Yesterday I was at the YMCA teaching my class and there was a lady who was there with her grandchildren. They are good kids and as we finished up the first hour of workouts and heading to the pool, I had a few kids being silly. The woman voiced that she wouldn’t take that and would sit them on a bench. I brushed it off.
We get in the pool and some more digs were made and again I let it slide. The kids were having a blast and enjoying themselves and as quick as it started class was over. As I was walking out of the change room I had on my YMCA volunteer shirt and the grandparent look at me and said
“Oh you just volunteer here?” to which I said I do. She had this look of shock that someone would do this as a volunteer she asked what else I teach. I told her that I also teach IronTots at noon and Youth night from 5-9pm. She asked me what my Job was and I told her volunteer instructor. She said “No your real job?”
I told her I was on Disability and I swear to you that her head snapped back and she said “What?” I repeated myself and she said “Why? You don’t look disabled to me? You look normal to me. Oh you’re just milking the system.” I looked at her and said calmly that I have Tourette Syndrome and that I am nice enough to take time out of my studies as a student and Triathlon training to teach her grandchildren about the sport.
There seems to be a lot more focus on Fat shaming these days and that is great to get the word out there but what about those who are mentally disabled? Not everyone looks like we are disabled, we look like everyone else. Some are battling Depression, Social Anxiety (SA), Autism, Asperger Syndrome (AS), Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or like myself Tourette Syndrome (TS).
I know allot of people who suffer from all of the above mentioned illnesses and yes I have friends who are physically disabled too and it bothers me when I will be with them and see people making fun of someone because they are in a wheelchair, blind, or are having a moment when they have involuntary body movements and people like to point it out.
Well I want to say that it sucks. I have been bullied all of my life because of it and NOW is my time to stand up and say STOP. I held my cool with that grandparent but I want people to know that we may brush it off but it cuts like a knife DEEP. Please think what you are about to say before you say it. It may not sound like it hurts but it does.
