10 life lessons MY disability Has taught ME

Living with a vision impairment has shaped the way I view the world. Some might say that my disability gives me a unique perspective on life, but I’ll let you decide.

I’ve learnt a lot from having a vision impairment, so I thought I’d share some of those important life lessons with you.

Holly stood looking down at some swans approaching the jetty that she is stood on, she is wearing a blue padded jacket and black leggings

Never be anyone but yourself

Everyone is unique in their own way; life would be boring if we were all the same. We should never be ashamed of who we are.

Over the years, I’ve learnt to love my differences and the things that set me apart from everyone else. I wouldn’t be the person I am without my vision impairment, it makes me that bit more unique.

We should be proud of who we are, and should never apologise for being ourselves.

Being different is underrated

There are quite a few things I wish I’d known when growing up with a vision impairment and this is something I wish I’d realised sooner.

I spent many of my teenage years wishing I was like everyone else, wishing I could fit in.

But over time, I realised that fitting in and being like everyone else is overrated.

Why fit in when you can stand out?

People often see my vision impairment as something that makes me different to them, but does that matter? Not at all. Life would be boring if we were all the same!

When I learnt to love my differences, embrace my disability and the things that set me apart from everyone else, I became a happier, more confident and better version of myself.

Resilience is key

There have been many times during my life when I’ve pushed on and not given up without a fight. I’ve taken everything in my stride, which is something I’m extremely proud of.

I’ve realised the importance of resilience – keeping my head held high, and getting through everything that life throws at me. Challenges that come with having a disability have pushed me further than I thought possible at times, but I’ve learned the importance of handling everything one step at a time.

Not everyone will get it and that’s okay

This one is something that we all need to remember.

I’ve met people that treat me differently because of my vision impairment, no matter how much I try to explain, they just don’t get it. It is important to recognise that many people do try to educate themselves on disability, offer help when it’s needed, and will do what they can to fight for an equal, accessible future for everyone. These people shouldn’t be overlooked.

As frustrating as being treated differently can be, it has made me focus on the people that matter, because they are the most important.

The people that are always there, offer constant support and have your back through everything are the ones that you need to hold onto, and show your appreciation for.

Holly stood on a bridge , there is a lake and green trees in the background. She is wearing a blue jacket and black leggings and looking towards some white swans which are in the lake at the side of her

Being your own advocate is so important

If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I am very passionate about advocating for the disability community. It’s not often I sit down and think about advocating for myself as I guess it’s something I’ve got used to doing. There was a time when I was a shy, quiet teenager. Advocating for myself never came naturally to me, but the older I got, the more I got used to advocating for myself. This then grew and I got involved with the disability community and this extended to advocating for others as well. I realised the importance of speaking up and advocating for myself and other disabled people.

Raising awareness and educating others is a huge part of the work I do, and I honestly wouldn’t have things any other way.

Progress takes time

We may find ourselves getting frustrated because we can’t see results straight away, but these things take time. It is worth the wait!

Learning braille and how to use a range of assistive technology, as well as how to use a long cane are all examples of gaining progress over time. It’s not just the practical things though, aspects such as learning to love your disability and learning to advocate for yourself take a lot of progress as well. These things didn’t happen overnight, they were all a gradual process.

Further down the line you can look back at the progress you made and know that it was worth the hard work.

Perspective is everything

Take a moment to think about the power of perspective.

Sitting down and looking at the bigger picture in regards to my vision impairment sparks these thoughts and realisations which often turn into blog posts, just like this one.

There’s no doubt about it, living in a world that wasn’t designed for us that can’t see comes with its challenges. The lack of accessibility is frustrating, and people’s negative attitudes are tiring. It would be easy for me to dwell on these aspects, but I’m grateful for my vision impairment. It’s important to recognise the challenges, it helps us to create change. But having a vision impairment is a lot more than that.

The power of perspective allows me to look at every aspect of my disability and take charge of it. It also allows me to appreciate the small aspects which often go unnoticed.

It makes me think about how proud I am to have a disability and the wonderful life I have.

Holly stood with a lake and trees in the background, she is wearing a blue jacket

Walk your own path in life

There’s so much pressure for us to be like everyone else and follow the crowd, but we are all on our own path in life. We all have our own goals and aspirations, dream jobs, places we’d like to visit or things we’d like to do, and we each have our own idea of happiness and success.

Life is different for everyone, that’s something we all need to remind ourselves of at times.

My disability has led me down my own unique path in life, it’s helped carve out my career and it has shaped some of myfuture goals and plans. I love how my disability is making my journey different and unique.

Stepping out of your comfort zone can be scary, but it is so worth it

We all find ourselves having to do things that are way out of our comfort zone. These situations can be daunting, but they can also teach us some valuable life lessons.

I’ve found myself saying yes to more opportunities over the last few years, many of which have been out of my comfort zone. But I thoroughly enjoy the experience, and find myself being glad I said yes. Stepping out of my comfort zone has helped me really grow as a person and it has built my confidence.

We may surprise ourselves sometimes, but we should be proud of making the most of the opportunities that come our way.

Acceptance is key

The topic of acceptance and disability is something that crops up quite often here on the blog, but I think it’s an important life lesson.

The more I embraced and accepted my vision impairment, the more things fit into place. The positives took centre stage and that changed everything for me.

Acceptance shows strength, courage and determination. It’s a way of looking to the future, and learning to love your disability in every shape and form.

It helps you put everything into perspective, but also shows how far you’ve come.

Holly stood on a jetty wearing a blue padded jacket, swans can be seen in a lake in the background, there are trees in the distance. She is looking towards the lake

There are many life lessons that can be learned from having a disability. Do you have any to share? Leave them in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!

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