As the common phrase goes, “you can only handle what you are given.” There are several different religious variations of the phrase, but all of them mean the same thing—people can handle whatever life throws at them. Obviously, there many different religious references to this. Regardless of the variety of beliefs, the point of the phrase is that people are given the situations that they are strong enough to handle. That’s the general consensus at least. Every single person on this earth has had some sort of trial or tribulation in their life. It’s human nature to have to go through a challenging situation—things happen to all of us.

Over the past year and a half or so, it seems like the disability community has taken one punch after another. Drastic changes and cuts to Medicaid, dismantling of the Department of Education, questioning of our abilities and lives, wrong information being spread by lawmakers about causes of certain conditions, pauses and cuts to FoodShare, the list goes on and on… It truly has been unbelievably heartbreaking.

Very admittedly, I haven’t kept up on everything like I should. Partly due to time and energy, but also because I know that the majority of the changes won’t affect me because I’m “too disabled.” Before everyone reading this freaks out, let me explain why I said that. I’m fully aware that changes to home-and-community-based services could drastically change my living situation. Yes, I know that talk of institutionalization has surfaced which is beyond devastating. Unfortunately, I’m also aware that my care needs are considered to be pretty high which would likely make me an easy candidate for a group home or institution. I want to be clear that I’m totally against institutions, but the reality is that regardless of what happens, in a few years, I’ll likely end up in a group home or a care facility. While this is an incredibly hard pill to swallow, it isn’t a new concept to me. I’ve known for many years that due to my high level of needs combined with the fact that the long-term care system isn’t adequate as it is (to put it nicely), I’ve known that the years of living independently in my own apartment are numbered, and, while it’s disheartening, a group home is very likely in the future. So, while yes, institutionalization is a real fear, the bottom line is that I need hands-on care from others to survive. The source and quality of that care is what’s up in the air, but, unless things take an even more drastic turn, I’m pretty confident that I’m going to be physically taken care of for the foreseeable future. The conditions and the environment likely won’t be what I desire, though.

A lot of the changes being made and talked about, such as work requirements, likely won’t affect me because I’d likely be one of the people who would qualify for an exemption due to the level of my disability. Again, I want to be clear –I’m not proud of this, but it is my reality. Personally, I plan to continue to work on some level until I’m no longer able to. The factor of that will determine that is unknown, but, for me, knowing I’m contributing in a small way means everything.

Recently, yet another idea from President Trump has surfaced, and this one would no doubt directly affect me. He signed an executive order seeking to stop mail-in voting and compile a national voter list. Thankfully, this likely won’t ever come to fruition because states and territories regulate voting and it’s likely unconstitutional, but, if it ever did, simply put, I would not be able to vote. Due to care and transportation issues, I always vote absentee. Scheduling rides to and from the polls would be nearly impossible due to timing. Furthermore, I need physical assistance filling out the ballot. In this day in age where decent caregivers are so few and far between, the last thing I need would be to have a person quit because we don’t have the same political beliefs. As it stands now, when I receive the ballot in the mail, I usually wait until my parents come up and have them help me. Very occasionally, if I have a worker who is more of a friend here, I’ll have her help me. I know this is risky because the mail system has become unreliable, but I always mail my ballot. Logistically, it just doesn’t work to drop it off or have someone else take it in. I’ve never written about it because it’s been stuck in the courts for well over a year, but I’m involved in a lawsuit trying to get electronic ballots available for people with disabilities in Wisconsin. It’d be so nice to be able to fill out a ballot independently using the computer and assistive technology I have. Unfortunately, the state legislature is fighting us tooth and nail against it, so I don’t see the possibility of it happening anytime in the near future. Circling back around to President Trump’s latest antics of trying to eliminate mail-in voting, if that somehow ever end up coming to be, it would prevent millions of citizens—with and without disabilities—from voting. While it’s unlikely it’ll happen, it feels like another claw towards the disability community because it would disproportionately affect us more than the general population.

As a whole, the disability community has handled a lot over the years. I’m a little too young to know what it was like before all the accessibility and inclusion laws were in place, but I’ve read books and watched documentaries to learn about how it was and how hard disability advocates worked to get where we are today. I certainly hope we’re not going back that far, but, if we do, I know that the disability community is made up of really resilient people who won’t stop fighting and making noise until things are right. The truth is that we have no choice but to handle whatever is thrown at us. Like everyone else, we choose what is important to us and advocate for those issues. The disability community will never give up fighting for what’s right!

***The views expressed here are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of InControl Wisconsin, the Network or any of our sponsors