Possibly some of you reading this article can relate to my experiences if you have a disability or know someone that does. The personal challenges I’ve learned to live with will be an ongoing process to achieve my personal goals and my determination to overcome social barriers.
Growing up with a disability can certainly have its challenges, frustrations, sadness, loneliness with fitting in with other students, and trying to make friends outside of your Special Education classroom. As some disabilities are visually obvious, there are several disabilities that are harder to distinguish and even more difficult to understand. Those disabilities being, learning, processing, attention related, dyslexia, and various forms on the Autism Spectrum. Additionally, disabilities based on psychological and depression related.
Unfortunately, most young students can’t understand what they cannot see. Even more frustrating are the parents who lack the ability and responsibility to teach their children how to respect and show compassion to others who have “Hidden Disabilities”.
School is a tough place for all kids but especially for kids that have a disability, and other disabilities that you visually cannot see. Kids can be very cruel and just think someone is stupid or may have a mild form of retardation or Down Syndrome. Autism is also very difficult for young students to understand as well as various learning disabilities, like what I have. The students who I went to school with just thought I was stupid or I was retarded which is not the case with me. I was treated like an outcast, totally ignored, except from my Special Education classmates.
I feel it is very important for not only teachers, school faculty, and parents to educate on the importance of trying to get to know their fellow students and neighbors that in their eyes are different. Different does not make you any less of a person and you can definitely become someone’s good and close friend for life.
In the workplace, there should be more enforcement with co-workers to understand and accept those individuals with various disabilities, especially “Hidden Disabilities”. Again, most people cannot understand what they cannot see. Some co-workers do not have the patience to work side by side with people with disabilities and this needs to stop and be enforced by Human Resources and management.
Being an adult now and having a hidden disability is also very difficult with dating and cultivating relationships with men. I’ve experienced several times that most men lose interest before they have a sufficient amount of time to get to know me. I can only assume it is because sometimes, not always, it takes me longer to respond to questions, find my thoughts, and my words to participate in social conversations. One of my developmental disabilities is “Dyscalculia” (a math, money, telling time, distance, time management, and distinguishing currency disability) and when men see that I can’t calculate money or understand time, they run away and I never hear from them again. Currently, I do not have a driver’s license but working very hard to obtain one. Not having a drivers license has proven to me it is a big turnoff to most men and other women my age because it seems very weird to them that I do not drive. I’m hoping, once I obtain my New Jersey Drivers License, this issue will resolve itself and it will be one less thing for me to worry about concerning managing social relationships.
Until next week, stay safe and well!