There has been a long-standing principle since I was growing up that I was to never use my disability as an excuse for getting out of something, especially if I knew that what I had did was totally my doing and was wrong. Just because I had done something did not give me the right to use my disabilities as a way of getting out of something because I did not want the consequences.

I have seen multiple instances of this happening in others where the way that they are acting is because of their disability and rather than have the consequences, they would rather issue a reminder or a stern warning that something that they know is wrong is wrong, than issue a consequence for their actions.

Sometimes this practice happens too many times until it becomes too late, and the consequences are handed down and then the individual themselves is dumfounded as to why things are so severe, even after deep down they know what they have done was wrong. This can often take place when there are problematic behaviors that make others feel comfortable or cause issues of safety, among others. Sometimes law enforcement must be involved and even though it is unlikely that there will be actual jailtime for the consequences, it is always better to nip it in the bud before something evolves to being worse than what it is.

In my life there have been sometimes when things have got overwhelming and others could not handle me to the point that law enforcement had to be involved, thankfully, it never resulted in being involved in any justice system. After my last involvement, I began to be more serious about understanding that there are behaviors that are just not acceptable in public and then I worked at avoiding them, while the journey to understanding that was not exactly perfect, eventually I learned somethings that had to be necessary to work to avoid meltdowns overall from happening such as eliminating caffeine and consistent medication adherence are some of the key factors in ensuring that I am my best self.

So, to say that “it is because of my disability” that made me do it makes me mad because if there is a behavior that is happening, there are ways to work around it. There are so many more tools that are available that are in so many formats that make any disabled individual understand that some things are just not okay. Yes, sometimes the thinking is not there when the opportunity presents itself, but it is important to constantly instill in their mindset that there must be a better way to deal with the feelings that they are experiencing when the opportunity to act in a way that is not appropriate arises.

We only have this one opportunity to live the best way that we can and that we must not take things for granted. We must work at correcting wrongs by making them right and even though I was never the perfect person, I am now working at making things better now.