Living with Disability

This week one of our professors brought in a group of her friends so we could listen to their stories of what it means to live with a disability on a daily basis. Two of my favorite had cerebral palsy which is a group of disorders that impacts brain and nervous system functions. It affects people differently. Lori, a woman in her 50s was able to speak but it obviously took effort and her hands shook. She gets around in a wheelchair but is able to stand up and move short distances. Jim, on the other hand, was very difficult to understand, has the use of one hand and a wheelchair is his only mobility. Despite these difficulties they have lived with for as long as they can remember, both are full of life and have a great sense of humor.

Lori began by telling us that her favorite part of disability was the opportunity to be creative. She preceded to show us her creative solutions to some of the challenges she faces. She doesn't like winter in part because the waterfalls in the area where she lives are turned off. So she wanted to take a video of the waterfalls with her iPhone. For most of us that would be a simple task but for Lori it is a challenge because she can't hold the phone steady. Her creative solution: tape the phone to a yard stick that she could prop up. Her video didn't move at all. Lori has her own version of the serenity prayer, "Lord, show me what I can do, what I can't do and give me the wisdom to know the difference."

Jim is 76 and has been married for 23 years. His wife was also present and she too has cerebral palsy. One of her roles was to translate for Jim though she wasn't that easy to understand either. Jim wrote out his story in a power point presentation and we took turns reading it out loud. The first slide said a lot about how the way society has viewed those who aren't "normal."

a "crippled" child

a "handicapped" young adult

a "disabled" adult

a senior with abilities

Jim's parents were told to put him in an institution. They refused and took their 2 year old boy home and did the best they could. An uncle noticed how bright this boy was who couldn't speak so his mother began to teach him. Later she advocated for him and the school system provided a tutor. He did just as well as any of the others his age. As a young adult he took college level courses in accounting and opened his own accounting and tax preparation business. He soon became known as the man no one can understand but who can save you lots of money on your taxes. His life was revolutionized by the computer which made the accounting work much easier and allowed him to communicate so much more easily with others.

Jim ended his written presentation with, "Don't label a child born without some function 'disabled.' Rather call them uniquely challenged with all the possibilities of uniqueness." Then he turned to us and said, "I hope you understand more about how interesting it is to be disabled."