The thoughts and realisations that helped me have pride in my disability

July is Disability Pride Month –a chance to share the love, joy and pride many of us feel towards our disability, and what it means to be a disabled person. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate our disabilities in all their glory. Not forgetting the fact that it also goes some way in helping to educate society and tackle stigmas surrounding disability.

Disability Pride Month is something I wasn’t aware of until a couple of years ago when I came across it on social media, so I wanted to go some way in marking this momentous occasion on the blog.

It’s something I wish I’d known about when I was younger, because I genuinely think that it would have completely transformed the way I viewed my disability.

 

Every single disabled person has their own, unique story, views and opinions when it comes to disability and identity. We all have our thoughts and experiences of having ‘pride in our disability’. We all go on our own journey when it comes to taking pride in our disability and we experience a range of feelings as a result of this.

I’ve always known I was different, so it took me a while to learn to love my differences. It took years of inner turmoil until I felt a sense of pride towards my disability, but thankfully, many thoughts and realisations helped me get there.

With that in mind, I thought I’d look back and share some of them with you.

 

I became proud of the hurdles I’ve overcome

I want to set the record straight here, in no way have I ‘overcome my disability’.

Like many other disabled people, I’ve faced a countless amount of hurdles in regards to my vision impairment, whether in education, employment or other areas of my life.

Facing the challenges and navigating the hurdles can be frustrating and exhausting at times, but we should be proud of ourselves because it’s not easy.

I’ve come to take pride in jumping over these hurdles because I’ve showed people exactly what I’m made of, and I’ve pushed through the societal barriers we are so often up against.

Rather than shying away from them, I hold my head up high and I can honestly say that I’m proud of the challenges I’ve faced in order to get to where I am today.

 

I found my community

I’ve spoken a lot about why I’m grateful for the disabled community, and the ways in which it has helped me learn to love my disability. Without the community, things would be very different today.

Becoming part of the disabled community allowed me to connect with other people that were just like me. I spent many years feeling different to my sighted peers, often feeling like I didn’t fit in those perfect little bubbles. But when I became part of the disabled community, I found people that I could relate to, which was a real source of comfort. I no longer felt like I was treading through this often inaccessible world alone.

They helped me find the inner beauty of my vision impairment which completely changed my perspective and the way I viewed my disability. I no longer had to dig deep to search for the positives, because they rose to the top naturally.

The disabled community gave me a host of reasons to be proud of being disabled, and there are always people that give me a gentle reminder of that whenever I need it.

For me, the disabled community is a beacon of love, light and hope. It’s a place of positivity, but it’s never afraid to shy away from the reality either.

 

Advocating for myself and others

I came to realise the importance of advocating for myself and others, as well as the difference it can make.

Advocacy has become a huge part of the work I do, both online and offline. Whether in a personal or professional capacity, I’m always reminded of how important it is to speak up, both for yourself and your community.

Advocating is crucial in striving for an inclusive, equal society. It also reminds me how important my lived experiences of disability are when tackling pre-conceived ideas or lack of accessibility. I learned that my disability gave me a unique perspective, which is a strength when advocating for myself and others. I certainly don’t know about every disability, impairment or condition, and I’d never claim to do so, but I’ll always support my community.

Gaining opportunities in advocating in areas surrounding disability has showed me how powerful my experiences are. Knowing that my thoughts and views are valued gave me the confidence to take pride in advocacy work. It has given me the determination to stand up for what I believe in.

 

Feeling empowered by my disability

The feeling of empowerment was the main factor in my disability pride journey. There were no longer twists and turns in the road, and it was at that point that the direction of where I was heading became clear.

When I found the silver linings of my disability, focused on the positives and saw my vision impairment for what it was, I began to be proud of being disabled. I gradually became comfortable with how it made up much of my identity. I was no longer fighting for people to see me for who I was or wishing that my vision impairment didn’t set me apart from everyone else. Instead, I came to the conclusion that it’s okay to be different and not fit into the mould that society expects you to.

When I became comfortable with my vision impairment, the feelings of empowerment and contentment slotted into place. I found myself accepting every aspect of my disability, including the parts that I’d felt uncomfortable with for years.

Feeling empowered by my disability helped me find myself and discover my true identity.

 

Finding the ability in disability

I spent a long time not seeing my disability for what it truly was – pun absolutely intended there. I thought that the unique skills it has given me made me look different. Once I started to realise that the fact they set me apart from everyone else wasn’t something to be embarrassed about, I looked at them as a sense of achievement, rather than a disadvantage.

People have a range  of assumptions surrounding disability, this view quite often obstructs their view on our ability. Sighted people have assumptions on whether I can do a particular task, or whether I can achieve the goals I’ve set myself because of my vision impairment. They often come to light without a second thought.

But it shouldn’t go unrecognised that we fight so hard for people to see our ability, not just our disability.

Memories of my time in mainstream education are tinged with sighted people telling me that my disability will stop me from achieving my goals, and barriers were put up before I even tried on numerous occasions. Of course, there were people that encouraged me to strive to achieve my goals and would do everything they could to help me to get to where I wanted to be, both academically and personally. I thank my lucky stars for them, because they are the ones that helped me flip that coin and change the narrative.

Rather than questioning my abilities, I reached a point of defiance. I was determined to prove that disability still means ability, and I have done ever since… I’ll never stop.

Showing the ability in disability gives me a sense of fulfilment; not only to change people’s attitudes, but also to show other disabled people what they can achieve.

It’s going back to the earlier point about the disabled community; being surrounded by people that you can look up to or turn to for support is paramount. Being that person fills me with so much gratitude.

 

Realising that my disability should be celebrated

As I’m sure you have gathered, the way in which my disability made me different was the focal point throughout much of my childhood and teenage years. As a result of that, I didn’t celebrate it as much as I should have.

When I came across my community and reached a point when I felt empowered by my disability, I found reasons to celebrate it. And trust me, there are a whole host of reasons our disabilities should be celebrated!

I’m so glad I reached a point when I found reasons to celebrate my disability because it has helped me get to where I am today. I want others to know that having a disability is wonderful, and that it should be celebrated.

I’m proud of being disabled, and I’ll never shy away from expressing that.

 

How did you get to a point of taking pride in your disability? Let me know in the comments.

 

Holly x