Advice to my younger self regarding disability

Life with a disability is hard.  The greater your disability, the more difficult it becomes.  In my head I often view it like a soccer league with no promotion/relegation.  You are stuck in the division you were born in.  Unless of course you acquire an injury.

In the Premier League you have people like myself with very severe physical disability and then you have the able bodied in Division 3 and the non leagues.  Life is much easier for them in theory or in my little head lol

But what would I say to my younger self or a younger person with a severe physical disability?

A) Embrace aids and technology.  This might seem like a misnomer.  Like hopefully you are at least driving around on an electric wheelchair.  But I remember how it irritated me, when I first seen a hoist or it was suggested that I use an electric bed.  I felt I was becoming less “normal” and more distant from everybody else.  I’m not sure if the average person with a disability feels this way but I suspect that that they do.

I was wrong.  Each new device has given me extra freedom and made my life easier.  These are things that should be embraced, if needed.

B)  Nobody is perfect and everybody has problems.  See this is where my analogy totally breaks down.  That league is just a self-delusional myth.  Maybe that pretty girl is desparately lonely and would love to talk to you.  Perhaps the greatest issue you have is psychological.  You really are just another human being, not more or less special than anybody else.

C)  Education.  You need skills you can sell.  Studying and getting results are important.  You will not be able to become a brick layer.  This may be true for everybody with the advance of robots.

D)  Housing.  If there is social housing in your country, apply as early as you can.  This will give you options in the future.

On a more practical level, if you must drink and drive your wheelchair always minimize the risks on your journey back.  Otherwise you run the risk of losing a few teeth.