When I was a little girl, I was blessed with the greatest gift and the thing I wanted the most — a little brother. To this day, he is the greatest blessing to me; however, back when I was that little girl, I was not prepared to be a big sister to a little brother with special needs.
As Adam and I grew up, my knowledge regarding those with disabilities increased, and his disabilities appeared to become more prevalent.
Unless someone is blessed to be close to someone with special needs (whether due to a career, being a loved one, etc) there are a lot of construed ideas about those with disabilities. There are a lot of hard truths that many do not know or realize.
More often than not, television shows cast roles to those with special needs, specifically down syndrome, to come off as goofy and silly. The roles tend to be light-hearted and do not always dive deep into the many facets of those with special needs.
Scrolling through Facebook and Twitter, viewing those silly little ten second videos featuring something “funny” or “cute” a child with disabilities says also gives society inaccurate expectations of those with disabilities. Sure, these roles and videos show that those with disabilities can have a sense of humor just like we do, but sometimes this gives those without the proper knowledge a sheltered view.
A majority of society gains awareness about those with disabilities through these media outlets. Because I love someone with disabilities so incredibly much, I cannot for one second say I am unhappy that the media is spreading awareness and allowing such kind souls to provide laughter and a smile to society. I am unhappy with the fact that so many people are uninformed about the immense, unmentioned struggles faced.
We want those with special needs to be functioning parts of society — and with that being said we need to be willing to understand their special minds and special needs a little better.
Here is a little truth for you:
My 16-year-old little brother throws temper tantrums like a 4-year-old does. There is nothing goofy and cute about this. Last week in the airport he started screaming, “This is bullshit,” while going through airport security — the entire time hitting my dad and crying. I do not love him any less because of this. I love him so much it hurts, but this is a real side of him.
Here is another hard truth:
My parents have lost countless hours of sleep because they fear the future for my little brother. The fear he won’t gain enough independence to live on his own when they are no longer around. They fear an employer won’t take a chance on him and give him a job. These media representations of those with special needs leave this part out.
I could go on and on with these truths -- as could others. Everyone has their own truths and stories because everyone with disabilities is different, yet there are still stories.
I love my little brother more than life itself. No seriously, I do. If there is one person in this world I would give my life up for, it would be him. He is happy and go-lucky. He says funny, silly things that I tweet about. He loves everyone and everything. He also hates things and struggles. He is human.
Plus, my parents are kind of like superheroes. They, as well as other caretakers and parents, go through way more than most people think and realize.
All in all, the point of this article bring awareness about the real struggles those with disabilities face — and the struggles their loved ones and caretakers face. My little brother is my whole world and he inspires me in so many ways and as a community, it is important to me that we are aware that he functions a little differently and it isn’t always funny and cute. Also, even though I think he has the world at his fingertips, his future ultimately is unpredictable.
So, for me, next time you see a teenager with severe autism, screaming profane language, and having a temper tantrum don’t be freaked out — just remember those with disabilities have bad days, too. They are just like us.