There's no DIS in my ABILITIES!

4/1/2015

As another year at Brock University is winding down for me I am so grateful to have had another amazing year where I met some more incredible people and continued on my journey to becoming a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS). I will be completing my fourth year of study this year and will have 2 more years left to get my undergraduate degree as I am taking a light course load to balance school and training. As I put more time into this I know that I am definitely in the right career path. Being able to work with people and help them is something that I can't wait for. Being a CTRS is going to be an experience that I can bring first hand experience to as I know the amazing benefits that leisure and recreation can bring to people with different abilities as it has helped me so much. Also, advocating for people of different abilities is something that I am truly passionate about. I can't wait to empower these incredible groups of people to embrace themselves, to love themselves and show them they can do anything they want and their "disability" doesn't define who they are and isn't a limitation. In classes we always discuss looking at the person and focusing on their abilities and that is something I aim to do and advocate for. Just because people have disabilities doesn't mean they don't have incredible abilities to show the world! If we all focus on our strengths and the strengths of other individuals the world would be a much more positive place and every individual would feel accepted for who they are and what they are able to bring to the world!

I am a big fan of quotes and the two that stand out to me when I think about "disabilities" are:

1) "The only disability in life is a bad attitude!"
AND
2) "I choose to not put DIS in front of my ABILITIES"

As a society we need to move away from viewing individuals who have a disability as a personal tragedy and focus on the person and realize it is not a tragedy. It is just something that the person deals with just like everybody else has something to deal with in life. It is something that the person is able to use to bring a different perspective of the world and bring different abilities and strengths into the world! To end the blog I will repeat myself "I choose to not put DIS in front of my ABILITIES" :)

Jessica

- Desire, Dream, Vision -

2 Comments

Ron Reddam

5/9/2015 04:46:02 am

The only problem of seeing a picture and meeting jessica is her warmth as a uhn man being and how she lights up a room with her smile

My name

8/19/2017 01:54:52 am

Sometimes it seems the scientific community seeks to lack understanding of how labeling sounds and effects how people feel about them selves and how it effects how they are treated in society. To put a word like dis. In front of abilities is a oxymoron. The word dis is a negation. The word abilities applies that one could live with, or even improve ones self. Absolute thoughtfulness should be given to the use of words to describe people who have challenges, and how those words could help enhance their lives or help to devastate. Thank goodness painful, words like retarded, and handicapped, and many other painful terms which people have used in the English language as terms of stupidity and embarrassment, are no longer used. The term down syndrome. This term does not measure up to the beauty of these children. They are human beings first. Above and beyond and medical termonology, what so ever. But since termonology is so important, one would hope it be words that to not conjure images of exclusion, but could be positive, and help those around them to feel more positive, also. The word down is associated with negativity in the English language. Was the doctor who discovered it named downs? Why else would a word like down be associated with a child. It just does not seem to do these caring, beautiful kids justice, as far as words can do. When I hear Other words also, associated with mental challenged, such as the word skitsophrenia. This word has been used as insults to people. Oh it's the skit zooid. In both film and writings. The word itself conjures up something frightning. Any word that ends in zoid sounds frightning, like freak a zoid is a common word that is used by some. The people that suffer from these challenges, suffer enough. Must they also be given medical termonoligies that further to stigmatize them, and invite fear in others? No they may not act, nor look, like many, but most would not hurt another, and live the best that they can Dispite the prejudism and stigma they face in their every day lives. And one would be surprised to find how many so called normal folk actually suffer from many problems emotionally and spycologicially. That one just can not see. But does not mean is not there. Many doctors seem to be named for des eases. But what if there name will inspire mockery and shame in children? Some of the Scientific labeling given to children's challenges and diseases just sound horrible. And I wouldn't want to label any child with names like that. A child is a person first, condition secondly, Termonology should not be used to inspire, mockery, or fear, or stigma, or shame, or

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My name is Jessica Lewis and I am a wheelchair track athlete. I travel around the world competing in different competitions. I have represented Bermuda at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games! Follow me on my journey!

Jessica Lewis

There's no DIS in my ABILITIES!

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