Being afraid is the appropriate reaction to being disabled, but it shouldn’t be

I am learning disabled.  Hey, it says so right on the title to my blog.

All too often, in today’s world, being afraid is the appropriate reaction to being learning disabled.  It shouldn’t be.  But it is.

Why should we not be afraid?  The world teaches us, from the start, to be afraid.  Afraid of getting the wrong answer. Afraid of saying the wrong thing.  Afraid of acting weird.  Afraid of bumping into things.  Afraid of being teased, bullied or ostracized.  Afraid of our teachers, of our parents, of our peers.  This lesson is drummed into us from early childhood, and the drums keep beating, ceaselessly.  There may be SOME people who don’t treat us this way.  Some parents of LD kids get it. Some teachers.  Even some peers.  But not many.

We should change this.  We are working to change this.  We have come a long way.  But we have a long way to go.  A long, long way.

That’s one reason I started this blog and this site.  That’s one reason I call it IAmLearningDisabled and not some less in your face term.  I am disabled.  I admit it.  I don’t like being disabled, and to imply that I should is frankly, offensive.  But I DO like being me.  At 51, I am FAR less afraid than I used to be.  I’ve been lucky in many ways; my mother started a school for me, full of teachers who were remarkable (two of whom are still teaching!).  I’ve had successes. I’ve grown scars and calluses.  Protection.  Freedom.

But fear is still the appropriate reaction to being disabled.  I’m very sorry.  But it is.