Do you think it is fun being disabled? Well, I am here to tell you it is NOT!!
For starters, the stares. I go out in public, and people ALWAYS have to stare at me, like I'm some yucky bug or an animal at the zoo; and I don't like the feeling of prying eyes going over me!! It makes me very uncomfortable!! (I am in a wheelchair because I can't walk; I have muscular dystrophy, which means my muscles are growing weak. Muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disease, and it is progresive, meaning that it doesn't get better; it only gets worse as time goes on. And it is fatal. Most people who get MD die; most die before they reach their 20th birthday; and some, like me, will die even sooner than that.)
Or they make comments. Comments like, "Oh, the poor dear!", "Why is he in a wheelchair?", or "Why does he use crutches to walk?" Or they say things that just hurt me so bad I can't help BUT cry. They seem to think that, just because I can't hear well I can't hear them say these things, but the truth is..I CAN. And it HURTS!! I have been called some horrible names, and people oftentimes think that just because my body doesn't work right, then my brain doesn't either. And it is bad enough having a learning disability ON TOP OF a physical one; do people ALWAYS have to assume that just because I am disabled, then my mind is, too??
I didn't ask to be diagnosed with muscular dystrophy; and I didn't ask to have the meningitis that ruined my hearing and my eyesight!! And I certainly didn't ask to have ADHD or learning disabilities!! It just happened, and I am the one who has to live with it, NOT you!! How you treat me isn't very nice, and I DON'T LIKE IT, NOT ONE BIT!!!!
So the next time you see me in my wheelchair, PLEASE try to be a little more understanding, and PLEASE try to treat me with a little more respect! I try to treat YOU with respect; why, then, can't you do the same for ME????
--WRITTEN BY JOHNATHON SANDUSKY, aged 9 1/2.
Want to review or comment on this short story?
Need a FREE Reader Membership?
Reviewed by Deirdre Barringer
10/9/2002
Thank you for writing this. You are very courageous. Don't pay attention to people who don't understand. they are are ignorant and don't know any better.God Bless.
Just remember what Psalms 139:14 says Karen: "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
I know what you are going through I was born with mental impairments and learning disabilties
myself. But remember, that which does not kills us. Makes us stronger and more compassionate towards our fellow human beings.
(((Hugs to you Karen)))
Love your friend, Karissa Anne Lowell
This is a particularly heartfelt tale - with much depth of compassion. We could all learn from this, learn the lesson that makes us see that we are all created equal in the eyes of God, though some of us are carrying a heavy cross, they are not less than us. In fact, they are the more courageous for living with their physical disabilities. Great write! Thankyou, Ron
being disabled, i know those stares and comments well...what really drives me crazy is when someone asks the person with me a question about me, like i'm not even there, like i can't answer for myself...hopefully, one day soon, these stupid attitudes against the disabled will stop, and we will be accepted for who and what we are, and what we can do...EXCELLENT WRITE, karen, and (((HUGS))) and love to you for sharing this! karla. :) :)
Patrick is just about to celebrate his second birthday, and all of a sudden, he is afraid of the dark. What happens next offers a wonderful respite for siblings to learn. This book is a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver seal of excellence Recipient in fam
This book was written for children to stress the importance of being able to choose who gets to hug or touch them and being able to say NO if they don't want to be hugged or touched.
