability.
Insurance is a tricky thing to come by for most and when your health and quality of life depend on medical devices, medicine, treatment, etc it can be quite the feat. There are many devices that could benefit my life but are simply way out of my price range or insurance requires monstrous hoops to jump through.
Housing might be trickier to come by than insurance for all people with physical disabilties. I am always looking for apartments in my price range with no stairs, my only requirements (luckily I can make-do without many other accommodations that would make life easier), and most of all of the places available are astronomical for someone that makes a few dollars more than minimum wage. I have no choice to take the cheaper apartment on the third floor as that would be impossible. Apartments are not required to accommodate me either.
This is all inter tangled with the fact that people with disabilties are typically on a fixed income and have a lot of trouble finding gainful employment. I work for a department that has a hand in finding employment for people with disabilities and for some people I have met it has taken years and hundreds of interviews before landing a job. This is not an exaggeration. There is also the issue of people with disabilities being paid sub-minimum wage, which is a crime and should be illegal. It’s actually sickening that companies can get away with paying hard-working people, deserving of equal pay, half or less than half of minimum wage.
I feel love and admiration for myself and am excited for what my future holds. I am lucky to have a job, great family and a generally happy life. My disability gives me a lot of perspective and insight into life on a deeper level. This is something I’ll always be grateful for experiencing. It’s sad that society doesn’t view me and the millions of others with a disability the same way. Instead, we are treated as less than and seen as people who don’t deserve the same luxuries afforded to many able bodied people. This is why people with disabilities should be pitied. Not because we can’t walk, or can’t hear, or approach life differently, but because society sees us as burdens and undeserving of a fulfilling happy life. That’s sad.
I’m happy to know many, many people with disabilties challenging this narrative head on and actively working to change this WORLD for the next generation. It’s touching to see their work and care for people like me.
