General Disability Lifestyle

Or, does your disability define you?

 

 

Is who you are and what you do driven by your disability?  For example, your job, would you be doing it if you weren’t disabled?  If you consider yourself an advocate or activist, would you be doing it if you weren’t a gimp?

ME RAINEY ! ! !  HAHA   I THINK I WOULD STILL BE THE PERSON THAT I AM NOW....... MY MORAL AND VALUES WOULD BE THE SAME ,  I WOULD STILL BE A PEOPLE PERSON AND MY LOVE FOR CHILDREN WOULD BE THE SAME , I AM A GIVER AND ONE OF MY GREATEST PLEASURE IN LIFE IS DOING FOR OTHERS ! MY JOB WOULD OF BEEN THE SAME STILL ACCOUNTING.....TO ME WHAT I DID FOR TWENTY YEARS BEFORE I RETIRED HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY DIS BUT MY LOVE FOR THE FIELD .TRI THIS QUESTION REALLY MAKES YOU THINK !!! I AM A ADVOCATE ~ ~ ~    ME RAINEYYYYYYYYYY   

I would definitely be doing advocasy if I weren't disabled.  Long before I got my own cerebral palsy diagnosis I was interested in disabilty and was doing disability advocacy and awareness work in college as an ally.  The only differnece is now I have personal experience to go along.

 

The only difference for my job is that there are two ways to become a developmentla pediatrician, one which requires a year of neurology training and one which does not.  If I were stronger and had better balance I would try the way that has the year of adult neurology training.  But that's not an option so I chose the other route.

 

My disability does not define me, but take away my disability and I would not be me.  My gender doesn't define me either - but if I were a boy i would sure be a different person.

Being Dis abled for me only meant I was going to live in WY and not DE.  Here I have a choice to live as an Oblate In the community and do my 'work' here when I have the energy left to do anything at all... BEFORE my surgery....

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I was invited to take my First Vows, which I did, and was on my way to a life of helping emotionally challenged children in a year around school run by my order in DE. 250,000 acres of open land, a farm an dairy are there also, run by the sisters and dressed in my Habit and not PINK PINK PINK all the time. ... NOW

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Here I am, in Cheyenne and praying Jesus will get me through the hard times, make me stronger to deal with the 'walls' He hands me to climb and wondering at times, and perhaps I always will... Why didn't He want me back East where I could work with children and live in the monastery ?? There isn't an answer in This life... but I know I'll find out in my next !!

If I weren't a gimp........I imagine I'd be doing something in the field of Nursing......I have my B.A. in Nursing........but I'm actually of retirement age now.......so I guess.......I'd be doing nothing........just like now !.....Nothing ventured........nothing gained...........but.......I'll always have.......my artwork............thanks for asking.............peace and love.......Norma

My disability doesn't define me, but if I hadn't been born with it I wouldn't have had a LOT of the experiences that have shaped my life. I don't know how much a version of "me" without CP would resemble me.

My mental illness has defined me for the last six years.  I thought i was just about to move on from that when i was hit with the physical side.  As being in a wheelchair is new to me i guess each day will revolve around health for a bit longer yet.  Hopefully i will get a car in about 6 months and then i can put myself back on the map.  I have got determination but it does run thin at times.

 Chris

Good question Chris/Tridog.....  I was Shelley before I was disabled.  It's not 100% of who I am. I think it has taught me though that life is to be appreciated, and some times struggling for what you want makes you stronger.  I don't think I'd be quite the advocate I am if I wasn't disabled.  The issues I grew up being aware of or for are still there but as an adult the disability ones are personal.