Assumptions and Community

Dear Readers,

I haven't written in a while. I'm one of those people who doesn't want to add ideas that are already shared by others. I like to bring new conversations into the mix. It takes specific situations to cause me to write.

A couple weeks ago I was in orientation for my summer job. I experienced an awkward situation that challenged me to think about how others think of people with disabilities. A large group of staff members were sitting at a table for breakfast. It was one of the first days, so everyone was getting to know each other. One person at the table started asking each individual at the table what book they are reading. Everyone described recent reads and how much they liked or disliked them. The person leading the conversation asked every other person at the table about reading, except for me.

Most people at the table probably thought nothing of the situation. I, however, felt terrible. I felt excluded. I don't always feel the need to insert my thoughts into every conversation. I didn't feel bad because others didn't get to hear about the books I'm reading. I felt bad that people assumed I had nothing to talk about.

Assumptions can be dangerous. They may seem insignificant in little conversations like this. But even the smallest conversation can make someone feel a part of something or like an outsider. Although I have found other ways to gel with the others I work with, this first experience with them was very challenging for me. It affirmed one of my greatest concerns in life, that of being different. Don't get me wrong. Different is good! But this concern is that of being so different that it's hard for others to relate to me. It's a feeling that is so common in the disability community. It's a concern that isn't necessarily true but that still separates people from one another.

Don't assume that a person who is blind can't read, that a person who is deaf doesn't listen to music, or that a person with an intellectual disability doesn't love to learn. For what it's worth, I love to listen to audiobooks and also read large print on my Kindle. I would have loved to share in conversation with others about reading not so that they could hear my voice but so that we could be in community together.

Something to think about!
Sara