Have there been times when people of the world have tried to poop on my pride to make me less than because I have a disability? Of course! But when pride is one of the sources of your energy, you learn how to step — or in my case, roll — around them and keep it pushing.
If it wasn’t for my pride, I truly know I wouldn’t be doing all the great things I’m doing and have done because I would have been too scared of what the haters would have said.
Because of pride, my confidence is good.
I’m able to live, work, and play in my community. Pride has taught me things such as that I’m a part of my neighborhood and have just as much right as anyone else to have sidewalk curb cuts so I can get where I need to go on my mobility scooter because I, like many of you, pay taxes.
Pride also reminds me that when I must give a presentation or emcee an event, I’m good enough to do this task, speech impairment and all. If I weren’t good enough to perform this task, I wouldn’t have gotten hired to do the job.
My good friend Pride also lets me know that when I’m out on the town looking fly and having adult fun and maybe all the tables are too high for me to reach anything and so is the bar, or perhaps the restroom isn’t accessible, it’s OK for me to speak out on these issues. I have just as much right as anyone else to be there. Maybe owners of these establishments that aren’t accessible can benefit from seeing me in my state of pride so they can get their facilities up to code and to make them Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. Because nine times out of ten I’m coming back with more friends who do this pride thing just like me.
Unfortunately, there may be some with disabilities who have not grown into a state of pride yet. For you that haven’t, keep living. The more you live, the more you learn. Life teaches you lessons. Some big, some small, but all give glimmers of hope and help strengthen pride. Take every win. Because if you made it through to the next phase of life, you were meant to be here and you’re worthy.
Pride has a lot to do with a person’s confidence. Without it, it may cause you to always feel down or overthink everything that you do. With pride, you will be able to accomplish things beyond your wildest dreams — because you believe in yourself.
Another good thing about pride is when you have it, you won’t have to tell anyone you got it because they’ll see it all over you.
As I celebrate July as Disability Pride Month, I must say, I’m happy with who I am. I hope that when you see me in the community you’ll say, “Hey! There goes Shari and disability pride is what she does!”
For the rest who are not down with the disability community, that’s too bad. But it’s OK because we have enough pride to sustain us.
Shari Cooper is a public relations assistant at Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley and an advocate for disability inclusion.
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