I’m Being Dis-Abled. I’m not Disabled
A view of autism as something other than a disability.
Am I the only one getting dizzy from looking at the picture?
Dis-abled. Disabled.
What’s the difference? Well, the first one is a verb and is something that is being done to us. We are actively being disabled; usually by the environment we’re in.
The second is an adjective and is defined as, “(of a person) having a physical or mental condition that limits movements, senses, or activities.”
In short, one describes who a person is, while the other talks about what is being done to a person.
I don’t know about you, but I have autism and I’m not disabled.
I often find myself being dis-abled, but that doesn’t mean I am disabled.
Let me give you an example.
Think of a shopping mall.
It’s crowded.
It’s noisy.
Traffic flows in random patterns.
Malls are brightly lit.
When I used to go to shopping malls I would always be panicky, and felt like I didn’t understand what was going on. The environment of the mall — all the sensory issues I just mentioned — are disabling us…
