independence

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Independence… I have lived most of my life feeling I was normal and nothing can or will stop me from doing anything that I wanted to do!  The things that most people would assume that I can not do, I have found a way to prove those people wrong and show them never to assume just because the system tells you something, it is so.

People are often told that if you or your child has a disability they will never be able to do something normally but they can try it but most likely they are going to fail.  At one-point people with disabilities where institutionalized and not kept in their local communities.  The theory was out of site out of mind. Thankfully, it is different for people with disabilities today.  However, there is still some ways to go before the stigma of being disabled goes away completely.

Well what if you proved to those people all wrong?  I was told by many people that a lot of things that I am able to do I wouldn’t be able to do.  Yes, I need some help but I have learned to adapt.  I am very independent and always mange to find a way to do for myself, even if I have to do it a different way or it takes me more time than some people. I think that everyone should at lest have the chance to live as independent as possibly, so that way they do not have to feel like they are always having to relay on the help of others.

Some people have a certain stereotype in their mind for people that are disabled.  They are told that they should have a certain look and live a certain way.  It is sad that most people with disabilities will never hold a full-time job.  However, there is always hope.  I have mild learning and physical disabilities that have not stopped me.  I was going to school and working two part-time jobs and never stopped me from trying to prove the system wrong.  There is nothing better then having the feeling that you are doing your best to make it better for the next generation so that they have it better than yours had it.

 I have always worked hard to make sure that people are aware that there is nothing wrong with being different and speaking up for you.  There is nothing wrong with making your voice is being heard, for the things that you feel that should be changed for the future.  It might take a while for the things that you envision happening, however the more patient you are and the more determined you are to make changes the more likely there will be of finding success.  Change in this event can be a very good thing.   

Acceptance

Acceptance—everybody wants to be accepted no matter what they do.  As individual people, we can be our worst critic.  Some people think that they can’t do something because of some label that they might have, such as “handicapped.”  For the person who does not have any physical challenges at all, it would be harder for them to do things one-handed then the ten different ways that you as a person have had to learn.  You will do almost anything to show that nothing is going to stop you from proving those people wrong.

Sometimes it takes a long time to accept things.  I mean no one wants to be told they will never be able to do something.  If I had a dollar for everything that someone told me that I will never do …. I would be rich!  Things that you want come from working hard and never accepting defeat.  As you have heard, where there is a will, there is a way.  No one does things the same way or lives the same lifestyle.  Everyone’s life is different.  Some will never have the opportunities as others do, some people let their fears hold them back and do not take as many chances.  It is all about accepting your best way of how to live life to the best of your ability and to live as independently as possible.

The world was not always like how we know it today—group homes, supported living and being involved in the community.  The system still has a lot of work to do but there have been many positive changes from where we have come.

If you did not have some form of disability, you were okay to be see out in the world.  However, if you had any sense of being or looking different where you might do harm to something or someone else, you were put away and never seen.  You were never spoken of other than among close family members.  They were not treated like people but more like just objects and look down on.  What kind of world is that?!  I would never want to live that way.  It sounds like a nightmare.  Hearing about all the things that went on and thinking that it was once legal to do such things its mind blowing, it leaves you speechless.  To think that could have been me if I was born 25 years before!

why friends are important

Some friends will be by your side forever while others will come and go like the weather.  True friends are there for you no matter the weather or how bad a storm gets.  The people who are true to you embrace the qualities that make you different, that make you stand out in a positive way.  Because you are not the same as everyone else, something about you just might stand out like a sore thumb!  But like everything, you learn how to work around things to get your way.  You might have to take a longer road than everyone else and make sacrifices to get there, but in the end it does not matter as long as you get there with the people who truly have your support every step of the way.  You do not have to see your friends every day.  Some you might talk to on the phone or email more than those who you run into every day.  The one who you would think that you might run into every day because they live right around the corner, you might barely get to see.  Life is funny that way but the reality is that life can keep you busy with everything that you are responsible to do as an adult.

As a kid we can do anything and have no responsibility.  The only responsibilities we have are to have fun, stay out of trouble and learn as we grow.  As we grow up, we see the changes and start to really see how we have to count on ourselves and no one else.  It is always important to have friends there for you as long as they are supportive of you.  Most of the time your job does not define your friendships, it is usually your common interests or experiences that define your friendships.  It is also ok to have different friends who may not have the same interests as you.  You all might have a ton in common but not always see things from the same point of view.

It is very important to keep an open mind about topics, especially when you have a wide variety of friends.  The important thing is to think and look at all the things that made you friends to begin with.  And the reason for that is because they will always have your back like family does, and will never turn away from you at the the time when you need them by your side the most.