What's your disability/handicap?

[Kobuk]

The definition of a disability/handicap can vary greatly among the medical community.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability

What disabilities/handicaps do you have, if any? What have you done to cope with having a disability and trying to live a normal life, or as close to normal as possible? Do you think there needs to be more recognition for people with disabilities/handicaps, and more laws, assistance, etc. created by governments to help people with disabilities?

[Loc]

Autistic, depressed, anxiety, and a nerve disorder.

[Subzerus]

Problems with spacing + eyesight problems wich usually ends up with me kicking the air when I try to kick a ball and not being able to draw straight lines, it's even really hard with a ruler :/

[Iara Warriorfeather]

I am convinced I have dyspraxia, although I have yet to be officially diagnosed with it. I can check off all of the symptoms in the gross motor control area, hand dominance, speech, perception and memory.

Dyspraxia

I also have MRKH (I guess it is now divided into two parts, and I satisfy parts I and II, as I am missing a uterus and one kidney):

MRKH

[Kobuk]

When it comes to eyesight disabilities, I've got everyone beat. I've got 20/900 in my left eye which is considered legally blind, and currently about 20/200 in my right eye. I have detached retinas in both eyes. They are so bad that no medical procedure in the world can correct what I've got.

[Acton]

ADHD

[Literate Lycan]

Eyesight. I'm nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in both. I use trifocals, but can't wear them under a fursuit head and make do with contacts. One for distance correction (right eye) and one for reading correction (left eye). Everything is still fuzzy, and wearing a fursuit head makes it even harder to see. But I adapt--I just move more carefully.

[Kobuk]

I'm nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in both.

Huh? How can you be nearsighted AND farsighted in one of your eyes at the same time?

[Khronae]

Well, I'm on the autistic spectrum, though whether one could consider it a disability is debatable - it seems to me to be quite the opposite, in fact

[Old Rabbit]

I was very nearsighted, but afterwards I am a bit farsighted. It's mostly due to the doctor
putting bands around my eyeballs. Also I don't have any natural lens, I focus mostly like a
pin hole camera, with glasses to make a minor correction.

I have had 5 retina operations. Both eye retinas were detached 30 years ago. Reatachment was
reasonably successful to begin with, but as time passed my right eye has lost all useful
vision. Except perhaps to keep from running into something large.

At the time they used silicon oil to  stabilize my retinas. This had interesting effects at first. I could
go from 20/20 to 20/400 in seconds. Depending on where the oil bubble was. I weirded out a few
optomistrists at the time.    The oil bubble acted like a backside lens.

Over the years though the retinas have deteriated, and now even my best eye is going bad. Some
days I can bearly see at all.. Other days well enough to watch a video on the computer or play
warcraft. Though to find the pointer on the computer screen requires moving it to the upper left
corner and following it. If I loose track I have to try again. I generally play a hunter on warcraft
so my pet can show me where the bad guys are. 

I can't read black print on a white background worth shucks.. So I was able to qualify for the
books for the blind. So I can listen to them. I usually can see to  read white text on a black
background though.. That's how I see to be on the forum.

In my world many days I mostly see a white haze. All I can see has to contrast with it, either brighter
or darker. Black often looks grey. Some days I see like I am wearing colored sunglasses.. Green, yellow,
or a red haze. In a totally dark room my retinas often continue to have an after glow. After a few hours
it becomes dark. On my good days the white haze is much less and my vision is closest to normal. But it's
becoming rare.

There isn't anything to be done except to live with it. After 30 years I have learned to accept my fate. So
I make the best of it, and I am usually too busy to worry about it. 

[Doc]

I cannot legally drive without my glasses and I can't see the finer details in things that are further than five feet front face. I can't read the text I'm typing on my iPod touch's screen when holding it at arm's length without my glasses on.

[HazardJackal]

Let's just say, some would call me "special".

And not in a good way. 

[Saiyu]

I am legally blind in my left eye. I have like a stretched nerve or something behind the eyeball and my brain never really tried to make a connection to it.  I wear glasses all the time, my right eye needs them so I can see a lil more clear outta it. The left side of the lense is more or so just for show... for "balance".
I will never be able to have Lasik or anything like that because it's about my brain and what not...

(And if Depression and Anxiety are considered "handicap", I have those too) Since Loc had that up 

[Loc]

I very much consider them to be a disability, as they stop me from going about normal day to day life, holding down work, and making secure, long lasting friendships.

[Saiyu]

I very much consider them to be a disability, as they stop me from going about normal day to day life, holding down work, and making secure, long lasting friendships.

[/Ah yes, I suppose that's understandable. And depending on HOW bad one may have anxiety or depression ... I can see that. I regret things I do sometimes err or DON'T do actually <.<! Because of my anxiety, not so much my depression though...even though I was "diagnosed" with that. I know it's hard for some people o get through a day x.x~color]

[Kobuk]

So we all have different handicaps and disabilities in one form or another. Let me throw another question at everybody:  What are/have you done to overcome your disability?

Sometimes, people's disabilities get people so down that they just "give up". But then, there are others who don't let their disabilities stop them from doing the things they love or want to do in life. As my mother always used to say: "You can do anything you want to if you just put your mind to it."

My eyesight is so bad as I already mentioned before. But I still build model kits as it's a hobby I enjoy. The parts may be small and the "quality" of my finished work may not match that of a professional model builder, but I do the best that I can. Sometimes, I've even been known to beat other people's better models at contests. 

[Doc]

My eyesight is poor, but nowhere near as bad as Kobuk's, but I still build my robots, program my games, write my stories and I still try to draw pictures. Sure glasses are a burden, but without them, I wouldn't be able to do what I love. So that's that.

[Avor]

I;m deaf in the right ear, blind in the left eye, and dead from the waste down. The eye  adn ear I still have aren't as good as before tje cancer.

[Iara Warriorfeather]

So we all have different handicaps and disabilities in one form or another. Let me throw another question at everybody:  What are/have you done to overcome your disability?

Sometimes, people's disabilities get people so down that they just "give up". But then, there are others who don't let their disabilities stop them from doing the things they love or want to do in life. As my mother always used to say: "You can do anything you want to if you just put your mind to it."

To overcome my dyspraxia, I've worked at meditation and mild exercise over the years. Some days are worse than others, but I get through it.

Mindfulness helps me focus when I am feeling off balance (listening to classical music especially enhances this). Exercise helps me practice my sense of balance and direction. I'm able to perform some yoga poses, which also helps improve my sense of balance and control. I'm proud of the fact that I was part of an expedition to excavate dinosaurs a few years ago. I also successfully completed my field courses while I was in grad school, which was a huge challenge too, considering how turned around I get direction wise and how my decreased gross motor skills don't help much while I am climbing over rocks and up hills. Despite my limitations....I did it...I did what I wanted to do since I was a kid.

I am also proud of the fact that I can figure out which transit lines work the best for me so I can continue my career in science education, despite my inability to drive. I also somehow managed to keep my driver's license, despite my current accident prone driving record. 

As far as MRKH is concerned...well...

Spoiler: show

I had the McIndoe procedure in my early 20s and I have managed to maintain my relationship with my mate for the past six years. 

[EuthanasiaWaltz]

Boredom.

[Old Rabbit]

So we all have different handicaps and disabilities in one form or another. Let me throw another question at everybody:  What are/have you done to overcome your disability?

Mostly I stay busy, though it may be difficult to see anything at times. I can get lost in my
own yard. If I only sat and dwelled on my problem it would likely get me down. I listen to
audio books, I am learning to play songs on a electric Piano by audio instruction, On furtopia
every day. Do my best to do house chores. I spend time with my GF online where we are on
warcraft. She helps me find stuff there. Without her help it would be impossible to play some
days. Mostly fix ready to heat and eat foods, but some simple cookiing too.

It is more of an aggravation than anything else. A challenge as it likely is for Kobuk
assembling intricate models.. Then a feeling of pride when done. Many people with
disabilities accomplish amazing things. Not with help from others, but from their own
determination and unwillingness to give up.

People who have normal lives rarely understand what it's like to live with an disability. Many
honestly try, but I don't blame them when they fail. I just hope they never have to deal
with one themselves. I believe I am the only one in my family or other relatives that has or
had any serious vision problems. I guess I was the lucky one.. At least I never had any
kids that might pass along my bad genes..

[Kobuk]

Boredom.

That's not a disability. That's just being lazy. Go ride a bike, go to the library, visit friends, play some basketball, go to the park. Go do SOMETHING that gets you out of the house.

[EuthanasiaWaltz]

Boredom.

That's not a disability. That's just being lazy. Go ride a bike, go to the library, visit friends, play some basketball, go to the park. Go do SOMETHING that gets you out of the house.

That's boring.

[Firelight]

Mine is my eyesight and my Autism. Having autism sucks    (I can say that right?)

[Beag L. Howler]

Mine is my eyesight and my Autism. Having autism sucks    (I can say that right?)

I have autism too and yes, you can say that. Each person's experience is different, I figure.

I personally am fine with my autism, but then again, I'm fine with a lot of things.