One of the things that always gets me frustrated about the kind of disability that I have is when I meet people for the first time, some people instantly assume that I have a learning disability or mental illness when I have not. I totally get that every disability is different. There are differences in severity, but by no means does that give you the right to make assumptions before figuring out whether my disability is a learning disability or mental illness, just because I have physical differences. You may think that I am coming across as abrupt in this case, but I think there are several reasons why this happens.
Aversion, people not being willing to educate themselves on the different scales of disability before interacting or making a judgement, also stereotypes. These oversimplified images of people will always be in our society. Still, I believe times are changing, and people are becoming more open, which is a good thing. For example, in years gone by, people opening up to the World with their problems were seen as weaknesses. To a certain degree, it still is. I think society is becoming more tolerant, caring, and willing to listen to other people’s problems more.
Never make a judgement before really getting to know someone, especially when you first meet people with disabilities, because not every disability is associated with learning disabilities or mental illness. These people have feelings, emotions, and aspirations, just the same as able people, and rightly so. Be patient, get to know the person because they could inspire or educate you in a way you would have never thought of, most importantly, always be kind.
