Don’t Believe Everything You Read, Write Your Own Truth
Somewhere in my possession I have a letter from a medical specialist, written when I was young, stating my diagnosis – quadriplegic athetoid cerebral palsy, that I am functionally non-verbal and that I require 24-hour nursing care.
That letter surfaced to consciousness while I have been feverishly working on my presentation for the Plain Talk Conference – a conference on communicating plainly and clearly in the health industry – to be held in Alexandria, Virginia, next week!
I have also been making arrangements for the four-day trip. A tour of Washington, DC, may also be on my itinerary! I’ll be traveling alone; without a nurse attached.
Why am I sharing this?
Letters are written, notes are made in files. Sometimes these words are necessary to “play the game†to get the service, the equipment or the medication necessary when living with a disability.
But, those written words do not define who you – or a loved one with a disability – are. Leave those words on the paper, in the file. Only you can choose the words that define and describe who you truly are, your own truth.
The words I’m choosing to define myself today, at this moment, include:
I am a creative and innovative solopreneur who happens to have cerebral palsy and uses an electric scooter for mobility. I do have a significant speech impairment and, because of that, I have developed a unique way to deliver riveting presentations. At times I do require assistance; my virtual assistant and editor have been invaluable these last few weeks. Today I am too busy to be disabled.
What words do you choose to define and describe yourself today?
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