"I am not a person with disability, I am disabled"

 

http://www.xojane.com/issues/i-am-not-a-person-with-a-disability-i-am-a-disabled-person

 

I am not a “person with a disability.” I do not “have a disability.” Given that I look like this:

Image Credit: ewheeling.

You probably think I’m either delusional or in denial. I’m not, I just have a real problem with the phrase “person with a disability” and the notion of “having a disability.”

I am disabled. More specifically, I am disabled by a society that places social, attitudinal and architectural barriers in my way. This world we live in disables me by treating me like a second-class citizen because I have a few impairments -- most obviously a mobility impairment.