Handicapped People? I Don’t See Any!

You wouldn’t believe the website I found the other day. It was a free website made by a boy who has Down Syndrome. I was curious, so I clicked on it, and was immediately in for a shock. Inside was the story of a boy who had Down Syndrome who rock-climbed, was an avid speed-skater, and played sports like soccer and tennis. There were pictures of him overcoming obstacles and competing with teams, as well as a picture of the dozens of gold medals he had won in the Special Olympics. On his car he had a sticker that read "Powered by an extra chromosome!"

I was looking at a person who had people his entire life telling him the things he probably would never do. Who, since birth, had to fight just to live a normal life, and managed to overcome his struggle and do extraordinary things. The last thing he wanted was for people to look at him and see his supposed handicap. He worked hard every day to make sure that he had a normal, rich, rewarding life and that no one could ever classify him as a handicapped person.

And so, several days later I go to Wal-Mart. I got my parking space and went toward the entrance, and as soon as I reach the handicapped parking spaces, I see a woman with her handicap license tag and sticker pull her car into one of the handicapped spots. She got out of her car, opening and closing the door, and with no problem whatsoever swept into the store. Upon getting inside, she searched around for something, and apparently unable to find it, went to an employee. Of course the man responded immediately, and while she waited, an electronic scooter was brought to her. I overheard her talking about a pain in her leg that she would experience whenever she had to walk too much, or something along those lines. She put her handbag into the basket, got onto the scooter, and drove right past me.

This, of course, was unsettling to me. Out there somewhere was a young man that had been born with Down Syndrome, someone who had more obstacles to overcome than most of us have ever even seen, and he was most likely riding a bike or working hard at his job. Almost everything this boy wanted in his life was certainly made more difficult by this birth defect, and yet he thrived, he persevered. And here, at Wal-Mart, was a woman, a normal woman, with a handicapped license tag, a handicapped sticker and parking pace, and an electronic scooter. – She was proclaiming herself handicapped to the world, and all because of some pain in her leg.

This is a huge attitude problem to me that unfortunately extends far beyond this woman. I can’t help but notice that far more people are proclaiming themselves victims. They are desperately searching for reasons that things should be made simpler and easier on them because they feel they are "owed" or "deserve" it. I see more people, young people in their 40s and 50s, sticking handicap licenses on their cars as if there’s something there that makes them "deserving" of an easier route. There are people out there that seem to feel they are owed a different set of standards because of their "disability". They want to be pitied and sympathized over, and I do not in the slightest understand this. Never in my life do I want to be pitied, or want anyone else’s handouts.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are very few truly handicapped people. The only handicap I see is a very poor mindset. That boy with Down Syndrome I believe is one of the very least handicapped people on the planet. There is nothing on this earth that isn’t available to him because he wants to earn things himself, and wants to prove to the rest of the world that he is an equally capable member of society. There is a lesson here that the rest of the world can learn. All of these people that want things handed to them, who try to find ways that make them less capable than everybody else need to wake up and get some dignity.

I believe that all of us are capable of amazing things. People do inspiring things every day by simply being themselves and trying to do their very best at everything they do. When a person decides that they are going to overcome the obstacles in their way and that no one is ever going to look at them as less capable, miraculous things happen. That boy with Down Syndrome, for example, has left a lasting impression on me that makes me want to do everything I can to the best of my abilities. When people look at me, I don't want them to see my shortcomings – I want them to see my abilities, my achievements, and the things that I am capable of.

I charge anyone out there to step up to the plate and take a good look at yourself. I challenge you to be like the boy with Down Syndrome, and to make sure you are defined by what you can do, not what others think you can’t. Stop working so hard to get other people to pity you can take care of you and put that effort towards doing things yourself. At this very moment there are people out there who have to struggle to maintain a normal life, and they do it with conviction and pride, and anyone who tries to take the easy road by claiming that they are disabled is seriously disrespecting them. Challenge yourself, respect yourself, and you’ll be amazed at the things you can accomplish.