It's been a long while since I last posted and this post has nothing to do with cycling. I know I've been slacking, but twitter is easier and blog posts without power numbers are so dull.
A few weeks ago my roommate had his 6th Crippled Birthday and had a big party. Over dinner the question was posed to me whether I, as a lifer, could fully realize my disability since I had never been able bodied. My roommate can, of course, because there was a day he was able-bodied. He was in a car crash and he became crippled. Matt knows what it's like to be both, where I never could (barring some sort of advanced treatment that will never exist because of the economies of scale, but that's a different post for a different day).
The question initially left me speechless, and when I disagreed the person continued to insist that I could not fully know what I am missing. I have given it much thought and am more sure now that I fully realize I am disabled even as a lifer.
You see, the world in which we live is developed around the bilateral use of our limbs. Computer keyboards, cars, bicycles, video game controllers, boxes, etc, were all built around being able to use both hands as equals. So I may never have been able to cut a steak with 2 good hands, but I know full well that something isn't right when I'm sitting there fighting with the knife and fork.
Imagine with me that you take a young child to do an activity they have never done before. Now bind the fingers of one of their hands and send them on their way. Despite having never done the activity they are doing, the child will know something is wrong when they try to use the bound hand and fail miserably.
In closing; probably not a great idea to tell a disabled person that they can't realize their disability for whatever reason.
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