Disability Pride Month
It's #DisabilityPrideMonth and I want to take a moment to talk about what disability means to me.
When I first entered the workforce, I had a PICC line in my arm (permanent IV) and was hooked up to an IV for eight hours each day. I often wore a long sleeve t-shirt to hide the PICC and many people may not have even known I was sick.
At my first "real" job, I chose not to tell my boss about this IV prior to accepting the job. This was partly due to fear and shame, but also, I didn't know why that mattered. I didn't check the box that said "I have a disability", so what was the point of saying anything?
Now, four years later, I proudly identify as someone living with a #disability. It may not be visible, and I may no longer have a PICC line, but I will always live with residual side effects from Lyme disease.
All this to say that disability is diverse. Just because someone may not appear to be disabled at first glance does not mean that an individual may be disabled / chronically ill. 70% of disabilities are invisible, meaning that odds are, you won't know if someone is living with a disability.
This month, my hopes are that we can:
➡️ Be aware of the fact that disability is a spectrum
➡️ Educate ourselves on the blatant discrimination the disability community still faces today
➡️ Support and uplift disabled voices
➡️ Commit to listening, understanding, and always learning
Join us in celebrating Disability Pride Month.
#ChronicallyCapable #WeAreCapable #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityPride
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