Blowing in the wind

Last night as I tried to fall asleep in a rain storm, the wind kept setting off everyone's outdoor motion sensor lights. Our block was "lit up like a church", as my grandmother used to say. What struck me was how, as the gusts of wind set off the lights, each yard's lights went off or on in random patterns, depending in part on the settings of the motion sensors.

And I had a "Eureka moment".

Earlier in the day I was shown an article written by a person with a disability who is successful, who was held out as having "overcome the odds" through his own grit and determination. The featured person shared his philosophy about life with the reader, offering concrete suggestions about his success. This, in and of itself, can serve a valuable role to people with disabilities who are looking for roll/role models, but I was struck by the tone the person took. It went from "I did it" to " you can too" and was fraught with assumptions and overgeneralizations. The author also took many things for granted - his education, his family support, and even the luck involved in finding his niche in a well paying field with a supportive employer.

At the time I read the article I couldn't help but think about some of the people with disabilities I know who are in circumstances so different than the author's that defining success for them in that way isn't fair - or useful. And it bothered me.

Hence my "Eureka moment" as I saw how my neighbors' motion sensor lights all went off at different times. Despite the common denominator of disability, it's important not to forget how different our circumstances can be. "Blowing in the Wind" is not just a song, but a reality for many people with disabilities, no matter how many glossy magazine articles get written about success.