First Day of School with a Cane

​Of course, there were people who just wanted to comment about my cane, and now that I look more disabled.  I had a few of the “what happened” comments.  But actually, as I started to give people the benefit of the doubt and tell them at least just a hint of my story, there were more people who revealed themselves back to me.  I found more people with invisible disabilities and illnesses than I knew about.  My own internalized ableism was shocked, because of course I assumed that the people who I thought were able-bodied were not.  But this is what my journey is about.  This is what I’m creating all of my art about in school and sticking up for those people who can’t voice it to the public themselves.  This was a great experience, and I want to embrace those comments about my cane more now.  My cane is almost starting to feel like a safe space.  A way to reveal my own disability as well as allow others to reveal things about themselves that they don’t necessarily shout from the rooftops.