Signs

A sign

A large plastic and metal sign.

To others it may not seemed like much

But to me it is a sign that I’m in the right place.

To me it is a sign that I am noticed and that I am heard. 

That no matter what level of crippled I am each day, I can still make a difference in my community.

I can speak up, and create a better community.

Being disabled is gut wrenching.

Feeling like you are making the wrong decisions every step of the way.

Feeling that in this system of capitalism, you are of constant blame… that is if you are even an afterthought.

Feeling regret for mentioning your disability on a job interview that probably would have benefited from your perspective anyway.

Feeling a mixed concoction of feelings about yourself.

Your disability.

The inaccessibility woven into society.

And your identity.

An identity you should take pride in.

An identity that has fueled innovation for several generations.

An identity that probably has more strength than any other minority.

An identity that has made a better world for everyone.

Because everyone benefits from accessibility.

A sign

Evidence that it does not take much to help create a more accessible city.

It takes caring.

It takes community.

It takes listening and understanding.

It takes a sign.

A sign that in the midst of my chaos, 

Is a sign that I am making a better world for others.

A sign that I am in the right place.