Walking the path of having a Learning Disability

One of my favorite hobbies is walking. I am unable to drive because of my visual perception, but enjoy walking to get to places when I can’t get a ride. I love taking pictures of flowers and other interesting details that other people miss while driving. My husband and I also love going on adventures together. Having a Learning Disability has caused me to walk a path different than a neurotypical person.

I began the path of a Learning Disability as a young child. I don’t remember much of the path prior to my diagnosis. One of the advantages of finding out I had a disability as a young child, is that it became a lifestyle. The start of the journey was a path that lead to a dark scary forest. I was frustrated and wanted to learn and do well but it seemed impossible. The path was rocky and unclear. I could hear the voices of peers who had an easier path. I can remember stumbling on the rocks, and debris. Thankfully I had parents who picked me up when I fell. My parents explained that I had a Learning Disability and that I learned differently. My teachers shined a light on the dark path and gave me accommodations that I could use to help my disability. Slowly a dim light began to emerge and I began to stumble less. I still struggled in school but it got easier academically as I progressed through school. I also saw beauty on the path. I could see flowers blooming and hear the birds singing.

The path may have been easier academically, but socially the path became more difficult. I walked much of the path without my peers. Many people didn’t want to be my friend because of my disability. The cold wind blew on the path and the forest became darker. The trees were barren and the forest seemed never ending. The path was lonely. I can remember feeling left out as I watched others walk the path together. Other people would sometimes join me, and would bully me. Slowly I began to find other people who did like me. I am grateful for those who were kind to me and stuck with me on this path.

As an adult the path became easier in many ways. I couldn’t veer of the path of having a disability, that is a life long journey. I could use tools that made the path I had to walk more manageable. Finding out what worked helped me to learn, work, and live. Not using the techniques to avoid stigma made my journey more difficult. The longer I have been on the journey I have seen that others who I thought had a paved easy path, had struggles too. More people also began to walk along the path with me. Some of the people that I have had chance to meet have disabilities too. I began to feel less alone as I walked through this path with others.

I will always walk the path of having a Learning Disability. I didn’t chose this path, but has taught me empathy, and resilience. Many people who don’t have a disability don’t understand the path that I walk. I chose to extend grace to them and to those who have hurt me in the past. Sometimes I think of what my life would be if I got to walk on a different path. Other paths may offer the ease of not having a disability, but I would not have had the same story. I wouldn’t have been able to meet the people that I got to meet and wouldn’t be able to have the same opportunities. I also wouldn’t be able to truly know what it would be like to walk this road, if I never walked it myself. The path of having a disability may not be easy, but it leads to a much richer journey.