"Can You See the Rainbow? The Roots of Denial" and "Not Blind Enough: Living in the Borderland Called Legal Blindness" (Rosenblum & Travis, p. 317-330)

 "I tried very hard to be "normal," to be anonymous and to merge with the crowd" (Rosenblum & Travis, p. 318).

"...lack of communication gave me a powerful unspoken message that my disability must be denied" (Rosenblum & Travis, p. 318).

"...the behavior of adults clearly conveyed the message "You are not acceptable as you are" (Rosenblum & Travis, p. 319).

I found the above quotes from Rosenblum & Travis (2012) to be powerful and telling of the challenges those with disabilities face. The first quote I believe disability or no, everyone can relate to. To be normal is a term I always found challenging; what does that exactly mean? There is no normal in any culture, as everyone has their own uniqueness that makes them an individual.

The second and third quotes made me think if my profession and how I face the clients I support. The clients all are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and my role in their lives is never to change that diagnosis but to support each individuals positive experience with their natural environments through creating specific behavior and skill programming. No plan or programming is the same because each individual is just that, an individual. A plan for one person would never fit a plan for another. Often, disabilities are viewed in a negative light. I have found it humbling to notice that some of my students are more skilled than I in certain area, that their disability has actually allowed them to understand something I cannot, or something I have yet to learn.

The important message that this article supports is that we should never deny someones disability or believe that someone with a disability needs to change or hide who they are. We are all individuals, and the idea of normalcy is certainly a false idea.

Rosenblum, K. E., & Travis, T. C. (2012). The Meaning of Difference: American Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, Sexual Orientation, and Disability (ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.