23 with cerebral palsy hope this doesn’t sound arrogant. Just wanna give hope!
I don’t post much, but after reading through a lot of these posts, I wanted to share my own experience. This isn’t meant to invalidate anyone else’s struggles. Every disability is different, every person’s circumstances are different, and I know not everyone has the same opportunities or support. This is simply my story.
I have a cereal palsy. I use a wheelchair, but I don’t have an intellectual disability.
When I was a kid, people often assumed otherwise. My parents had to fight for me to be placed in regular classes instead of special education simply because of my physical disability. Throughout middle school, I had someone assigned to follow me from class to class because staff believed I needed constant supervision, even though I didn’t. Those experiences affected me more than I realized at the time. They sent the message that I was different, that I needed to be watched, and that people expected less from me.
As I got older, I ran into more of those assumptions. I applied for around 100 jobs and only got a handful of interviews. I honestly don’t know whether my disability played a role in not getting hired, and I can’t say that it did. But after a while, it’s hard not to wonder. I’ve also struggled with dating and relationships. It often feels like people make up their minds about me before they ever get to know me. Whether that’s because of misconceptions about disability or something else, it still hurts.
I won’t pretend life is easy. I struggle too. There are days when I get frustrated, discouraged, or wonder why things have to be harder than they are.
At the same time, I’ve learned something important: other people’s expectations don’t have to become my own.
Instead of letting those experiences define me, I started looking for things I could build myself. I created an online game server that ended up making a few thousand dollars. More recently, I started a vending machine business, and now I have machines at multiple locations. I’m not wildly successful, and I’m still working toward my goals, but I’m proud that I built something despite being told directly and indirectly that I probably couldn’t.
I also want to acknowledge that I’ve had family support along the way, and I know not everyone has that. I know there are people facing challenges that are much harder than mine, and I’m not trying to compare struggles or say that hard work solves every problem.
What I do want to say is this: don’t let society decide what you’re capable of. People will underestimate you. They may assume you can’t do something before you’ve even had the chance to try. That says more about their expectations than it does about your potential.
Your disability may make some things harder. But it doesn’t automatically mean you can’t build something meaningful, create opportunities for yourself, or live a fulfilling life.
If you’re reading this and feeling like the world has already decided who you are, don’t let that become the voice in your own head. Keep proving people wrong most importantly, prove it to yourself.