Last week, I talked about living with learning disabilities and my struggles with being rejected because of it.
This week I heard a story about a deaf man who had difficulties finding work. He said people believed he couldn’t do the work because of his disability.
I thought, “I’ve been there, kid! I know exactly how it feels!”
All of us with disabilities know how it feels.
You show up for a job interview and your “condition” is made known and all of a sudden, they are treating you like you have a contagious disease! They try to set a world record for the shortest job interview!
During one particular job interview when the interviewer discovered my learning disabilities, I particularly had to shove my resume over. I was tempted to say, “Go on and take it. It ain’t gonna bite ya!”
I have accepted that society has pretty much written me off and that is all right.
I could beg. I could plead. Offer up some type of sacrifice but why?
It’s a complete waste of time.
I got a life to live.
So I close with these words…
If you look different,
If you dress different,
If you talk different,
If you act different,
GOOD FOR YOU!
Go get ’em!
Thank you, Amy, for sharing your experiences and thoughts with us. Your strength and encouragement are awe-inspiring and provide the kindness and motivation that many people need to succeed. You are a true role model for everyone to follow almost everyone has felt singled out at one time or another. But now everyone has the courage to speak up and to help others who are facing challenged. Thank you for being that voice that so many need to hear.
See The Good would like to thank Amy for her guest post. Amy is a Florida resident and has been self-employed in the dog care field since 2006. She self-published a memoir titled “I Am Not Stupid” which is available through Amazon.com/I Am Not Stupid.
She can be contacted at artemple95@gmail.com or through her LinkedIn profile page: linkedin.com/in/amy-temple-34254a167.
Thank you, Amy, for being so honest. I have no learning disabilities or physical disabilities that I was born with (I do have a hip problem and limp now, but I’m 74 and I’m not looking for a job), but I was always a little different than most of my school mates. I always liked classical music and never knew much about the music that most of my contemporaries listened to. But I didn’t care. I have always chosen shoes for comfort, not for style, and if others didn’t like it, I didn’t care. I think it’s good to be different in some ways. If we were all the same, how boring would that be? When people are different, we have the opportunity to learn something new, about them, about their uniqueness, if we are willing to get to know them well enough to discover those things. And our lives are enriched as we do that. For those who look down on those who are different, they are missing out on so much of life and don’t even know it. As you said, if you are different, GOOD FOR YOU! God bless you with everything you need every day of your life. The joy of the Lord is your strength.