Online Huffington Post Life article on coming to terms with the fact that disabled people were no longer 'that group over there'

Graye, Sarah Marie

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Kent Academic RepositoryFull text document (pdf)Copyright & reuseContent in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated allcontent is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of researchThe version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.EnquiriesFor any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: researchsupport@kent.ac.ukIf you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.htmlCitation for published versionGraye, Sarah_Marie  (2018) Accepting My ADHD Diagnosis Was A Lesson In Ableism.   HuffingtonPost .   pp. 1-6.DOILink to record in KARhttps://kar.kent.ac.uk/85806/Document VersionOtherLIFEAccepting My ADHD Diagnosis Was A LessonIn AbleismDisabled people were 'that group over there' who needed support, but weren’tanything to do with meBy Sarah Marie GrayeIndie-published novelist exploring her adult diagnosis of ADHD both in her novels and in life06/06/2018 05:20pm BSTOutdoor Electric FlyZapper Lamp£9.99VIEW NOW!Pink DacastelloProsecco Case - 6 or 12Bottles!£37.99VIEW NOW!White Wine & Prosecco- 6 or 12 Bottles£29VIEW NOW!Fleece Lined ThermalLeggings - Black orGrey!£9.99VIEW NOW!WoTrousVSAVE 75% SAVE 50% SAVE 41% SAVE 66% SAVE AMANDA STUBBLEFIELD / EYEEM VIA GETTY IMAGESIn November 2017 I received an adult diagnosis for ADHD.Going through the acceptance process of such a diagnosis wasbemusing to me in many ways.Firstly, I had to step away from the media’s idea of thecondition: the seven-year-old boy terrorising his classmateswhile his poor teacher struggles to teach him anything.When you’re a 42-year-old female and your education historycontains no fail marks, no resists, and culminates in twodegrees, you can’t even see that character as part of your past.Then I found myself chomping through all the facts in order tounderstand what my diagnosis meant – that it’s aneurodevelopmental disorder, a dopamine deficiency disorder,an executive function disorder, that its effects can be seen on aCT scan.The process of disseminating and sharing these facts was animportant part of coming to terms with my diagnosis. But itwas also my first experience of ableism.I felt very much like I was shouting into the wind becausethose around me who had not been diagnoses were more thanhappy to cling to the ADHD definition of the “naughty child”.My second experience of ableism was of my own. I needed toaccept that I was disabled. But to me, disabled people were“that group over there” who needed support, but who weren’tanything to do with me.I held a preconceived opinion about what it meant to bedisabled. An opinion that wasn’t based fully on reason orexperience – the definition of prejudice.In order to accept my disability I needed to accept that myunderstanding of the word was flawed. But I had no idea how Iwas going to make this mental shift.And then it happened quite by accident.I saw a video interview with Ellie Simpson, who has cerebralpalsy, where she asked the government to consider the needsof the disabled before banning plastic straws.I noticed that many of the responses on social media werefrom able-bodied people who felt Ellie should be able tomanage perfectly well using either strong paper straws or areusable metal straw.In her video, Ellie explains neither of these alternatives are anygood, but people who didn’t have her condition felt they knewbetter.I found myself standing on the same side of the argument asEllie.As ADHD is linked to the executive function area of the brain,one of the symptoms is sensory sensitivity. So someone withthe condition can overheat when it’s too noisy, or find thatwater hurts their skin in the same way a graze would.I find it difficult to have wet skin – and when my skin is wet itcan be too sensitive to rub dry. On bad days, my skinsensitivity is so bad I’m unable to bathe or shower.So I rely on disposable single-use wipes in order to presentmyself as clean and maintain a certain level of dignity and self-respect.I checked the list of proposed banned items – disposable wipeswere included. Something I need in order to navigate theworld might be taken away from me by able-bodied peoplewho didn’t understand why I needed them.I found myself standing firmly in the corner marked disabled.So when I saw a Guardian article discussing biodegradablewipes, where the author of the piece concluded, “single-usebiodegradable wipes are justifiable only if…” and the ifs didn’tinclude “you’re disabled”, I realised I had to comment:“Banning products without consulting disability groups isableism.Just as banning plastic straws would affect a range ofdisabled people’s ability to eat and drink, so banning wipes(and offering only eyewateringly expensive options in theirplace) affect a whole range of disabled people’s ability to lookafter themselves.There are many who have had their support cut and who areunable, without that support, to wash safely. There are otherswith sensory sensitivity issues who can’t bear the feeling ofwater on their skin.This idea of ‘banning’ something only ever seems to look at itfrom a ‘the user is selfish’ perspective. This is not only reallyfrustrating, but it discriminates against certain disabledgroups.”I was pleased my comment was chosen as a ‘Guardian Pick’because it said to me that someone somewhere was listening.But I knew before I clicked to submit my post what sort ofableism I’d face in the replies.Now my mental shift has happened I feel that, unless I learnhow to not speak up, facing ableism is going to be a part ofeveryday life.And I’ve decided that I have to be okay with that.RELATED.. .Richard Bacon 'Relieved' To BeDiagnosed With ADHD At Age Of 42Could My Child Have ADHD? Signs,Symptoms And Advice For ParentsMum Calls Stranger On Train Her'Hero' After He Calmed 5-Year-OldWith Autism and ADHDBEFORE YOU GOSuggest a correctionMORE: PHYSICAL DISABIL IT IES ADHDAT TENTION-DEFICIT  HYPERACTIVITY  DISORDERStudy: Chemicals ThatMultiply Children's Risk OfADHD Is VirtuallyEverywhere00:40Sarah Marie GrayeIndie-published novelist exploring her adult diagnosis of ADHD both in her novels and in life

Accepting My ADHD Diagnosis Was A Lesson In Ableism: Disabled people were 'that group over there' who needed support, but weren’t anything to do with me

https://kar.kent.ac.uk/85806/1/SMGraye-AcceptingADHDDiagnosisLessonInAbleism-HuffPostLife.pdf

Accepting My ADHD Diagnosis Was A Lesson In Ableism: Disabled people were 'that group over there' who needed support, but weren’t anything to do with me

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