Making Friends With Disabilities

For many kids, making friends is as easy as walking up and saying hi. They seem to connect with one another without even having to give too much information about themselves, but that is not the same case for kids with disabilities. It takes more time and effort to make friends. Let's dig deeper and see how I made friends at your age.

Gaining Friendships 

The first day of school is always a little scary. Am I Right? For some, it is a totally new place that they have to figure out, for others it is all about getting used to being back at school with a new teacher and new classmates. One thing I noticed at your age is that most if not all kids have one mission on their first day of school. They wander around to see where they fit in and start making friends that they will stick by for the rest of the year. Someone they can go to when they need help, someone to have fun with,  someone they can trust or someone they can go to when they just need a friend.

My Experience

Making friends with disabilities is not something that comes easy for us. Trust me, I know. For many years, I had one friend that I made, but unless we arrived at school at the same time or sat at the same table at lunch we didn't really play with one another while at school. During the times when my best friend wasn't at school or when I couldn't find her on the playground; which was most of the time, I would end up playing on the swings alone. More than once, I had kids that would come up to me and ask if I wanted to play with them. I always said yes, but as soon as they saw how I walk and that I was much slower than them, they would change their minds and run off to play with their other friends. With this happening over and over again, I started to think things like what is the point? Why are the other kids so mean? And No one is going to want to be a friend with someone who has disabilities. After getting excited and let down so many times I gave up on making friends. From that point, I decided to make friends with myself. It seems like a pretty lonely way to live life, don't you think? Actually, it wasn't so bad. Yes, I wanted a friend that I could go to when I needed help, have fun with, and count on that we would find each other on the playground, even if we sat at different tables at lunch and went out to recess a few minutes apart from one another or arrived at school at different times, but to me being alone was better than getting let down constantly.

Ways To Make Friends With Disabilities

1. Don't try to be someone that you are not 
2. Recognize your inner gifts
3. Be open to talking about all parts of your life
4. Other kids aren't being mean

Don't Try To Be Someone That You Are Not

Many times when kids don't fit in with a group of kids they try to become someone that they are not by changing the way they dress, their hobbies, and how they interact with other kids. Even though I spent a lot of time on the playground alone, I never changed the way I acted or what I liked to do just so I could fit in with the crowd.

 Recognize Your Inner Gifts

There are so many great things about you that make up who you are in this world. These are the gifts that are hidden within you and the only person that can unlock that box of gifts is you. There is this one saying that says " you have to love yourself before you can truly love someone else." I believe this saying also applies to making friends. During the time that I kept to myself; not only did I make good friends with myself but I also unlocked that inner box of gifts in which I learned a lot about myself  including what my talents are, what i like to do for fun, and what I wanted in a friend.

Be Open To Talking About All Parts Of Your Life

In my opinion, being open to talking about all parts of your life; including your disabilities is an important part of making friends. I remember one time when I teamed up with one of my classmates to work on slideshow presentation for different study skills that we were learning in class. At one point as we worked to complete our project; my partner looked over and notice that I was typing with only one hand. She looked up at me and said " if you don't mind me asking, why do you only use one hand to type?" The next thing wI know we started talking about my disabilities as I filled her in with some information about myself and answered any questions she had for me.

Other Kids Aren't Being Mean

Having disabilities is hard, but I think it is a lot harder as a child. For many kids being open to accepting new people into their life is something that comes easy for them. They know exactly what to say in order to make friends with that person. I feel that when a kid sees another kid with disabilities; they are at a loss of words and turn to making fun of the disabled person because they don't understand why that person is the way they are and dont know how to talk to the person with disabilities. They arent being mean, they just need some help understanding you.

To Conclude

Making friends with disabilities can be as simple as following these four steps. You are amazing and have a lot to offer. The perfect friend will come at the right time.