My Dream − 23 July, 2008
My dream is to put my attention deficit disability on the map right up there with legitimate disabilities that are covered by law. We provide elevators for those in wheelchairs. We provide Braille on doorways and elevators for the blind. We provide audio signals at crosswalks for the blind. We provide close captions for the deaf. We provide special seating on the bus for the impaired.
Everybody knows about these and everybody understands them. No one questions their legitimacy.
My disability is invisible. No one can see it, and since it apparently is virtually unheard of, not because it doesn’t exist but because no one has fought for it, it is not accorded due respect. I cannot believe that I am the only person who has this. How many other people out there try to work in cube farms or other noisy environments, and function below capacity? How many other people with this disability don’t realize that they have a disability? How many like me don’t fight it and just try to muddle through?
Out of necessity I became a fighter. My fighter instincts kicked in as a small child. I had to fight to survive. I am not one to roll over and just take it. Now, I am fighting for my survival as a professional. I would love to be the person who got the ball rolling on putting this disability on the map. I would love to be the person responsible for people like me getting offices so that they can concentrate. I would love to be the person responsible for everyone else understanding why it is necessary and why it is not unfair.
That is my dream.
