How Disability Breeds Creativity
Over the years, I have learned to think on my feet and come up with on the spot solutions to really strange problems. I credit this skill to my disability. Being disabled means that I get into really ridiculous situations on a regular basis, it also means that there are usually not standard preplanned ways of fixing the problems that arise. Take today, for example, the joystick snapped off my wheelchair while I was getting lunch. Yes, you heard me right, the joystick of my chair literally snapped off and was dangling from the wire. Major problem for sure! I took a couple of seconds to freak out over what happened, and then I started to deal with the situation at hand.
The chair was still working (thank God), but the joystick was wobbly and nsupported, so who knew how long that will last. I had to fix this, and I had to fix it fast.. There is no wheelchair AAA, no wheelchair Pep Boys, no wheelchair Jiffy Lube on every corner. There are wheelchair repair shops, but they're not on every corner, I honestly don't even know where the closest one is. That meant it was up to me. Duct tape was the answer, I knew that. So I went back to work, explained the situation, said I was going to work from home the rest of the day, and had my cousin help me give my chair a temporary fix. Disaster averted, problem handled.
Many pieces of turquoise duct tape later, my chair is doing okay for now. I did what I could with what I have. I came up with a solution and I came up with it fast. I saw the situation at hand, and I did what I could to fix it. I was creative and I problem solved without a second thought. That's nothing new, though, that's something I have to do multiple times on the basis.
When accessibility isn't what I need it to be, I figure out what I need to do to continue on with my day. Sure, a lot of times I bring the problem to someone's attention so they can fix it for the future, but in that moment I think of the solution. When sidewalks are broken, I figure out another way to get where I'm going. When public transportation is down, and there is no natural plan B, I make one.
Having a disability has taught me to think outside the box. My life is mostly lived outside of the box. Standard solutions never seem to work for me, so since I was little I've had to figure out how to do things my own way. I use my chair to hold things so that I can keep my hands free to drive. I push open the doors with my feet. I figure out what I can. I'm not invincible, I can't do everything, but I've learned to see my disability as a positive because it changes the way I see the world.
Disability offers me a way of framing situations that most people have never thought of. It is a whole new set of experiences and solutions to problems. Whenever anyone looks at disability as the problem, I laugh. Sure, being disabled is difficult, but that's because people refuse to think outside the box. Being disabled is difficult because a lot of people think there is only one way of doing things, and instead of seeing my different approaches to problems as innovation, they see them as strangeness. Disability is difficult because I live in a world that sees my impairment as the problem, rather than the environment. Disability is difficult because the experiences of disabled people are all too often left out of conversations, and all too often disability is seen as a personal problem.
People don't look at disability and understand that it is a unique life experience that has left me equipped to face all kinds of challenges, they see it as the problem. Disability breeds creativity, because every day I have to find a way of doing things that's different from the "normal way." Disability breeds creativity, because when my wheelchair breaks down. I don't have AAA. If people will be willing to see that and embrace that diversity, everything would change. If we follow people in the experiences all as valid ways of approaching problems we would be able to fix things a lot faster.
Despite its frustrations, I'm glad for the things that my disability has taught me. I'm glad that I've learned to think on my feet, even if there isn't a readily available solution staring me in the face. I'm glad that I've learned that I don't have to be good at everything, but I have to be willing to address all the strange problems that come my way. I see my disability is a strength and not a weakness, because it has allowed me to you the world in a way that helps me come up with unique solutions to problems.
I've learned that creativity, and of course a lot of duct tape, are some of the most important things in life.
Image description: a power chair joystick being held on to a chair with turquoise duct tape. The duct tape is wrapped around the mounting piece of the joystick, holding it in place. On the arm rest next to the joystick there is a young woman's arm and a pink sweater. Part of the young woman white lace dress is also visible.
The chair was still working (thank God), but the joystick was wobbly and nsupported, so who knew how long that will last. I had to fix this, and I had to fix it fast.. There is no wheelchair AAA, no wheelchair Pep Boys, no wheelchair Jiffy Lube on every corner. There are wheelchair repair shops, but they're not on every corner, I honestly don't even know where the closest one is. That meant it was up to me. Duct tape was the answer, I knew that. So I went back to work, explained the situation, said I was going to work from home the rest of the day, and had my cousin help me give my chair a temporary fix. Disaster averted, problem handled.
Many pieces of turquoise duct tape later, my chair is doing okay for now. I did what I could with what I have. I came up with a solution and I came up with it fast. I saw the situation at hand, and I did what I could to fix it. I was creative and I problem solved without a second thought. That's nothing new, though, that's something I have to do multiple times on the basis.
When accessibility isn't what I need it to be, I figure out what I need to do to continue on with my day. Sure, a lot of times I bring the problem to someone's attention so they can fix it for the future, but in that moment I think of the solution. When sidewalks are broken, I figure out another way to get where I'm going. When public transportation is down, and there is no natural plan B, I make one.
Having a disability has taught me to think outside the box. My life is mostly lived outside of the box. Standard solutions never seem to work for me, so since I was little I've had to figure out how to do things my own way. I use my chair to hold things so that I can keep my hands free to drive. I push open the doors with my feet. I figure out what I can. I'm not invincible, I can't do everything, but I've learned to see my disability as a positive because it changes the way I see the world.
Disability offers me a way of framing situations that most people have never thought of. It is a whole new set of experiences and solutions to problems. Whenever anyone looks at disability as the problem, I laugh. Sure, being disabled is difficult, but that's because people refuse to think outside the box. Being disabled is difficult because a lot of people think there is only one way of doing things, and instead of seeing my different approaches to problems as innovation, they see them as strangeness. Disability is difficult because I live in a world that sees my impairment as the problem, rather than the environment. Disability is difficult because the experiences of disabled people are all too often left out of conversations, and all too often disability is seen as a personal problem.
People don't look at disability and understand that it is a unique life experience that has left me equipped to face all kinds of challenges, they see it as the problem. Disability breeds creativity, because every day I have to find a way of doing things that's different from the "normal way." Disability breeds creativity, because when my wheelchair breaks down. I don't have AAA. If people will be willing to see that and embrace that diversity, everything would change. If we follow people in the experiences all as valid ways of approaching problems we would be able to fix things a lot faster.
Despite its frustrations, I'm glad for the things that my disability has taught me. I'm glad that I've learned to think on my feet, even if there isn't a readily available solution staring me in the face. I'm glad that I've learned that I don't have to be good at everything, but I have to be willing to address all the strange problems that come my way. I see my disability is a strength and not a weakness, because it has allowed me to you the world in a way that helps me come up with unique solutions to problems.
I've learned that creativity, and of course a lot of duct tape, are some of the most important things in life.
Image description: a power chair joystick being held on to a chair with turquoise duct tape. The duct tape is wrapped around the mounting piece of the joystick, holding it in place. On the arm rest next to the joystick there is a young woman's arm and a pink sweater. Part of the young woman white lace dress is also visible.
