"Wow, good for you!"
"I could never do that kind of work, that's awesome!"
"It takes a special kind of person to work with those kinds of people. It's great that you can!"
"Man, the world needs more people like you. People who go out of their way to hang out with individuals who have disabilities."
These and many more are all things that I hear when I tell people that I work with individuals with disabilities. I have been working with people who are impacted by some sort of a disability for the majority of my teenage years, and I plan to do so for the rest of my life. I don't do it for the attention or for the recognition, I do it simply because I enjoy it! People who have disabilities are no less of a person than those who do not, and they should not be treated any differently because of it.
Don't get me wrong, I understand that when you say those things to me you mean for it to be a compliment. Although the comment is meant to simply be a compliment, it is degrading. Would you ever say to someone, "Good for you! You are friends with (insert random person's name here)!" Probably not. People who are impacted by some sort of a disability are human. They are someone's daughter, son, cousin, neighbor, or friend. They are not part of a separate category that should be looked at differently just because of how they naturally are, and I should not be treated any differently for being friends with them.
Little do most people know, working with people who have a disability sometimes seems more rewarding for me than it even is for them. They teach me so much more about life and how to be a good friend than any other person has. They love me and care about me so much, and they genuinely want to be around me. Have you ever been around a group of people and felt like you didn't belong? I have, but I can honestly say that I have never felt that way when hanging out with one of my friends who is impacted by some sort of a disability. I do not deserve to be exalted for working with these friends of mine, especially when they give me more than I could ever give them.
These people are human, and deserve to be treated as such! I am no better of a person than you are simply because I choose to spend my time with people who have disabilities, so don't compliment me on something that doesn't deserve a compliment! If you think that "you couldn't do what I do", I challenge you to give it a try! Go out of your way to hang out with someone who has a disability, and I promise you that you will not regret it!