Tommy Collison

So much of living with a disability, or rather, having a child with one, is assuring them that their life won’t be somehow ‘worse’ than normal.

Yes. I use that word. So many people seem to want to avoid saying the N word. Nah, it’s the R word we’re avoiding, or the V word, if you’re a Windows user. On a serious note, normal is something that exists. I’ve always disliked how people keep fawning over disabled people, always watching their backs in case they say something really bad. It’s a big taboo. If we admit that other people are ‘normal’, that they don’t have the hardships that disabled people will experience, then seemingly, something godawful will happen. Maybe I’ll explode. In a big cloud of

purple smoke

That’d be cool.

Normal (non-disabled) people seem to think that if we even began to comprehend the fact that we aren’t as good as someone else at something, we’ll retract into ourselves, We’ll wallow in our own misery at the fact our lives just aren’t so.

The truth is much less poetic. I’m perfectly OK with who I am. I know I’ll never do a Usain Bolt on it. I know I’ll never be Beckham, but let’s be honest here – who wants to be him of all people?

On the outside, I limp, I use a cane, and I’m slow over long distances.

Inside, I’m the exact same as you.

So g’wan. Come up to me someday, I won’t bite your head off, and you don’t have to watch your words.

I’m OK

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This post came from me watching the latest House MD episode. (yeah, I know, it’s House, get over it)

The patient is a 14 year old with a disibility – relation FTW.

He’s deaf. He became deaf at age 4 from a complication of MS, but never got a cochlear implant because ‘he liked who he was’.

That’s bullshit.

Being okay with something and not wanting to fix it are two completely different entities.

I’m okay with my CP, that doesn’t mean I’d stay away from a cure if one was discovered. Hell, I’d be on the first lists. I’d be one of the folks who’d take the experimental one. Or I’d be the one who’d be one of 12, one of 6 taking placebos and 6 taking the experimental one, to see if it actually worked.

You’re probably thinking that I’m weird. No, I’m just perfectly okay with who I am. I’ve mastered the skill of being happy with my lot, because I can do sod all about it. I mean, this is something I’ll (in all likelihood) have for my entire life. Am I okay with that? Yeah. Am I happy about that? Hell no, but I put on my positive face and I deal with it and I minimize the effect it has on my life.

As inherent human beings, we all strive for something better. It’s one of humanity’s flaws. However, what I wish to attain, is mere normality.

Think about it.