When it comes to people with disabilities, a lot of people always think of physical or visible disabilities. A disability has to be something that they can see. That is not entirely true. As a person with an "invisible" disability I think that some things are often harder for many reasons.
Disclosing that you have a disability whether it is physical, cognitive, mental, etc. is not easy. For me, when I tell someone, they always say that they would not have known if I did not say anything about it. The reactions from people are always the most difficult part of disclosing my disability. I have had people quit talking to me when they found out that I was different. I have also had people treat me like a little kid because they think I am not capable of certain things once they know. But then, there's the people who don't really care that I have a disability because it doesn't defined my personality or who I am.
Due to these circumstances, I have always struggled to make or keep friends. When I was in middle school, I was originally friends with a few girls that lived in my neighborhood. One day, we were at the local park and they started to ask me math questions for a reason I can't remember. I have always been kinda slow when it comes to numbers. They started calling me names because I could not answer their questions. When it came to being at school, they bullied me. One of the girls even had the nerve to follow me home one day.
Fast forward to my first year of college. I went to a very small junior college in a rural area of Colorado. Most of the people in the town were very friendly and welcoming, but the students were not the same way. During my freshman year, I had seizures. The ambulance would get called frequently and I would have to refuse treatment most of the time. Because this happened so much, other students would always ask whenever there was an ambulance on campus if it was for me. That was really frustrating. I couldn't help my condition at the time and I felt like I was being punished for it. Other kids would not talk to me and if they did, they would treat me as if I was something fragile or diseased.
Now, I have a few friends that I am very close to and that I know will always look out for me. They may not be close by but I always know I can depend on them!
Do you have a hard time fitting in or making friends? Share your story, you never know who is willing to support and be there for you!
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