#tobea

When I tell others I have autism they usually say ‘sorry,' but you don't have to be sorry, it's what I get to deal with, you don't have to apologise. We all deal with something. I am okay with it… it has opened more doors than it has closed. But please be a support because I deal with difference. With autism I think and interpret the world differently. Do I wish I’d had more support? Yes, but what I have learned is that I need to continue to focus on the things that allow me to ‘be me’ and worry less about what others think about me and what I deal with. I have a disability that encompasses, a physical, mental and emotional disability. Does that make me different? Yes. Does the fact that I deal with difference change the status quo? Yes. Not everyone understands (or wants to understand) and if they do they forget. I don't look disabled and that tends to work against me. Is it an issue? Yes, it’s more of an issue than it’s not. The world and those close to us need to work with difference and allow us to thrive through ‘difference’. Do people need to change their attitudes to allow us to be ‘different?’ Yes... and if the shoe were on the other foot, others would expect us to do the same. Can people change? Absolutely they can. Like everything, they have to want to. Have I changed? Yes. Through 12 years of writing for The CP Diary, I have spiritually and emotionally grown. Do I see the world differently? Yes, I see everything differently. I don't have a normal thinking. Yes, my lifestyle has changed to reflect my spiritual values. My blog helps others to change. Can others change? Yes, through spending time reading and absorbing my literature, they can change. Not all disabilities are obvious, or visible... be accepting, be kind, be supportive, be patient, be understanding, we're doing our best.

So why not pick up a copy of my books Cerebral Palsy: 'A Story' or Spirituality, Healing and Me,' you can order Kindle or paperback copies on Amazon, and through the following link https://linktr.ee/Ilana_Estelle