Stand Up for Yourself

Can words actually hurt? Can inequality be caused by societal indifference? Can a person with a disability be denied a better quality of life because of stigmas or stereotypes? The answer to all of these is an ABSOLUTE YES. How do I know? Because I am a person with a disability and an advocate for people with disabilities, and I am here to assist you on ways to advocate for yourself so that you can live the life YOU WANT TO LIVE.

About 25 years ago I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Crohn's Disease is a condition that affects your intestinal tract while Ankylosing Spondylitis affects your muscles and bones along your spine and throughout your back. My days are filled with loss of mobility, pain or stiffness and loss of energy (also dealing with an ostomy bag is a nuisance) but it's nothing compared to the struggle I have witnessed with many of my fellow Human Beings who just want to live with dignity and be able to contribute in some way to society. All due to societal indifference, stigmas, stereotypes and governmental policies that make it very difficult for a person with a disability to have that dignity they deserve and the life they want to live.

Here I present to you how YOU can make a difference in your quality of life as a person with a disability, a caretaker or family member or friend of a person with a disability:

1) Independent Living Centers- These centers are the primary resource for anyone with a disability; whether that disability is physical, cognitive or developmental, you know that those running the center understand much of what you are going through because every center (over 700 in the U.S. and the territories) is run by people with disabilities. Advocacy, Independent Living Skills training, and many other services can be utilized here to help the person with the disability have the most independence as possible. I was honored to have worked for 3 separate ILCs over a 10 year period. If you want to find your local Independent Living Center, just go to this link and choose your state or territory: https://www.ilru.org/projects/cil-net/cil-center-and-association-directory then go and use those resources to help you live your best life possible.

2) Specialized Resources dedicated to a Condition- Thanks to the internet, 2-1-1 services and community service organizations, anyone can find resources, support groups, legislative action and so much more that can assist someone with improving or enhancing their lives and independence. One of my favorite organizations is NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness) (https://www.nami.org/home) who focus on giving hope and a better quality of life to anyone struggling with mental health issues. Other great similar organizations like Mental Health America (https://www.mhanational.org/) and Bring Change to Mind (https://bringchange2mind.org/) also have great resources to not only change lives for the better, but to bring change to societal judgements and stigma in regards to mental illness struggles.

3) ENDING STEREOTYPES AND STIGMA- It doesn't matter if injustice and discrimination comes in the form of legislation, policies, societal "expectations", "casual" conversation that degrades or dehumanizes a fellow person, they are all UNNACEPTABLE. Words and actions have consequences. Words and actions can lead to further and further injustices in any and every part of society. When just a third of people with disabilities are employed versus the non-disabled population (https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/255620.php) and when our cities and counties still struggle with accessible and affordable housing (https://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/property-management/latest-news/affordable-accessible-housing-increasingly-out-of-reach-for-people-with-disabilities/) despite the Americans with Disability Act laws, anyone can easily see that our words, our indifference and those social stigmas are alive and well.

In the end it comes down to the person with a disability, their friends, their allies and their community support system to help bring an end to these inequalities and "normalizing" of seeing people with disabilities as "burdens", "unwanted", "ignored" or "made to feel different instead of equal". Only by learning how to ADVOCATE for one's self; as well as advocating for others, will all of us with a disability be able to have a better quality of life and the respect we deserve. Get involved! Get the assistance you need and become that role model for others to see and follow! The time is now, the change starts now, the life you want to have starts now!