Originally published: September 15, 2017
Publisher: Huffingtonpost.co.uk
There are one billion people in the world with disabilities, in fact more than one billion. We need to have a conversation about disability which is progressive and forward-thinking.
As a person diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, I am still astonished at how there are so many problems of discrimination and lack of access to opportunity. My diagnosis came after having difficulties getting on at school. I wouldn’t say that I felt different, but certainly knew that I wasn’t like everyone else.
Nobody is having the conversation, which is so sadly lacking in today’s society. That a disability does not need to be seen as an inability. I find it interesting that much of the time, it is up to people with disabilities themselves to advocate and make the difference they need in their own lives. I had to - I had no choice but to work hard, put this new ‘Autism’ label behind me and power on through my studies and carry on with my life.
