By: Megan Borella
Wellness is an interesting and tricky topic for anyone, but when you throw a disability in the mix, it can become much more convoluted and skewed toward the "unwell" side of things. Yet for me, the discussion is much more about whether you let one characteristic you never had any choice in or control over define you and how you see yourself as a person. Are you going to let yourself be the blind guy, the girl in the wheelchair, or that person with a prosthetic limb? Or are you the girl who loves to go out with her friends, the guy who's an expert in all things music and TV, or the person who enjoys trying new restaurants and exploring Los Angeles? Everyone around us who doesn't know us may see us for our disabilities, but there's way more to life than how we're defined by the strangers we frequently interact with. Shockingly, every now and then, there are some benefits that can be gained from having been born with a disability.
Without my disability, I would not be even close to who I am today, and I might never have met many of the people who are such a huge part of my life. I certainly would not have gone to the same elementary, middle, and high schools, so I never would have had the opportunity to make many of the connections I did in my formative years. My life could have gone in a completely different direction, and that's a fascinating and frightening thing to contemplate. Even if I had somehow ended up at UCLA, it's unlikely I would have met half the individuals who have defined and shaped my college experience. I would not trade those people or those memories for anything, not even twenty-one years worth of seeing a whole bunch of cool stuff. My friends matter way more to me than the capacity to see the world around me, and they, along with my disability, have taught me far more than I would ever have learned otherwise. I'm a much better person for having been born blind.
Due to the hurdles I have striven to overcome, and the various difficulties I see friends with disabilities work through, I am a much more patient, persistent, and resilient individual. I can empathize with others on a much deeper level, an attribute that can take anyone far. I have learned the necessary skills of self-advocacy that are essential to the success of every disabled person, and have felt the thrill of seeing a difficult, seemingly impossible task through to its completion. Through experiencing the challenges both my friends and I face so often, I have gained a new perspective and have a unique awareness about my surroundings that many others unfortunately lack, and to me, that's a gift. I would much rather be the person who stops to move a scooter off to the side rather than the careless individual who leaves it in the middle of the sidewalk or in front of a wheelchair ramp. I would rather be the one who holds the door for whoever's behind me rather than be so buried in my phone I don't even notice their presence. And if being blind has given me such an awareness, then that's at least one benefit of life with a disability.
We can learn a lot from those members of society who access the world around us differently than the able-bodied community. I hope that the people I have had the privilege of getting to know thus far have learned a few valuable lessons from me as well. I would like to think I've been able to shed some light (pun very much intended!) on what it's like to live the life I do, including everything from the good parts to the more challenging aspects. I know that at the very least, I've taught my friends how to make and appreciate some pretty great blind jokes. I'd say that's just as valuable as any other skill one can have.
Originally Posted: 13 August 2019