For my final post, (for my project) I wanted to do a reflection on the writing process and the blog itself, the challenges I faced, and any final thought I may have. This post may be a little shorter than my others. Still, I wanted to write about the experience. A blog is a great personal narrative, a space to write down my thoughts and feelings, but also provides me a chance to find my writing style. The most challenging aspect of starting a blog is believing your words have merit and should be shared. After writing these posts, I have come to believe in myself and my words. The belief that I should be guarded about sharing my experience with disability in actuality it is precisely that rationale that makes my story worth sharing. My experiences contribute to the overall narrative of disability
The overall perception of disability needs to change. I cannot deny that there are challenges in my life that many people probably won’t consider until it happens to them. Employment, the condescending attitudes, friendship, every aspect of life is affected by disability. The social experience is shaped by the medical view. Disability is viewed as a pathology that should be healed and removed from society. What isn’t considered are the potential benefits of disability. Being different grants us the ability to see a problem from a different angle. The word disability itself is a misnomer it the term itself gives the connotation that a disabled person will never have the same ability level as someone without an impairment. Again I will not deny that a physical disability results in the loss of some function; it does not mean that it is permanently lost; it means that we must find a way to regain the function. In this way, the disability is uniquely situated. It requires that people from various backgrounds come together to solve accessibility. Few topics can bring people together and make society more equal.
By starting a blog, I hoped to start a conversation based on building on the idea of coming together while also sharing my thought on the current culture. I want people to read this to walk away with a different perspective. For people who need a voice, I hope that my words are the start of the journey to find their viewpoint. There is a lot of work that needs to be done before equality can be achieved. However, if we come together and work towards that goal, it will be achieved.
Aside from the positive aspects of this project, I did have a few setbacks that opened my eyes to the rigor of maintaining a blog. One week I got sick, and it ruined the pace of my blog. I wanted to do a post a week, but with work illness and class, I found it challenging to maintain. I also planed my topics well in advance, but I found the word count to be a challenge as well. I chose 800-1000 words as a word count because I wanted these posts to be quick reads but still be substantive for the project. There were a few topics that I struggled with because it meant condensing my thoughts and feelings within this range. Some issues I felt like I could have droned on forever, and sometimes I felt that my analysis was too short. I think going forward; I will need to revaluate the length to maximize the benefit to the readers. Maintaining an active community is a challenge, and I appreciated this project for showing me that. I hope to continue to build on these lessons as I start my mentoring program.