When is a disability something that’s wrong or is it something that is just different and therefore not a disability?
Many in the Deaf community feel that there is nothing wrong with them and their lack of hearing. They have created a distinct culture and language around it. It came as a surprise to me when I learned a year or two ago that many people who experience Autism feel the same way. They feel their brains may work differently but that there is nothing wrong with them.
People who can hear or whose brains work neurotypically by and large don’t understand their position. Why wouldn’t you want to be hearing? Why wouldn’t you want to be able to read social cues? Yes, they are missing out on something, but who’s to say that you aren’t missing out on something as well?
The more time I spend learning about and experiencing this world of disability through the eyes of a parent, I’m coming to believe that there is less disability here than I originally thought, and just a different type of ability instead.
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