#shitablepeoplesay ; The disability

If you’re on Twitter I’m quite sure you stumbled upon the #shitablepeoplesay hashtag, if not. Well, this post will not help you understand what’s it about because I’m not going to write about the hashtag.

You might find this post offensive (I’m quite sure some will) but bear with me and let me explain my thoughts, even though it will take a while for me to do that. Before you jump to conclusions and accuse me of being an asshole.

So yeah, as a Listener on 7 Cups of Tea, I came across many people and even before in my life I was always someone where others could buffer their emotions and problems. Also, I personally know a lot of people with various disabilities and it’s such a bliss that those amazing people don’t let their disabilities stop them. A friend of mine (in a wheelchair) once told me “If you ever use my disability as an excuse to not involve me in something, I will personally kick your ass! I’m not disabled, those who can’t deal with people who are ‘different’ are.”. I have to say that his mentality stuck with me.

Basically, people with disability are not disabled to me, they are just people whose lifestyle has to take up on some changes in order to get things done. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe in your disability, I’m simply saying that being disabled is not the same as living with a disability.

That’s because the word “disability” has a really special meaning in my brain’s dictionary. Well, maybe not meaning, but more like an explanation. Disabled people are only those who disable themselves and not because of a medical or mental condition, but because of who they are as a person. Why? Because if you go by the dictionary meaning of word disabled, we could call everyone disabled. We all are in a way disabled, some physically, others mentally.

As an example of this, if you break your hand you are disabled because you can’t use that hand, but you don’t have a disability (in common sense).

So to move away from my monologue about the meanings… I do believe that people shouldn’t be put in groups as disabled and abled. It seems silly to me. Neither should people judge one another because hey, you never know what kind of problems other people have. After all, some things are visible (like a person in a wheelchair) and others are not visible (sometimes that’s chronical pain or mental health issues).

I have to say that I’m guilty of assuming things all the time, but I always assume things about people in a way I think could benefit them, even If they usually don’t agree with me, simply because they can’t see my point.

This far you probably noticed that I’m not on the side of abled or disabled people. Because my mentality about it is… well, it’s mine. If you have a disability that can interfere in a certain situation, let people know about it, so they will know what to expect and how to help you. If you’re dealing with a person who has a disability, do not question it, respect it and help them any way you can, in case they ask or need help. However, no one should feel the need to help a person who’s rude to you for no apparent reason. If you have a disability it doesn’t mean you get a free pass at being an asshole. Neither you can act like a jerk to those with disability in case you don’t have one.

Personally, I strongly dislike people who pick on others. Like why you gotta be a bully?! (I’ll write about bullies in my next post)

So based on my thinking, are you disabled, or do you have a life with a disability?