Why even start this blog?
Because God’s love compels me to do so.
The Bible tells us that each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made by God. It means that every person is fearfully wonderful. Every human life is a miraculous and mysterious creation of God, and it inspires awe and admiration.
We are all made in God’s image; therefore, we have equal dignity and inherent worth. Every human being deserves respect, love, and kindness. And yet, we are all different. We come in different shapes and sizes. Some of us are taller, and some are shorter. Some people are slimmer, and some are plumper. We possess different physical strengths, some stronger and some weaker. We are different physically, intellectually, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We all have different abilities, skills, gifts, and personalities. God created us equal yet unique. We are equally loved by God, and we represent Him in our own unique ways. Praise God for His ingenious and beautiful creation!
Unfortunately, our society is one that looks at the outside and judges the worth of individuals according to their appearances, physical fitness, or intellectual ability. We often write people off because we don’t think they are beautiful enough, fit enough, strong enough, or smart enough. We brush people off because they don’t meet society’s “standards”. We don’t give people the time of day because we don’t think they are worth spending our time with. We forget that we don’t assign worth to people. People have worth because they were made in the Creator God’s image, not because of some arbitrary human standards.
Trying to assume a role that is not ours to assume shows that we are prideful and shallow. Moreover, it deprives us of the opportunity to really know people, to discover their inner strength and beauty, and to appreciate their uniqueness. It is time for us to stop playing God and judging others. It is time for us to humble ourselves and embrace one another.
The purpose of this blog is to foster a safe space for anyone whose life has been impacted by disabilities where they can share their personal narratives and experiences. In hopes of empowering other individuals or families living with disabilities to live full lives as God intends.
Raising disability visibility
According to the World Health Organization, over 1 billion people live with a disability worldwide. In the United States, 12.7% of the non-institutionalized civilians have some form of disability. These numbers will continue to increase.
If we consider (1) people who now have some kind of disabilities, (2) people who will develop disabilities in the future for different causes, and (3) people whose lives are and will be affected by the disabilities of someone close to them, disability impacts all of us. And yet the disability community remains largely unseen, their voices unheard, and their presence under-represented.
This blog provides a space for people whose lives have been impacted by disabilities to share their stories, voice their opinions, and inspire others to tell their stories as well.
Bringing awareness
Have you had any of the following experiences?
· You are embarrassed by your kid’s innocent curiosity when they pointed at a child using a wheelchair and asked aloud, “Why is he in a moving chair? Can I try?”
· You are not sure whether to help push a person’s wheelchair when they seem to struggle to maneuver it.
· You fumble with knowing the words to say to parents with kids with disabilities.
· You feel uncomfortable talking to people with disabilities, so you pretend you do not see them.
· You are lost with the “right” terms to use when talking about disability.
Don’t feel bad if you have experienced these uncomfortable, awkward moments. Most of us have. The important thing is that we recognize our lack of awareness. We are so entrenched in our own communities that we lose sight of the larger society around us.
This blog has been created to provide useful and helpful information to help you when interacting with people living with disabilities, so you will know how to better respond when the same situation happens next time.
Promoting understanding
Many people in today’s society have developed an “us” versus “they” dichotomy when referring to the disability community. This kind of dichotomy is unhealthy, divisive, and shallow. It forgets that we are all dependent creatures made in God’s image.
This blog will highlight how we all have the same needs – needs of love, affection, connection, and community. The understanding that we have more similarities and are interdependent with one another enables us to forge genuine connections.
Building connections
We are created to be social beings, living in communities and building connections. In fact, the latest neuroscience research found that human beings are wired to connect. We thrive on connections and wither on isolations. Social connections contribute to our overall well-being.
Many living with disabilities often feel isolated because of our lack of awareness and understanding of their challenges. The global pandemic only exacerbated the issue. As we are coming out of the pandemic, it is high time for us to recognize and meet people’s needs for connection.
Our lives intersect through shared experiences. When we share our stories, we are with each other in the stories.
This blog hopes to provide a safe space to create genuine connections through the power of our stories.
Creating a sense of belonging
Everyone wants to feel they belong. But we cannot truly belong unless we are accepted as our authentic selves and connected to others. Do you make your home, community, school, or workplace a place where people with disabilities truly feel they belong? Or do you have unspoken rules or expectations placed upon people? This blog hopes to create a space where people can freely share their experiences without fearing judgment, ridicule, or criticism, a place everyone feels that they belong.
All of our lives are impacted by disabilities, whether we are aware of it or not. As we become aware of the disability-related issues and understand the challenges people affected by disabilities face, we will grow in compassion and cultivate meaningful connections with them. In the process, we realize we are interdependent with one another, we learn humility, and we grow deep.
This blog will benefit all of us.
I pray that you will keep an open mind, heart, and hands as you explore the blog posts.
