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PH Columnist Discusses Acceptance & Disability Pride
Pulmonary hypertension columnist Mike Naple shared this piece last Disability Pride Month, hitting on a lot of the nuances of coming to accept and identify as a disabled person. He discusses feelings of pressure to not be disabled in society, and how people perceive him differently when he uses a nasal cannula–a visible cue to others of his illness.
As he grapples with ableism in the workplace, and in his personal sphere, Mike also recognizes a deep resonance with “disabled” as an identity. As someone who had a slow entrance into disability–not a “physical detonation” as he puts it–Mike has found the journey to acceptance to be one of finding the language to associate with his feelings and the courage to claim space in the world as a disabled man.What language helps you to understand and explain your disability to yourself and others? Do you feel like you suffer from internalized ableism? How can we be more compassionate to ourselves and others in their disability/chronic disease journey?
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