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Getting used to life with a disability can be challenging. With or without disability, life is precious enough to not be taken for granted. It is all easy to become preoccupied with what we’ve lost. As a result, being struck by a crippling sickness or injury might bring up a slew of troubling feelings and anxieties.
You may be concerned about your ability to work, find and maintain a relationship, or be happy again. While you keep wishing for a healthier you or crave that your restrictions were away, you can still modify how you think about and deal with your impairments.
You can still influence your life positively, and there are numerous things you can do to boost your independence, sense of empowerment, and outlook. It is possible to overcome the problems you confront and live a full—and fulfilling—life, regardless of your condition. Adapting to life with a disability is never simple, but there are strategies for coping with limits, overcoming obstacles, and creating a fulfilling existence.
Understand and carry your disabilities with confidence
Accepting your disabilities can be quite challenging. Acceptance can feel like surrender as if you’re giving up on life and your future. However, refusing to recognize your strengths leaves you even more hopeless and stuck. It keeps you from going on, making the necessary changes, and setting new goals.
This is why it is important to be confident in yourself and be bigger than your disabilities. Understand what limits are actually imposed by your disability and what are the problems you are causing for yourself by being insecure, overthinking and second-guessing your power and capabilities.
Find strategies to lessen the impact of disabilities on your life
- Be your own best friend. As you navigate the challenges of life with a disability, especially at work and in the healthcare system, you are your own greatest advocate. Because knowledge is power, learn about your rights and resources available to you. You’ll begin to feel less powerless and more empowered as you practice more control.
- Make use of the options available to you. While you may not be able to modify your disabilities, you can lessen their influence on your everyday life by seeking out and utilizing adaptive technologies and solutions. If you require a gadget to make your life easier, such as a prosthetic, a white cane, or a manual wheelchair, then utilize it. Try to let go of any feelings of embarrassment or stigma attached to these. The assistance you utilize does not define you but is actually developed for your support.
- Set attainable goals for yourself—and be patient. You must learn new skills and methods as a result of your disabilities. You may also need to relearn simple skills that you previously overlooked. It can be a frustrating procedure, and it’s normal to want to speed things up and get back to work as soon as possible. However, it’s critical to maintain a sense of realism. Setting overly ambitious goals might lead to disappointment and frustration. Allow yourself to be patient. Every small step forward is significant. You’ll get there eventually. Trust us. You are far more than your disabilities.
Request (and accept) assistance and support.
When you’re dealing with a disability, it’s easy to feel entirely alone and misunderstood. You may feel compelled to isolate yourself from others. Keeping in touch with others, on the other hand, will make a huge impact on your mood and outlook. So go out and make more friends. Have fun!
Enhance movability with manual wheelchairs
Anyone can end up with movement-related disabilities especially elders, not particularly due to any accidental mishap or genetic disorders but simply because of old age. In this case, manual wheelchairs can be the best gift you can give to them. Even for young adults and children, there are lots of manual wheelchair options available in the market today. With manual wheelchairs, without spending your days in bed, you can move around and, most of all, can attend schools, offices and religious places and socialize with your peers freely.
How do Manual wheelchairs benefit disabled people?
Providing proper manual wheelchairs improves mobility while also resuming the process of a world of education, job, and social life opening up for you. In addition to offering mobility, a proper wheelchair enhances the users’ physical health and quality of life by decreasing other frequent problems such as pressure sores, deformity progression, and improving breathing and digestion.
What is a suitable manual wheelchair?
An ideal manual wheelchair as per WHO is the one that:
- Meets the user’s needs and environmental conditions
- Provides proper fit and postural support
- Is safe and durable
- Is available in the country
- Can be obtained, maintained, and services sustained in the country at an affordable cost.
Wheelchairs are divided into several categories such as manual wheelchairs, rigid frames, attendant propelled, folding frames, motorized etcetera.
Manual wheelchairs are quite popular as the majority of these can be propelled by the user. The basic model can be upgraded with additional amenities like foot/leg rests, front caster outriggers, adjustable backrests, and controls. Seat breadth and depth, seat-to-floor height, and seat angle (also known as seat dump or squeeze) relative to the horizontal plane can all be adjusted.
Advice on how to seek (and accept) assistance and support
- Spending time with family and friends will keep you feeling optimistic, healthy, and hopeful. You may require a shoulder to weep on or someone to vent to from time to time. But don’t underestimate the value of occasionally putting your condition aside and simply having fun.
- Getting involved in a disability support group will be life-changing for you. Participating in a support group for people facing similar issues is one of the most effective strategies to prevent loneliness and isolation. It won’t take long for you to realize that you’re not alone. Just realized that goes a long way. Support groups are a fantastic way to talk about your problems, find answers, and get encouragement.
- Accepting assistance does not make you a weak person. Refusing to get help when you need it might stifle your progress or make you worse, both physically and mentally. Allow those who care about you to assist you. It will not only help you, but it will also make them feel better.
Last Word
Living with a disability isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be a disaster. And dear, you’re not the only one who feels this way. Millions of others have gone before you down this path and discover methods to not only survive but to thrive. We know you can do it, too. Do not let anything stop or negatively define you, not even your biggest disabilities.
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