We are Not Disabled, We Are Human

One morning I was scrolling through TikTok, as one does. Between the funny skits of Frozen Texas, and Wanda Vision spoilers, I came across a devastating video of a young man who was crying. He showed the audience his hearing aids, before stating that someone said to him that he would never be able to contribute to society and that he is better dead than living.

As a hard-of-hearing (HOH) person and epileptic, this hit me hard. When I was a child, I grew up lost and uncertain about my future as I was surrounded by people who could hear. There was no one I knew who was HOH and epileptic and successful. So disability and success was not a connection that seemed possible to me. It wasn't until I came across a book that told the success story of Helen Keller, a woman in American History who was both deaf and blind, it opened my eyes to the possible future.

However, I too had the unfortunate experience of someone who thought I could not succeed. That I shouldn't even aspire to attend university but settle for a local college because of my disability. That only made me more determined to prove them wrong. Now I'm attending the top University in Canada.

Despite my own success, to hear this happening to another individual reminds me that there are people who genuinely think that disabled people don't contribute to society. This mindset views us the disabled community as helpless cases, a burden to society due to the amount of accommodations we require.

However, they forget that there is a person behind the disability.

I am not just HOH or epileptic, have a learning disability, or poor eyesight on the verge of blindness, I am also a content creator. I love to write stories, blogs, record podcasts. I also love watching movies, TV shows, going to theme parks, eating all types of food. I also have dreams of being a published writer, traveling the world, and being a lawyer and or activist for disabled community.

My disabilities do impact my life and filter how I experience things but to have the audacity to say that i can't contribute to society has got to be the most backward thing I’ve ever heard.

It is like saying we are not human.

Just because we are disabled or have a chronic illness, does not mean we cannot do things. If you need proof just do a quick Google search for the most famous disabled people on Earth. I assure you, we are capable of doing things more than you think.

It is about time the world realized that.