Disclosing a disability when the time is right
I have been loathe to disclose something that is not exactly a secret to those that know me, but conversely is not something that I get on the rooftops and shout about in the way I do about sight loss and human rights. When I first started writing, doing advocacy work and public speaking, I simply felt that disclosure would confuse matters and dilute my message of hope, and that was not something that I was willing to risk.
But now, since time has passed and my stall has been set out and is standing firm, I feel that I need to share another part of my weird and wonderful journey that, with hindsight, has actually shaped and influenced my disability and human rights agenda far more than I realised.
And it is this - nine months after I registered blind, I was diagnosed with combined Adult ADHD. The diagnosis was preceded by the complete breakdown of the intricate structures I had unknowingly fashioned as a result of living undiagnosed until then. The emotional weight of registering blind was just too much for what was, in reality, a pretty poor structure and so crashing down it came!
The diagnosis was then followed by a roller coaster ride of getting the right treatment and balance of medication and the subsequent restructuring and rebuilding of the emotional and psychological framework to support the new me. Oh joy! And yes. I guess that this is probably why when referring to the best years of my life, this will be omitted in its entirety.
But what has transpired ever since has only been positive. The medication I take has provided me with a far superior foundation, with the right levels of Dopamine, Noradrenaline and whatever else the brains of those without ADHD produce naturally to manage certain executive and emotional functions: Certainly a far cry from what I had inadvertently weaved together. It now explains my complete lack of common sense, appalling time management and the certainty that I will never be able to organise a piss up in a brewery.
And so, that's it. I have now publicly and openly disclosed disability number two, with no more that I am aware of to come and yet, despite what can only be viewed as irony in being a completely disorganised blind person, I have taken it all in and still feel as able as always.
About Sandi
Businesswoman Sandi Wassmer registered blind in 2008. In her blog, she shares with us the 'shenanigans of visual impairment'.
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Comments
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How brave you are! Believe it or not, there is much more stigma attached to mental disabilities than to physical ones. And, you have disclosed a double dose. Coming out of the closet (of whatever kind) is both a painful and a liberating process. The pain of being stigmatized doesn't go away, but the sense of liberation is worth it.
Posted by Dr Evelyn Kallen, 23 August 2010 (1 year ago)
