Brave Special Different
- 7 Aug 07, 9:18 PM
Well hello, this is my very first blog entry for Ouch so I thought I should introduce myself, and relive the immense stress caused to you all by leaving you in suspense concerning my disability. I must add that I couldn鈥檛 disclose it before due to the fact that I shall be appearing on podcast number 18鈥檚 vegetable, vegetable or vegetable quiz. I have a number of highly interesting things wrong with me witch tend to be at the heart of many a blog entry, my main disability is that I鈥檓 partially sighted, but I got lots of other stuff going on witch to be quite frank I cant be bothered to bore you with right now, if your that interested listen to podcast number 18. (witch should be out soon)
When my friend Dan writes my biography for me it shall be entitled 鈥淏rave Special Different鈥 this is obviously due to my tragic life as a poor cripple and is based on a number of conversations I had with my friend and it all started when I expressed my disgust at a particular incident!
It was the first time I had ever played goalball, at a sort of have a go day style event I was loving it I was surrounded by loads of VI people having fun and getting to hit them with a large and very hard ball. At a break in play a man started talking to me. I cant actually remember but I think his name was Brian, he started asking questions about my eye condition, I mentioned that it鈥檚 a genetic thing my mum, auntie and cousin all have the same condition at this point he randomly comes out with 鈥 your very brave鈥. What??? Where the hell did that come from? There I was minding my own business and I get called brave, in public by a man I don鈥檛 even no, surrounded by mates. What makes it worse was that it was me that was labelled as brave just because some members of my family are also VI and at the time when the offence was committed I was stood next to my mate Mat who has no eye鈥檚 for god sake!
When mentioning this particular incident to Dan, we started a very in depth discussion about all the different things I had been called that where actually intended to be 鈥榥ice鈥 but where actually incredibly patronising, second only to the brave incident is the word 鈥榮pecial鈥 I have been referred to as special more than any other 鈥榥ice鈥 word. At school I used to go to 鈥榮pecial provisions鈥 to get extra support with handwriting and spelling. I have written on 鈥榮pecial paper鈥 used a 鈥榮pecial calculator/liquid measure/weighing scales鈥. It鈥檚 not special its just yellow lined paper 鈥榙ifferent from yours鈥, would normally be my response. If anyone ever dared to describe me as special directly I don鈥檛 actually think they would live to tell the tale.
The different bit of the title refers to me, so I鈥檓 different from the average normal, but if we where all normal鈥檚 then wouldn鈥檛 life be boring. From a different perspective it also reflects the fact that a lot of everyday tasks I do in a different way, still have the same end result but my method might be slower but easier for me.
In fact due to recent events it nearly became 鈥榖rave special different sweetheart鈥 this was due to a pharmacist who was just doing her job but said to me when I went to get my first ever anti-depressants 鈥渟weetheart if you feel suicidal don鈥檛鈥 witch was a very odd experience at the time but not quite as legendry as the others.
Don鈥檛 even get me started on the term 鈥榙ifferently able鈥 鈥
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Comments
Special needs should be an outlawed term. It's plastered on our ring and ride buses, even a local mobility shop, and of course as you know is rife in schools and colleges.
"a lot of everyday tasks I do in a different way, still have the same end result but my method might be slower but easier for me."
Explaining it for yourself always rings more true.
Thanks for the comment seahorse