Intellectual Disability

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Physically Disabled, but Not Intellectually Disabled

Think about what you do best. Are you creative, a musician? Do you cook well? Were you a star athlete in high school, and do you still try to stay in shape? Maybe you are very cerebral and well-studied. You are humble enough to know you have weaknesses, but see your strength as your contribution to the world. Something you can fall back on and say you are good at, even in the face of other challenges you may face in life.

Imagine a world in which not only are you not recognized for your strengths, but your strengths are actually seen as weaknesses. Ever since you were a kid, people assumed your strength was a weakness, and you know that there will always be people who make that assumption until the day that you die, no matter how hard you work at your strength or how many accolades you receive.

There is a widespread misconception that most people with physical disabilities also have intellectual disabilities. Statistics show that this is not the case. Common physical disabilities include cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and muscular dystrophy. Around 50-70% of people with cerebral palsy do not have any intellectual or learning disabilities, according to the www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-palsy and www.cerebralpalsy.org/information/cognition Estimates show that around 70% of people with muscular dystrophy do not have any intellectual or learning disabilities, according to the www.mda.org/quest/article/when-neuromuscular-disease-affects-the-brain. According to the www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/spinabifida/conditioninfo/di..., 80% of people with spina bifida do not have any intellectual or learning disabilities. These statistics do not include many other forms of physical disability, including, but not limited to, physical disability as a result of chronic illness or injury.

The truth is that not only do most people with physical disabilities not have intellectual disabilities, but many of us have above-average intelligence. Like a blind person with strong hearing or a deaf person who can see well, people with physical disabilities often use their intelligence to compensate for their weaknesses.

As a child, I was not playing on sports teams or dancing in recitals. I was reading, working on homework, and trying to win academic awards. It’s what I knew I could do well, and gosh darn, I was going to excel at it. For most of my academic career, I was not in special education classrooms. I was in Honors classrooms.

This is not to say people with physical disabilities are better than those with intellectual disabilities or that intellectual disability is a valid reason to treat someone poorly. Every person-whether physically disabled, intellectually disabled, or both, deserves to be recognized for their strengths and accommodated for their weaknesses. (According to the www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/intellectual-disability..., 85% of those with intellectual disabilities only have a mild intellectual disability. Also, even those with severe intellectual disabilities have value as human beings.)

This is about the many times I’ve overheard people whisper in shock, “Jen’s actually smart.” This is about people speaking more slowly or over-explaining things to my friends and me. This is about employers making pre-judgements about candidates with visible disabilities. This is about how many accessible recreational activities, social activities, and even church programs for people with disabilities are geared toward those with intellectual disabilities or even children. (At times, the leaders of such programs assume grown adults with physical disabilities need their parent’s permission to participate.)

This is about the strengths of people with physical disabilities being mistaken for our weaknesses.

Quest - Article - When Neuromuscular Disease Affects the Brain | Muscular Dystrophy Association

If you’re the parent of a child with a neuromuscular disease, you’ve probably heard something about learning disabilities, mental retardation or emotional problems that accompany some of the muscular dystrophies and related diseases. But this information is often expressed in vague, general terms, leaving a parent wondering what specifically has gone wrong, whether the child’s school problem is directly related to his neuromuscular disease or not, and — perhaps most important — what can be done to help. Several neuromuscular diseases can involve cognitive problems.
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Getting Away

I want to get away specifically from people who have problems like my neighbor. I have done everything for her and she is almost blind and is defensive about her issues.

She acts like I have an intellectual disability and said in front of me to my mom that she’s impressed with how my mom handles our situation. Our situation?!

She is really prideful and thinks she needs no help. When my mom helps her she goes on and on about how wonderful it was but when I offer she is really rude.

I don’t know why I expose myself to her. I feel like getting into the car with a coffee and driving away.

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Mothers Day 2023

To the woman who had admired me since birth and gave birth to me. 🌸🌺

엄마 어머니 날 축하해요 사랑해요 😘🩷

Mom without you knowing I just want you to say thank you. Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you for being a number 1 fan of me. Thank you for making me smile.
Thank you for being my inspiration.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you for sharing your testimony.
Thank you for everything. I appreciate you always.

Mom even though you doubt so many times you made it through I love you mom and I want you to know I will succeed in life.

God has chosen you to be my mom. I know it is tough seeing me in my battles you always reassured me saying it is going to be okay when things are rocky.

So blessed that I get to see you each day and even make the memories we have.

Thank you for the delicious food you always make and I will love you forever.

The quote from the book Love You Forever by Robert Munch goes “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always. As long as I’m living, my mommy you will be” 💜

You went through so much mentally, physically and spiritually but I am always proud of you mom and can’t wait to make you proud next from my first milestones, from graduating all schools from elementary, middle school, high school and college from getting a chance to volunteer in the best hospital yet SickKids and so much more

You inspired me to keep going on my feet 👣
You always knew there was a finish line 🏁
You always think I can and I thought I could 🚂

Happy Mother’s Day 2023 mom cheers for more
I will always be your daughter who has autism, hearing impairment and mild intellectual disability 🫶🏼

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Letters to me part 3

This is part 3 of my letters to me. I am so sorry for the long long message those who don’t like lengthy messages. Also, reflect on the other 2 before you come to this one. Read it with a careful and thoughtful heart again 🙏🏼🖤🥺

Dear young teenage Jenny Jin-Young Lee. Hey girl it is the adult Jenny writing this I know you can’t come back but here is my letter to you. I know getting abused was a nightmare. But you kept climbing up the mountain called life. I know striving through for being autistic, hearing impaired and mild intellectual disability along with dyslexia is a challenge but you are strong. No matter who you hurt that's what you expect yourself to say, isn't it?

You do have a little secret you are broken behind each mean mark, rude even a glance, snipe, or comment you are terrified of being the villain in everyone’s life you want to be good how when everyone sees you as a snake. Understanding yourself is hard I get it. Being one of the other people who is diagnosed is harder. You always get judged before people know you. As you can see Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter is the same as you and out of the blue, you wanna be a part of other people’s lives.

Being a snake does hurt the only way you can do is learn to love the pain. Therefore you are part of a Slytherin house and think about those who love Harry Potter. You can feel like you will never be anyone’s hero.

But you are finished being the villain of your life if you think you are the “bad guy” in other people’s lives. I know it was rough when people misunderstood you just of course being Korean and so much more.
Darkness will make you felt not good enough for anyone, feel want to collapse, would make your organs go worse, abused, scared, make impulsive but dumb decisions, feel insecure, embarrassed, discouraged, emotionally declined, have fake friends even wannabes also be a liar, etc as you get older.

Also losing Lily Leah your Yorkshire terrier was the biggest heartbreak from the moment you lose her the more you will strive to have another dog which I know you will. After you will lose your great-grandmother on your mother’s side of the family. Straight after you will lose your very first mentor in life but some of the things you will find new things. For example new dog and new mentors.

But always know everything will be okay and there will be people that assume everything about you but don’t let them do it to you because you are going to just do it and stay quiet about everything much as possible and wait until you are ready. Everyone will be stoked to hear everything you went through.

You will make the people around you proud and you aren’t going to be picture-perfect I promise you will be okay. It was hard to believe in yourself but it is okay you got this.
Sometimes you will have some deja vu moments when you are older you will see what it is. Keep at it Jenny as your parents would say 화이팅 진영아! You will be like a champion in your life soon.I know you will go through a lot but it was hard. You went through 2 surgeries but when you get older you will have 2 more so keep trying to find interventions to hear in your ear that is your right but the left is for something else. Sometimes you gotta know to keep trying and moving forward.

But as you get older you will have fake friends and wannabes but you will find them around the age of 23. You had countless moments where you would cry until you couldn’t even cry anymore. No one saw you crying because you just didn’t want to fall. But it is okay to teenager Jenny I am sure of it. Also the teen years you had were 2008 to 2013 they will always be memorable and cherish because those were the days where you felt yourself but you will continue to do so.

From Jenny the adult

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I just wish my intellectual disability doesn’t control my life. I wanted to get a mother’s gift for some friends I know because why not but all of sudden I have to email this it really pisses me off. 😒

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Pelvic Exam of 2023

Hey 👋🏼 kings and queens 🤴🏻 👸🏻 so I just to start off I know I had a story that was bothering me since February of this year but here is the answer to it now. Around before this I had told my parents and best friend that I made a decision that I will go for a pelvic exam🧐 . Plus I always looked bloated 🤰🏻 I thought 💭 it was fat or even pregnant but it wasn’t but please be respectful and give reassurance as a find a way to recover from this ❤️‍🩹We will see where this is headed. Also this is why I have been so quiet after February and have not been checking in those who I wanted to check in also sounded something off. I stopped posting since February 5th of this year. Anyway so I had been declining a Pelvic exam since I was 18 years old I was scared to find out and all due to my autism, anxiety, social anxiety and depression) I really have been a survivor since I was 13 years of age. ✌🏼Also I declined on going to the doctor 👨🏻‍⚕️ for a long time since I was 18 also I heard that word high cholesterol from my doctor’s words that it was in my blood 🩸as well and I need to take care of it so now 4 years as passed. I will be getting referred to go and get a Pelvic examination🧐 and call an ambulance 🚑 for myself. But I will be going to be okay that’s all I want think of for me I had the mentality that it’s just a puzzle 🧩 piece when I found out having autism, it’s just a block in my ear 👂🏼 for my hearing loss on my right ear so ended up using a hearing aid 🦻🏼 it needs some screwing 🪛 when I had been diagnosed with mild intellectual disability along with dyslexia when

I read as well📘 it is just another block in my eyes 👀 so I need glasses 👓 due to my astigmatism lastly it’s just a huge balloon 🎈 behind me when I had DD breasts I will share soon🔜 let’s strike hard together 🥋 I am going to be okay as there is this saying “go little rockstar” 🤘🏼 and we got this. Thanks to one of the YouTubers I appreciate to tell to double check my health no matter what 🙏🏼🖤 I know I was supposed to get it checked at 18 just once again it was my anxiety anyway also please take care of yourself when things are wrong and before it’s too late 🗣️ be easy on me as I go through this. But it is all the dizziness 😵‍💫, struggling to get up, feeling weak 🦴, the fatigue 🥱 moments, almost collapsed moments, collapsed moments, black out moments, sleepless night, waking up randomly in the morning ☀️ and so much more here is the reason. Just know I will be okay 👌🏼 just pray for me as I go through this time I am seeking reassurance 🫂, thoughts 💭, prayers 🙏🏼, the hype 👏🏼 and patience plus might need some peace so once I recover I can be back to my black belt 🥋 training and the next other chapters can’t wait to update you all soon but goodbye cyst ball I am that one ball of wonder baby 🤘🏼 plus I know cyst or cancer don’t know what it will be is scary word but I will be okay just keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I recover slowly I felt like a kangaroo 🦘

With love 🖤and respect

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Experience Disability in Books

The term ‘Experience Disability’ was first explored at elementary school in Georgia. It was a one day event and grade by grade, the children moved through various stations of experiences. At one table they wore glasses smeared with vaseline and were asked to read. At another, they were given marshmallows to fill their mouths and then they tried to speak. There were wheelchairs and crutches to maneuver and a secret told to ears full of cotton. They were given headphones playing loud static noise and encouraged to try and answer a question. Each station was designed to expand their understanding of being disabled. It was an incredible perspective-changing experience for both the children and their teachers.

Not everyone has the opportunity to actually experience disability but we can immerse ourselves in words and images. Through this list of highly-rated new and classic fiction and nonfiction books, readers of all ages can experience what is like to be physically, emotionally and mentally challenged.

Disability Visibility: First Person Stories From The Twenty-First Century

Edited by Alice Wong,

A collection of true life experiences told by

individuals with disabilities

Flowers for Algernon

by Daniel Keyes

Classic novel about an experiment gone right then wrong

True Biz

by Sara Novik

Students and teachers at boarding school for the deaf

and their struggle in a mainstream world

Fish In A Tree

by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

A student tries to hide their learning disability and finds redemption

Stones from the River

by Ursula Hegi

A woman with dwarfism navigates life during World War I and II

The Sound and The Fury

by William Faulkner

Complex southern novel with a first person account told by a sensitive young man with an intellectual disability

Laughing at my Nightmare

by Shane Burcaw

Living in a wheelchair viewed with humor and candor

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime

by Mark Haddon

An English teenager with “differences” solves a

mystery and discovers even more

Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck

Two migrant working friends, one with an intellectual disability, face a callous world

Haben: The deafblind woman who conquered Harvard Law

By Haben Girma

The inspiring true story of a lifetime of determination told with warmth and wit

And 10 Notable Children’s Books

The Planet Earth is Blue

by Nicole Panteleakos

A nonverbal girl and her passion for space

Dancing with Daddy

by Anitra Rowe Schulz

A young girl in a wheelchair anticipates an upcoming dance

A Storm of Strawberries

by Jo Cotterill

First person narrative by a 12-year old with Down syndrome who loves chocolate and dancing

El Deafo

by Cece Bell

Cece is deaf with superpowers and both present

interesting and funny events

A Walk in the Words

by Hudson Talbott

A boy with dyslexia struggles with words and finds solace in nature

The Beach is Loud

by Samantha Cotterill

A child with Autism struggles with the reality of noise

A Sky Blue Bench

by Bahram Rahman

A young Afghan schoolgirl resumes school after an accident disables her

My City Speaks

by Darren Lebeuf

A visually-impaired girl explores her city

using all of her other senses

A Bird will Soar

by Alison Green Myers

A bird-loving boy with autism finds an eaglet

It’s Okay to be Different

by Todd Parr

A picture book for youngsters about embracing our differences.

As a parent of a child with a disability and a former teacher and children’s librarian, I believe that books can create awareness and acceptance of all the wonderful uniqueness in this world.

Originally published here: www.gracesigns.org/post/experience-disability-in-books

Experience Disability in Books

Books about being disabled for adults and children
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