Ruth Harrigan Artist

A very dear friend of mine who was disabled from birth taught me an important lesson when encountering the situation where someone asks a person with a disability to do something he or she physically cannot - she said "Just say no." She emphasized it wouldn't work to add explanations, because they might be heard as excuses. This advice has worked well for me because it gets me out of the realm of the other person's assumptions - and into the reality that what is - is. As she put it, it's not necessary to go into a big explanation with everyone about the details of your disability. That is your choice.