The following is a response from a Fair360, formerly DiversityInc reader on our “7 Things NEVER to Say to People With Disabilities” article.
Hi, my name is Kevin, I’m a twenty four year old male with cerebral palsy. Over the many years, I’ve always tried to surpass my disability, because I was told all too often; to be an inspiration, that I’m tough for living with my condition; that eventually I’ll get better. I don’t think anyone really understood what they were saying to me, now I’m old enough to know better. I know I can’t outrun CP, I can barely walk up stairs, for the longest time I thought I was supposed to be something great; this inhuman individual capable of anything regardless of what they were going through.
The reality of this hurt my spirit, but thinking back, I realized that no one really understood my disability. I got tired of the “You can be fixed” or “You can do anything” and “You’re just being lazy”, this isn’t something that you can pray away, or some mind over matter junk; and when my family says stuff like that — best of intentions I’m sure — I don’t feel like they really know what’s going on with me. I’m not tough for living as best I can with the disability I have; I’m actually a wreck struggling with both depression and CP.
