Disability Pride Month

Posted 7:00 AM by Gerald So

July is Disability Pride Month and I decided I couldn't let it pass without a post. This is my particular view of my own disability, cerebral palsy, which I've had since I was hours old and stopped breathing.

Having no memory of the time before, my disability feels "normal" to me. As a person attentive to words, "disabled" is how I describe myself for expedience, not how I think of myself. Maybe this is denial, but if I thought I were disadvantaged, I'd be less motivated to see what I could do.

I've found I can do most of what I want, not as quickly or smoothly as someone else, but that hasn't kept me from doing it with time, the same as anyone needing to prioritize.

I read a stat today that fifteen percent of the world's population is disabled, but I think a hundred percent is imperfect. If not physical issues, belief issues threaten to stop us from pursuing and reaching our potential. Our individual imperfection should make us willing to work together toward what we can't imagine or achieve alone.