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What is a Disability?

Writer's picture: Annie KrollAnnie Kroll
Magnifying glass on a blue background

This week, I want to answer some questions about my experience having a disability. According to the CDC, a disability is, "Any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions) (CDC, 2020). I want to say that my experiences are only mine, and thank you for reading!


 

1. Would you get rid of your disabilities?

This is a really hard question for me. I might get rid of my hereditary spastic paraplegia if I could, because it causes pain. However, it has shaped my experiences so it would be weird to no longer have it. I would not get rid of my autism, because I think it makes me who I am. I don't know who I would be without it, because I think large parts of my personality are due to growing up with autism. I also enjoy disability advocacy, and I think my combination of having autism and a physical disability allows for a unique perspective of interacting with disability discrimination and stereotypes. It would be weird to not interact with the physical accommodations on a day to day basis anymore.


 

2. What is your biggest pet peeve regarding people interacting with disability services who are not disabled?

Please do not park in the disability parking spaces if you do not have a disability placard or license plate symbol. I know sometimes the spots look more convenient, and that is technically true because they need to be to accomodate people who need accessible parking. However, I regularly encounter people taking up disability parking spots without a placard. Lately, I have been seeing it at my favorite ramen restaurant, but I have seen it all over. I struggle with using my placard because I am not a wheelchair user, and I got approval from the government to have a placard. It makes the difference of accessibility, not convenience. On a bad day, close parking makes the difference of me entering the store, or coming back another day. Also, accessible means different things for different people. For example, someone with a wheelchair might need to park closer to a curb, while I want the closest spot I can get.


 

3. What is the hardest activity for you to do?

With my HSP (hereditary spastic paraplegia) I struggle the most standing in line because I am not able to benefit from having momentum in my legs. I can stand for about 5 minutes before I start wishing I had a chair. With my autism, I struggle knowing when it is my turn to enter a conversation, and when it is my turn to exit a conversation. I wish all conversations had the zoom hand raise function so I knew when I could interject. I also struggle to tell when someone is asking for more space in terms of being close friends, unless they tell me directly. I know that telling someone you don't want to be friends anymore is seen as rude, phrasing it that was is more helpful to be because sometimes I take phrases more literally rather than reading between the lines.


 

4. Why did you start this blog?


I experience disability everyday, and have seen the good, bad, and ugly. I hope to be starting my masters degree in education with an emphasis in disability studies in the fall of 2024, and want to create a place to humanize the disability experience. I think academic papers are largely inaccessible to those not in school, and it can be hard to find people who are willing to open up about their experiences. I want this to be a place where I can share my experiences, what I am learning as I go through school, and give some tips on how to be a helpful ally or supportive person for someone with a disability.


 

5. What is something you have learned about having a disability that you didn't know before having a physical disability?


I didn't realize how inaccessible places can be if you need a wheelchair. I don't use a wheelchair anymore, but I did for a few years when I was in high school. Even the little things make wheelchairs difficult to use, like bumpy sidewalks, small door frames, steep ramps, and narrow desks. On the flipside, I have found that I am taken less seriously without a mobility aid. I had someone tell me about how I don't understand physical disabilities when I first started in an advocacy role, despite having prior wheelchair experience. This person just didn't know that yet, and didn't bother to ask me for my experience. My best explanation is that just because there is not a device I can use for my pain, does not mean I am not in pain. Similarly, just because I am not in a wheelchair today, doesn't mean I never needed one or will never need one. I ask that people are given the benefit of the doubt if they ask for an accomodation, even if they appear to not need help.


 

Thank you all for reading! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. I would love to get some additional questions for a part two of this! You can reach me over at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook. Have a great week and I will see you all next week!

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