I DON'T NEED YOUR GOD TO HEAL ME: A Story of Ignorance and ableism!

Today's NA meeting had a speaker to share her addiction and recovery story. Most of it was well-told and relatable until she got to the end part where she spoke of how God cured her addiction--

and even more miraculously, her mother's rheumatic arthritis! Cue, my "bolt" to the clubhouse for water. But, alas, she found me a few minutes later, after the meeting.

Looking sad, she stroked my cheek with the back of one hand and rested the other on my armrest. She then, knelt down, her face screwed up in baby talk that my interpreter painfully communicated. You can imagine. She gave my terp a pamphlet and me one last pet, and a

short prayer before leaving. I'm sure she was all sunshine on her way home. Assuming she had given some pitiful deaf cripple a little bit of hope. I rode back to the sober house fuming and hurt. Though, this is not nearly my first time experiencing this.

I know that she and people like her believe that they are doing something good, but the message they are sending to disabled people is that our lives must be a fate worse than death. And, mine sure isn't.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Never ever touch a disabled person or their mobility aides and/or tech without our consent! A lot of us consider our mobility aides an extension of our bodies and God forbid, you break something we depend on to function every day!

And when it comes to touching someone's body, not only is it breaking boundaries and infantilizing, you could physically hurt us! For ex, the lady grabbed my hands and pulled them towards her which strained my tight muscles.

Feel free to add anything, disabled folks!