Forget Social Darwinism; will to prove them wrong!

If anyone’s ever told you that riding the short bus is “no big deal,” let me tell you: They’re right … but they’re also wrong.  Even fourth-graders with learning and mental disabilities understand the burden of labels and social norms. It’s their duty later in life to dispel those norms.

For me, it went much further than riding a “Twinkie” to school.

I was always faced with two perspectives of myself: smart, and retarded.

Growing up with Asperger’s, ADHD, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, learning came slow and difficult for me. It still does. I would become so overstimulated with noise and social interaction that I would come home from school exhausted. My decompressing tradition included laying flat on my back on my bed, listening to music, and rocking vigorously side-to-side. I still do this, but not as frequently.

On the surface, I have many barriers, but internally, I am very intelligent. Fortunately, in grade school, I knew the satisfaction of getting As and Bs, answering complicated questions, and being rewarded for good behavior. But, I also knew the embarrassment of being removed from class to sit on a bubble seat, being caught by peers chewing on my “bloopy” (rubber oral stimulation straw), and taken out of recess because I had an “episode.”

Math has been the crux of my hardship in school. After the fourth grade, I did not pass a single math class. I went four years through high school excelling in advanced English classes whilst failing every pre-algebra and foreign language class.

With Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, it’s very difficult for the brain to make connections. Often, directions must be repeated over and over again for an individual with FAS to understand. Instead of the information traveling in the brain, say, from A to B to C to D, information wanders from C to A to B to finally D. This hangup made math very difficult for me. Recently, I have developed some study skills to help me finally pass Algebra and Geometry.

The reality is, no matter what age, people with cognitive, social, and learning disabilities are put in a separate category from those with physical disabilities. While neither category is positive, it’s almost as if having a brain-centered disability marks you as ineligible for a career.

My previous foster sister was not able to make good grades. With an IQ somewhere in the low 50s, it would take a miracle for her to land a career. But this is where I find our social battlefield at fault. Social norms tell my sister that she is too dumb for a good salary. Her fate will be sealed when she becomes a stripper or a custodian at a fast food joint. But so-called social norms know absolutely nothing about my sister’s hospitality skills and her passion for animals. Who are they to say because she won’t become a doctor or a CEO, that she is less accomplished? Whatever she does – if she puts her mind, heart and soul into it – will benefit us.

If you have a mental disability, or even if you don’t, you should consider pushing yourself beyond what the world thinks you can do. Every great hero has proved his or her adversaries wrong, or amazed them in some way. Even if you have a wonderful support system, you can be your greatest nemesis. So, prove yourself wrong. Refrain from degrading yourself if you haven’t earned as many awards, trophies, or titles as the next person. For every one of us, there is a next person, and a next person, and a next person, and a next person.

Life isn’t about making it to the top – although people who have made it to the top can be a great influence and role model for people who wish to do so. For most people, the ladder of life is about hanging on to the hand above you that is helping you up, and reaching down to the person who’s below you. Basically, SCREW the misconception of Social Darwinism.

I wish I could give you all the cheats and tools for overcoming the greatest challenges in academia. The truth is: I don’t know where you’re at. If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t know where you’re at, yourself. This is why I deeply encourage you to speak with the MHCC’s disability coordinator and counselor, Elizabeth Johnson. Talk to the people in that department (located in Student Services) about the course, SKD10, available to students who register and qualify. Basically, this course will help you learn how to learn.

I wish you all the best!

Sincerely, Emily Wintringham, Opinion Editor