I'm Grateful For My Disability

 International day for persons with disabilities just went by and I'm here to share an important thought. Last night, it occurred to me that I'm quick to complain about the limitation my disability brings with it. However, there are a number of positive things that would not be part of my life if not for my disability. I want to shift my focus to these gifts of disability.

Informal Learning

To start with, I didn't go to school until I was eight years old. In these years, I learnt rhymes, songs, and played like all kids but I didn't have to wake up early in the morning and sit in class like my peers. I learnt everything I needed to from my twin. I enjoyed every bit of the informal learning.

Special Treatment 

As a student, I could never imagine that people in the professional world would make exceptions for me. Some employers offered me  the choice to work in a shift that suits me while others gave me the work from home opportunity.  Now, isn't that special treatment?



The Celebrity Feel 

I was the star of the show wherever I went.  Although the excessive focus on my disability bothered me initially, I learnt to see it in positive light. I accepted who I am and silenced any curiosity about me, gracefully. 

 Today, my disability is my road to fame. I was featured in newspapers every time I encountered a problem in life. Whether it was finding the right scribes to write my exams, finding a suitable college to learn at,  or facing challenges to cast my vote, I was often written about.  Thanks to people's curiosity and their surprise at the life I built for myself, the interviews and articles never stopped. 

A Dream Come True 

I got a chance to speak to Shah Rukh Khan over the phone!! Yes, you read that right. My physiotherapist made it possible by talking about my love for the actor to someone who could connect him and me. 

A Peek Into People 

It took me a lot of time to realise that my disability gave me a unique lens into the world and its people. It is interesting to note people's biases, perceptions and ideas when disability comes into picture. The reason behind people's sympathy or their funny behaviour always made me curious. A Bachelor's degree in Psychology, helped me get clarity to an extent, but I still have a lot of learning to do.

With all this, I can't help but be grateful to my disability for shaping my life into an interesting, inspiring and a beautiful one.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Special Post On A Special Day

Image
  Today (December 3) is International Day of Persons With Disabilities. Every year, I make it a point to post something in my blog to create awareness. But every year I encounter a question – what new things can I tell the world about my disability? A lack of clarity makes me fear that I may be giving you the same information year after year. We need wheelchair friendly infrastructure in cities, inclusive educational institutions are required and more job opportunities for the disabled are a must. We know this.   All this is about what can be done for me. For a change, I thought I must write about what I can do for myself. Even after the government, doctors, teachers, family, friends and God have done their part, complete benefit is possible only when I start taking care of myself. Saying Yes To Professional Help I used the term professional help because it means different things for people with different kind of disabilities. For some it could be speech therapy and for ...
Read more

To Everyone I Know

Image
I never realized until now that I'm a little in love with everyone I know. A post I shared on Facebook sometime ago reminded me of this love. As I read the post, I realized that there's something we love about everyone we know. With too many things to do, we often forget it, but that doesn't mean that the love doesn't exist. The popular idea of love that we have created, prevents us from seeing and appreciating the various other ways in which it exits. It could be in the most insignificant things that people do or say casually. It could be in just a smile or holding the door open. I see love in so many things people do for me, but sharing food is my favorite way of sharing love. Chocolate says I love you, like nothing else :) Every person that I have ever met has taught me to love a little more. Sometimes, I take a little while to understand, but thankfully I do. So, I'd like to pause for a moment and acknowledge the unconditional love from everyone.... ...
Read more

The black spot that stays

Image
 Remember 'the black spot on the white paper' experiment? It is not leaving my mind today. I'm not sure why. I thought hard, but I couldn't decide whether it was because someone refused to see me as a contributor to society and was stuck with the idea of my limitation or because my ability was under valued many times. The spot never really bothered me as a child. Actually, I don't remember when it started bothering me. Maybe ten years ago, when I thought I can outperform the others and make people see me as the person that am, not as the girl on the wheelchair...  I thought I could change things. It seemed to work initially. I thought I'd succeeded. I thought I'd washed of the spot, but it reappeared. This time, even an excellent performance couldn't wash it away. One of my flaws has been that I'm quick to generalize. Usually, my family helps me see the brighter side. This time too, I was hoping my generalization was wrong. Sadly, it wasn't.  I c...
Read more