We take a lot of things for granted. I’m privileged to have access to things like:
- My eyesight
- My hearing
- My arms and legs
- My body
- My ability to read and understand what I read
- My ability to find and read any book
- My ability to talk to my loved ones whenever I feel like it
- Their ability to answer and understand me
- Reasonably good healthcare
- Ambulances that show up at my door step if I need them to
- A nice office with a good computer for work
- A TV that I can watch movies and play games on
- Clean water that comes out of the tap
- A car and other means of transportation when I need to use them
- A reasonably speedy internet connection
- Access to whatever else I may need when I need it
I'm not even one of the few people worldwide that has similar access to these resources, among others. The large majority can claim the above to a certain extent.
But I'm not getting younger. Very soon, I'll join the group of people that:
- Have diminishing or no eye sight
- Are hard of hearing or deaf
- Can't move their legs or their arms
- Have slow reflexes or can't control their body and how it reacts to the outside world
- Can't read and understand much
- Can't talk to their loved ones when they feel like it
- Or their loved ones can't talk to them
And we won't be a small group either. About 15% of everyone at last count - and probably growing.
So the next time you think I'm not disabled, think...I'm not disabled yet.