Living With A Disability

What is it like to have a disability? This is a hard question for me to answer. I’ve had my disability, Arthrogryposis (Ar-thro-gry-posis) since birth, so I have no way of knowing what it’s like not to have a disability. The physical challenges I face every day, like trying to put on my shoes, can be compared with trying to pass a final exam in Human Anatomy. Either you know the right answers or you take the course over.

Everyone has limitations, from having to wear glasses to not being able to play on the Packers team. I know I wish I could play with the Packers. My limitations are physical challenges. Just getting up a simple set of stairs take me a little longer.

Arthrogryposis is a disability that affects muscle tone and stiffens joints. The range of motion I have in my arms is far short from what Brett Favre has in his arms. Because of that, I hope I never get caught in a stick-up since I’d never be able to raise my hands up. I can get my left hand up to my forehead and I can’t really raise my right arm that far without the help of my left hand.

How many of you are left handed? Isn’t it frustrating that we live in a right handed world? Look at water bubblers (drinking fountains) and you’ll see the knob on the right side. Yes, I know, we’ve all subconsciously just changed hands for it if you could, but you would be hard pressed find many designed for left handed people. Did your teacher ever try to stop you from writing with your left hand?

Isn’t it great to be different? Each one of us sees the world in a slightly different way (including those with color blindness). That’s what makes the human species so intriguing to study. Look at the scientist trying to break down our DNA to find all the flaws. I bet if they have their way, we’d all have the same color eyes, be right handed, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, no genetic flaws whatsoever.

If they did that, it would change the genetic make-up of the science community. Stephen Hawkings is one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century. His studies on Astrophysics are world renown. He uses a wheelchair and has a computer to speak for him because of Lou Gehrig’s disease. So how far should science go?

Yes, at times I’ve thought I wouldn’t mind finding a way to get rid of my disability, but at the same time, having my disability has given me a chance to view the world in a way I can just barely describe. Just like someone who is blind, or someone who uses a wheelchair, or someone who is deaf each would have a different way of describing the world around us. Limitations are just exterior forces at work.

One thing I know I won’t stop doing is exploring the world around me. I enjoy new challenges and seeing new things. I don’t want to sit around and watch the world pass me by. We’re all only here for a short time. No matter what the limitation, push it, stretch it, bend its limits.

Go out and try something different. Scuba diving, sky diving, skiing, sailing, reading a book to a child in a hospital, helping in a soup kitchen, writing a letter to a friend you haven’t heard from in a long time or many other things are yours for the asking. Don’t worry about failing at something, that’s just part of life. Look forward to all of your successes, from simply tying your shoes in the morning to passing that final exam.