“I’m surprised you are graduating so young. That’s impressive, considering that, you know, you’re so sick.”
As I’ve come to terms with being disabled, I’ve learned that people think my disability is more impressive than I am. Before I developed chronic illnesses, my achievements were something to be proud of. Now that I am sick, other people care more just because they were accomplished in spite of my disabilities.
I feel like a motivational cat poster on the wall. People point at me and say that I am inspirational because I am able to complete that project, attend those classes or run an event solely because I did it sick. I feel like all I am to other people is my disability now.
This is a constant weight that one in four adults in America has to deal with. Seventy million of us feel like we are only considered an inspiration because of our pain, not because of who we are or what we do.
I tried to look for examples of other people who felt the same way I do, but all I found were more articles about famous people “overcoming” their disabilities and their “inspirational stories.” I feel as if I can’t even attempt to prove my point without running into the same problem.
It also feels as if being successful and disabled means that others are compared to me and shamed for not being able to accomplish what I am. Disability doesn’t impact everyone in the same way, and no one should ever be made to feel ashamed because another disabled person or another chronically ill person is achieving more.
What frustrates me even further is the rhetoric around the Paralympics. Why is it only impressive what they are able to accomplish athletically because of their disabilities? We should be impressed by runners because they are talented, not because they are running with a prosthesis.
It’s like saying a female athlete is good at her sport “for a girl.” We should be celebrating athletes for their capabilities and achievements, not because they did it “in spite of” something. It is offensive and upsetting to be told you are only impressive in a way that is less than everyone else because of something you cannot change.
Photo via UCCS Photography Database.