Greetings,
There are people out there who will instantly reel in shock from those three words stating, “No, you should refer to yourself as a person with a disability.” To which my answer is and emphatic “No.” There is a story behind this and also a statement.
I have always been chronically ill, it has only been the illness which has changed. I started off with asthma when I was young (misdiagnosed as chronic bronchitis to begin with). I spent most of my childhood bouncing from the doctors to home to hospital, so much so that the hospital got nicknamed my "second home." It may not have helped that I was having none of it, and was out doing what boys of my age were doing, playing sports, camping and generally having fun, but I sure as hell was not going to live in a bubble, as much as one of my friend's mothers decided she was going to try. I am not the sort of person who usually just gives in to my illness and goes and does nothing.
Once I just started to get my handle on this, as I grew and exercised more, I started getting pain in my fingers and my wrists, over a period of time this spread and began affecting all my joints. I got bounced from one rheumatologist to that, one specialist to that. No one had any answers in the beginning. The only thing that they could tell me was it was not in my head, there was "something" wrong. Not helpful in a world that wants names for things to put on paperwork. I proceeded with life as best I could denying the pain as best I could, denying that there was really anything wrong. It would take years before a) they gave a name to my problem (fibromyalgia) and b) before I would acknowledge that I had a disability, as much as I had friends (and some family) telling me so.
The fact that I can now own that title, the fact that I can now say, "I am disabled." gives me power. This is a part of myself that was missing for years. Now that I have a greater understanding of myself, I can do more, be more. I am embracing it even more these days. Waving it in people's faces to let people know that disabled issues have not been solved, and that we (as in the disabled community) will not be pushed aside.
Go have a look at the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 or the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 if you're in Australia, read them well. Then, realise people with disabilities are still being ignored and denied human rights and freedoms other people take for granted. Why? Because people think that so long as these laws are followed, that's enough.
Now for the statement:
How I refer to myself, how I identify myself is more important than any label any other person might want to give me.
I find power in the statement, "I am disabled." Having a disability is a part of my life, and one that took me years to accept. It is not about being alone, quite the opposite, there is a community of people with disabilities. Having a disability just another state of being, it is just another state of being human. No different to being tall, short, thin, fat, black, white, or any of the many other labels we might use to describe ourselves. The state of being disabled just happens to have some other issues to contend with, most of which can be overcome if people in society have a care and consideration for their fellow man.
"Disability" and "disabled" are not a offensive words, people's reactions to them are, as are people's reactions to people with disabilities.
People are concerned about "politically-correct" language, and don't want people to call themselves "disabled." Well, as a disabled person, I will say that that is not your choice, it is my choice what I call myself. It is my perspective which gives meaning to the statement of my identity, you don't have to understand it, it really only has to have meaning for me.
Cheers,
Henry.
