Disabilities Letter

Instructions:

  • Write a short paragraph describing your earliest memory of encountering a disability

  • Can be of the first time you met someone with a disability, the first time you learned about disabilities, or if you yourself or a family member have a disability, it might be a description of the experience

  • Include your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in your letter, along with any early conceptions you might have had about disability

  • Doesn’t need to be polished

  • Will need to hand it in later


Letter:

  • “My first memory of a disability”

  • Reddit post

  • What happened —> analysis (thoughts, feelings, behaviours) —> bias —> do i see myself, if do, explain


Letter:

I (21F) have been assigned to write a letter dedicated to disabilities. The prompt asks for my earliest memory of encountering disability—whether meeting someone with a disability, learning about disabilities, or experiencing it personally or within my family. I have decided to reflect on my first personal understanding of disability, which came not from one moment, but from a series of turning points across my life.

The first time I truly understood disability was in my second year of elementary school. I met Sofia (10F), who used a walker because she had very little strength in her legs. My teacher gave a presentation about physical disabilities, and Sofia was brave enough to explain her own condition to the class. Not long after, I met Trixie (11F), who shaved her head in solidarity with her friend who used a wheelchair and was battling cancer. For years, I carried the belief that disabilities could only be physical. It wasn’t until high school, when my friend Sarah (14F) explained her ADHD to me, that my understanding began to change. I saw firsthand how she struggled with emotional regulation, paying attention in class, and making friends. That was the moment I realized disabilities could be invisible, mental, and not just physical.

All three of these encounters reshaped my sense of empathy and showed me just how diverse disability truly is. They helped me become a more understanding person and motivated me to keep learning about neurodiversity.

Yet, I didn’t fully recognize my own internalized bias until I was diagnosed myself at age 20 with ADHD, ASD, MDD, anorexia, a learning disability, and BPD traits. Before my diagnosis, I had unconsciously believed that people with mental disabilities were less competent—a belief I never applied to my friends with ADHD, ASD, anxiety, or depression, whom I saw as smart, capable, and beautiful people. Instead, I turned that harsh judgment inward. Because I grew up thinking disability was only physical, I interpreted every poor averages in math, french, science, or social studies as proof that I was stupid. I would cry myself to sleep and feel belittled each time I struggled academically. I thought (and still think) that I am stupid because I don’t get decent averages after years of trying.

Unlearning this mindset has been one of the most difficult challenges of my life. I’m attempting to understand that disability is not a measure of intelligence or worth, but a part of human diversity that deserves understanding, both from others and from ourselves.

Thank you for reading.