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'd say a hundred percent is unfinished. However we start, we decide where we go. If not physical issues, attitude issues threaten to stop us from pursuing and reaching our potential: to work together toward what we can't imagine or achieve alone.