American Culture Studies 250
Blog Entry # 5: Disabilities
Chelsea Mac Adams
I have a disability. I have a few chronic conditions that make me considered disabled. I have severe asthma and an immune disorder among other various complications that have stemmed from these two main illness. I wake up every morning and take a variety of medications and sometimes need to be hooked up to a breathing apparatus. I am chronically tired and have problems with my mobility because of osteoporosis and arthritis. The arthritis creates problems with typing and exercising as well, which is tremendously important to help reverse some of the damages done by medications I have taken in the past that have eaten away my muscle tissue. My medications often leave me naseaus and weak. They create problems in my liver and kidneys as well. I am constantly tired and need to take naps everyday in order to function. I I have a handicapped sticker on my car because I have a hard time walking long distances, especially outside. I usually get negative looks or worse because I don’t “look” handicapped. Sometimes I get screamed at by people who, I know are trying to do the right thing and make sure the spots are for the people who are handicapped, these type of incidents happen at least once a month and although I have had it for over 4 years now, I still get very upset everyday I get harassed. It’s bad enough I have to use one without having to explain myself. I meet a lot of criticism because I am not someone who looks ill, even though I am. Most people don’t believe that I am sick and I have to fight in order to get the special accommodations I need in order to function. I usually can’t be far away from home and have to carry various medications with me at all times. I have highly allergic to a lot of food and if I eat out I have to go back to the kitchen and ask the chef directly how the food is prepared because I have gone into anaphylactic shock because waiters didn’t understand my condition and the severity. I spend about 2 days a week at the doctors office. I also spent a month at National Jewish Hospital in Denver in order to help improve my conditions. I have it pretty good as far as disabilities go, I can walk most of the time and can be relatively independent. I am lucky that my family is upper-middle class because being disabled is expensive between the extraordinary amount of medications and doctor visits.
I really wish I didn’t have to explain myself and explain about my disability. Being disabled doesn’t mean being in a wheel chair, you cant tell if someone is disabled by just looking at them, I think people need to learn that and the only way to learn that is through education about all disabilities most likely through school or public announcements. It is hard to break through stereotypes about what disabled people look like and what is considered disabled. It is hard to say how to promote a culture where people with disabilities have complete equality and lessen ablism. Ablism is still the norm, the majority and the majority rules. I think by just making sure that all public have the necessary accommodation in order to lessen the diversity people with disabilities have to face. By making the accommodation automatic and having laws ensuring their safety and giving them as many opportunities as the abled.
