Hi Everybody,
I was wondering…
What would you want to say to someone who asked you, “Tell me what it’s like to have a disability.”
I’d want to say, “Most of the time, it’s not that big of a deal. Sometimes, it’s a pain in the butt and I get really angry. It hurts when people think that I can’t do things that I know I can do. But having a disability is a part of who I am, and I like who I am.”
What would you want to say to someone who asked you, “If you could only say one thing about living with a disability, what would you want to say?”
I’d want to say, “Having a disability doesn’t mean that I’m sick and sad all the time. I’m also not happy and positive all the time inspiring people. I have good days and bad days just like you. I want to have a great life just as much as you do.”
SUFU Members, how would you answer those questions? What would you want people to know about living with a disability?
As you may know, a lot of SUFU members have been volunteering at Land Trusts, over the past several months. Land Trusts are places that people go all year round to enjoy nature and the outdoors.
Chris Dupont of the Belfast Chapter, is one of the volunteers. He volunteers at the Blue Hill Heritage Trust. He’s in charge of checking on a bunch of different plants on the trail, keeping track of them on his phone and making sure they are healthy and strong. It’s a great way to have fun and help the environment at the same time!
SUFU applied for a grant recently and if we are lucky enough to get it, SUFU will be able to do disability awareness training at Maine Land Trusts for all the volunteers and staff who work there. That means that all of us at SUFU could be a part of creating trainings that could help people understand what our lives are like.
I really hope that we get the grant. That’s one of the reasons that I wanted to bring up the questions that I asked at the beginning of this blog. I want everybody to start thinking about what you think is important for people to know about living with a disability. Talk about it in your Chapters, too. I’m excited to find out what everybody will come up with, so please let me know. Having the chance to tell people about our lives is something that I really feel is exciting and important!
Until Next Time,
Avery
