Recently, I changed my insurance. It is a special needs plan. One of the extra benefits is being able to order things that I need out of a catalog. After purchasing some things, there is a part of me that has started to accept that it is OK to have special tools to help in my independence.

I have always had a sense of pride when it has come to my independence. But there are things that I struggle with from time to time. It can be hard to admit that I need special tools or circumstances to aid me in living independently. But as I am out there more in cyberspace, I am learning that it is OK to do things like ask for help or have tools to aid you in ensuring that living independently is easier and safer.

In the past, I had viewed the term special needs as a derogatory term. However, during my relapse last year, having my mother mention that I have special needs and that I need to prove to myself that I can do things, or I need to ask for help. That there should be no shame in asking for help to make my life better. I started to see that there are many people who have special needs and even though I have a great deal of intellect, which does not mean that I have the same level of cognitive ability.

I do not want to downplay the fact that I have a lot of responsibilities. It has taken some time for me to get to where I am today, and I am still learning over six years of living on my own. In fact, I passed my annual mechanical and housekeeping inspection of my apartment without the help of others for the first time in four years. That alone is a big accomplishment. But having the tools necessary to make being independent more efficient, easier, and safer can go a long way in bringing a sense of happiness and pride to my home.

There are also cognitive tools that are helpful. One of the most helpful of these is knowing that I do not have to do everything at once if I return to it shortly later. Many times, I remember. This is particularly helpful when it comes to things like doing the dishes, cleaning, or straightening up. Sometimes, it happens naturally, sometimes I initiate the breaks on my own. Regardless of how it is initiated, doing so has been helpful in ensuring that I get the work that I need to get done to make my apartment presentable.

I may have a developmental disability, but that does not mean that I cannot live independently. In fact, many intellectual/developmentally disabled live full, every day, independent lives that are just as amazing as mine. We just may need some extra help or tools to be successful in the completion of things that do not come easy to us. That does not make us less than everyone else, just unique, and extraordinary!