I’m compelled to bring this to my audience’s attention, as this particular type of prejudice tends to be over-looked. Especially when a person’s injury is invisible, albeit all-encompassing, like mine. The reality that I’ve repeatedly been the recipient of prejudice, maddens me but also offers me the unique opportunity to speak to it, first hand.
I’d like to state, initially, that this post in no way excuses acting with any type of prejudice, ever. Every prejudice is completely unfounded & wrong. Other prejudices have been given greater visibility lately, which I commend. This particular prejudice deserves increased awareness as well, which I have the opportunity to facilitate.
According to Miriam Webster, predudice is defined as: “an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics.”
The aforementioned definition speaks to the naive prejudice of others assessing my person, but it also speaks to the presumed characteristics that “everyone who has a brain injury” has. This presumption is innately flawed, as everyone with a brain injury is completely unique. After-all, everyone’s brain is entirely individualistic, as well as their particular type of brain injury (there are many).
When I had trouble walking and my gait was visually tremendously askew, I experienced ample prejudice. Some were incredibly kind, (helping me cross a crosswalk in time). Conversely, others looked away, avoiding eye contact. It was clear to me that their dedication to avoiding awareness of my disability, was spurred by irrational fear. Fear of anyone that doesn’t look and/or act like them, seems to be a thread in our society, as a recent, horrific & completely unjustified event displays.
Now my life has become bigger & as well as more pleasure-filled. It’s only sensible that my motivation has been evoked by personal progression. This progression has been spurred by my successful reclamation of skills.
I must say, that doing anything, let alone something new, didn’t appeal to me in the slightest, up until now.
It has taken 8 years for me to desire talking of this. Rationale: this critical TBI had already consumed very nearly all of my life. I was repulsed (truly, of that intensity) by the idea of choosing to practice my art: freedom of expression, to describe my recovery, explicitly. In so doing, I would devote my art to my critical TBI, specifically the majority of all related symptoms. This disability would then consume my life, nearly entirely.
Comrades at the mindfulness Sanctuary (which took place directly before my accident) confirm that this trend was already developing prior to the accident. My draw toward nature, growing my own food & existing in community, is in part, why I chose to attend that specific retreat. It was much more about fostering mindful wholeness, awareness & wellbeing, than practicing the physical postures of yoga, that, specifically was only 1 aspect.
My desires have altered (as has been confirmed would very likely take place, ((resulting from my severe TBI)) by multiple phycologists of mine).
But now (7 years post incurring my severe TBI, astoundingly early given the extreme severity of my TBI ((according to doctors, from all 3 hospitals I attended))) my reality has finally begun to expand. My abilities are now much closer to matching my desires.
My devotion to justice (for myself as well as all other disabled individuals) now overwhelms my distaste for enveloping my brain injury with all else in my life.