Admitting Disability
Photo By: Brett Jordan https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan
Disability: n. a physical, mental, cognitive or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions.
Not every person is born the same way with the same set of purpose or abilities. We were all born to discover what we can do and where in this world our abilities are useful. We carry images of what we think defines our capability but we all have moments of being disabled. It may have been when we were learning to walk, learning a new subject at school or taking on a task we've never done before. Feeling disabled isn't strictly about being unable, it's also brought on by uncertainty.
Engaging in something new that I have never done before, I am made conscious of what I think I might be unable to do. I am lacking in knowledge and experience and I don't yet know if I am able. The doubts and worry cause me to be in a disabled state and there is a way for me to resolve this disability. I can choose to try to learn and become able. I could learn that it's not for me or I could discover that I am able. Either way, feeling disabled is a moment for me to pause and assess where I am to decide how I want to address the issue. If I trust in feeling disabled, I will turn away from an opportunity to learn. If I choose to accept my disability at the moment, I could use the opportunity to become more and move away from disability.
I lived with an invisible disability most of my life and, today, I live with a visible disability but I don't believe that disability is only experienced because of a visible impairment. Everyone experiences disability in new situations and moments of uncertainty. We don't call it disability but it doesn't mean that we never feel it. A moment of disability doesn’t have to limit me for life, I could simply accept what I can’t do, look for a different way that I can do it and appreciate that my challenge is teaching me something about myself. If I can never be able as others are then it’s my responsibility to recognize how I am able and do so in a way that is possible for myself.
In life, recognizing an inability is the first step to learning something new. What may feel like a failure can evolve into a skill if we’re willing to accept where we are, work with what we have and be grateful for what we are going through. Every new challenge can be a small step toward who we are. The magic is found in discovering who we are without having known from the start.
