Written By: Aya Sakate
When I first got my disability diagnosis, I felt like everything was at an end; like it was confirmation of my biggest fears.
I was entirely useless. I would never contribute to society. I would never BE anything.
I can’t tell you exactly what drove that depressed and exhausted me to apply to Algonquin College for the Radio broadcasting program- Maybe it was one of those rare sparks of zest for life that sometimes pop out of the fog of gray that is my life. Maybe it was to prove something to someone. Maybe it was just because I felt like I had to do something to validate my existence.
But what I can tell you is that I was wrong.
Not that I was wrong to apply, but rather that I was wrong about myself. Here I am, halfway done. It may have taken me longer than other people, I may have failed a few times, but I’m still here, still chugging along and eager to earn this diploma, inspired by students with disabilities far more debilitating than mine. (Not that we should really be comparing. Everyone deals with things in their own way.)
But you can do it, too.
Easier said than done, of course. And I am not going to pretend that there aren’t huge hoops and obstacles that will arise. (And I am not going to say that those who are too sick to work or even leave their homes are any less important or valuable, either. Please don’t take it that way.)
I know there’s so much saccharine-sweet “positivity” tips out there that tell you that you can just reach your dreams if you just try. They become bitter in the mouths of those who try and try and still fall.
So I am not going to tell you that you can “just do it if you try!”
No.
I have some more important advice to share.
There are actual, valuable resources that exist out there and that you can access. You can use them. It doesn’t matter if you’re missing an arm or if you’re missing proper serotonin in your brain, everyone who needs them can use them.
That means you.
And I greatly encourage you TO use them.
You’re disabled. Not alone.
If you’re a student at Algonquin, you have CAL, the center for accessible learning.
You’ve also got Mental Health services.
And most importantly, you have your student Success specialists.
If you’re reading this and you’re not from Algonquin, look into your options. Really look into them, and remember that you’re never alone.
You deserve to succeed. Even if you take a little more time to do it. What’s important is finishing the race, not coming first.
And as my dad always says whenever I complain that I am not like my mom and never made the honor role, “No one looks at your grades, they look at whether you have the degree or not.”
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