Is disability truly disabling? Is it something that our society has deemed a burden? Because when I hear, and frankly the experiences that I have witnessed, of disability, one of the things that I haven’t seen in our times is the ability to communicate exactly how disabling it is to be labeled as disabled. We focused on the studies of disability, disability justice movements, and a host of other things that affect those that have been diagnosed with visible and invisible disabilities. This blog will be more personal for me and as I share some of my deepest moments, the main takeaway that I want you to receive from this blog post is to continue to stay positive – to make a change for those that you may never encounter, but that might need your voice, words, actions or even kindness.

            Over the last few weeks, we have studied a range of topics from Stigma and illness to Autism and Neurodivergence. Sadly, I have experienced a new understanding of disability as of late. My brother recently had some health implications and has suffered from a major debilitating event that has left him with a type of impairment. It sucks. Nah, that doesn’t describe it well. It. Fucking. Sucks. I can’t make that up and act like it doesn’t because all I can remember is an annoying younger brother. Granted, he’s still annoying (lol) but it’s different from our childhood and his diagnosis has taken a toll on our family. I am grateful that he is still around, don’t get it twisted. I just know that he’s changed; I would argue that it may have been for the better… I shared this with you for a multitude of reasons, but the biggest one is to inspire you to make a change.

            Within the disability justice movement, there are active movements that focus on actionable attempts to support those people with a disability. I think the most noticeable changes we have seen over the last 20-30 years would be the implementation of accessible sidewalks, wheelchair access, and even brail lettering for those with vision impairments. I think this shows that our society is moving towards a more positive environment and losing the influence of the social model of disability. In return, I challenge the reader to take a step to aid someone with a disability. Be kind to those that you meet. Advocate for some type of change in your realm of living that could positively influence those that have some version of impairment. Connect, talk, and be with someone that may be dealing with something you have ZERO knowledge about. Those moments might save their life and give them a greater sense of purpose.