If you were disabled and no longer able to function normally...?

eh. I count my blessings....I also joke about it a lot.

(Who needs a blender when you have a tremor? Just place the berries, cream and sugar in your hand, skip your meds and go outside (into the arctic tundra) and voila-ice cream.)

Edit: I also love looking TERRIBLY offended when one of my co-workers asks me "what's shaking?" And saying I get "vibrations" from things, and making jokes I can't say here... The Orthostatic tremors are the worst, though, feels like a knife in your body, and unless you're hooked up to something registering electrical conduction no one else perceives it....so you become person who randomly whimpers for no reason... :(

I have a type of physical disability that is subtle to the eye and unless you spent some time with me, you'd never really know about it.

I've had this disability for about 14 years, so I was a young woman when I had my accident. At first I was in too much pain to be feeling resentful and negative; all my energy was focused on getting better and just trying to live and get by. Once my life reached some kind of balance, I had to begin to learn ways to get around and function without upsetting my disability.

The most frustrating part is not being able to do things that a young woman should be able to do (I'm only 32; I was still a teenager when it happened). And since it isn't exactly obvious, people tend to forget and/or they dismiss the seriousness of it. When you're young, a lot of people, especially older people, don't believe that I'm disabled (if I had a quarter for every time I've been told I don't know what pain is...). This has lessened some since I've gotten older but I still get it from time to time.

Mostly, I'm pretty accepting. I just live my life but I have to do things in a way that makes it easier for me. I don't discourage people from helping me, I'm not a bitter, angry person, I don't blame anything for what happened (I certainly didn't SUE anyone!). It just happened. I can't change it. It was very unfortunate but it is what it is. Some days are better than others but it isn't getting me down.

Blessed Be! )0(

being nice has nothing to do with it, its about building respect dignity and a sense of understanding upon the part of the person with out a disability. Like the last responder said the word handicapped is offensive. Disabled is the preferred term for a person with a physical or mental impairment another one would be a person with a disability or people with disabilities you can use the acronym PwD i know this is off topic but here: if you wanna be nice don't put your hand in my cap to give me money, give me a job, teach me your trade, let me be your apprentice, tutor me in the ways of the economically self sufficient man. Like the saying goes give a man a fish today he is starving tomorrow, teach a man to fish as long as there are fish he will never starve

I can answer this personally and also from knowledge of my husband's disability. I have a chronic pain disease that keeps me from doing things that I should be able to do at the age that I am. And my husband was perm. disabled 5 years ago at work, so there are many days that we are at home unable to do much at all- however we can still praise God, we can still be joyful, because we are looking to that day when we will see Jesus face to face, and we will not be disabled in any way for a LOT longer than we are on this earth, in this life. I have learned to be thankful IN all circumstances, even if I may not be thankful FOR all circumstances.

EDIT- I am not angry but I would really like to know why someone would give me a thumbs down, for sharing my personal story of my faith in God. Just interested.

that comment is actually the other way around. I would think that most Christian's (I know) would blame God and live a miserable life while most atheists (once again that I know) would simply say, "Damn, this sucks, but let's make the most of it". Though that's just from my personal experience.

However, I feel that in general they would both be angry at first and overcome it eventually. The Christian would overcome it by not accepting responsibility and saying it was "God's will", while the atheist would say, "That's what I get for not paying attention while driving" etc., accept responsibility and/or that it was an accident, and move on. I personally find the "leaving it up to God's will" side to be, for lack of a better word, immature.

I have become severely disabled, I can't work, I can't be in crowds or i places that I don't have immediate access to an exit; I succumb to extreme panic attacks and axiety, I have severe and debilitating atypical depression and my body rejects or reacts adversely to almost every med the doctors have given me. I became this way after many traumatic experiences including some from my career in the USAF.

Sometimes I am bitter, because much of what I experienced was unnecessary and was at the hands of cruel, hurtful people. I gave up on giving it meaning, it just is. I'm Atheist, I was before most of these experiences so they didn't cause me to turn my back on god. Sometimes I'm frustrated because I can't do what I used to be able to do, and I'm still young. Sometimes I'm extremely bored, sometimes I'm extremely scared, and sometimes extremely angry. Especially when it comes to laws regarding the physically disabled vs the mentally disabled. Physically disabled people at least have adaptive equipment that allows them to get around and work, and yet it's easier for them to collect disability, and in the state of California if you're mobility impaired, you don't have to pay to have one car registered or tagged, and if you're a disabled vet, you have the letters "dv" on your plates, showing you became disabled while serving your country. I became disabled while serving my country, I cannot work, yet I must pay to have my car tagged and registered (about $300/year) and I don't get to display my "dv" on my license plate. I just get to be the crazy person with no story, who just appears lazy because I have all my body parts still.

answer: I am disabled and have been for a number of years. I didn't blame any deity - merely worked on living with it. I didn't look for comfort from my deities nor did I blame them. I think an atheist would do the same, learn to live with, learn to work around it and get on.

The person that answered that way is an idiot. Maybe they'll have a chance to test their viewpoint someday.

btw: good to see you here, my friend!

I'm Jewish, we keep on.

Fortunately, Jews don't tell me that my disabilities are 'all part of God's plan for me" or even worse, that anyone's disabilities (like learning difficulties) are part of some cosmic education plan for normally-abled folk.

I don't blame anyone, never have, even though the truth is that my problems stem from our society's addiction to synthetic chemicals. If we reduced that burden, my body would be able to cope and I'd be functional.

But over and over again, I see 'well-intentioned' people blethering on about things they don't understand and applying their theological ideas to it.

And more often than not, it's grossly insulting.

I have inherited neurological disorders. I also exhibit some signs of autism, according to my neurologist. If not for that fine doctor, I could not drive, hold a job or even speak properly (and now I am a voice-over artist in addition to my other job in media.) Toss in typing too.

I've never been bitter because my mother and grandmother had mild head and hand tremors. Mine just kept getting worse to the point of sleep seizures. Instead of getting angry, I wanted answers and possible treatments.

I think of it in these terms: if I didn't have these genetic problems, I would not have my wonderful mother.

And just in case any fundies will be upset, my neurologist is a Reform Jew.

I was temporally disabled after a spinal operation years ago and it was weird and very scary. It wouldn't make me bitter or angry to be permanently disabled, but maybe upset and worried.