The 'Othering' of Life With a Disability

I am an amateur poet and have been writing poetry on and off for the past 30 years. I’m also a social worker by profession and I live with a disability. Sometimes these three different aspects of my person converge to produce poetry that delves into the complexity of disability. Today’s poem talks about how disability fits in (or doesn’t) to mainstream society.

Othering

My visibility
is ruled by your sensibility
to the tangibility
of my sociability.

My mobility
depends on your agreeability
to the feasibility
of accessibility.

My livability
is based on your reliability
to keep the municipality
in a state of maneuverability.

My workability
is seen as a liability
which augments my vulnerability
to end up in poverty.

My rentability
was not your responsibility
because my stability
was tied to my disability
check.

My susceptibility
to exploitability
is a reality
I face with plausibility.

My lovability
and desire for fertility
are met with questionability
and recommendations for sterility.

My credibility
often mistaken for senility
was greeted by hostility
instead of sensitivity.

My tranquility
is rooted in humility
because teachability
is the way to sustainability.

Without variability
in capabilities
we lose civility
to fragility.