Making fun of people with disabilities isn’t funny

If I had a dollar for every awful word spoken to me over the years, I’d be a millionaire.

“Are you anorexic? Or do you just throw up after you eat?”

“Eww! You have alien fingers.”

“Time to take your crazy pills at the nurse’s office, Lara!”

These are just a few of the things said to me when I was growing up, and I won’t even repeat the hurtful things adults have said in the 21 years since I graduated high school. Some people never grow out of being a childhood bully, apparently.

Growing up with cystic fibrosis (CF), I was the skinny kid in class, because being underweight is a common symptom of CF, so I was accused of having anorexia or bulimia. My “alien fingers,” meanwhile — also a common symptom of CF, called clubbing — are due to oxygen deprivation. And the pills I took before each meal were enzymes to help me digest food as a result of pancreatic insufficiency, another byproduct of life with CF.

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Everybody deserves to belong

My own life is proof that bullying is prevalent in the disabled community. I know I’m not the only one who’s experienced it. It shows up in the media, too — in movies, television shows, and social platforms, where those with disabilities are often the butt of jokes. It’s like it’s become normalized to make fun of people with disabilities when what we should normalize is that making fun of people isn’t actually funny at all.

As a therapist, I’ve worked with children with disabilities who experienced harm from ruthless bullies. I’ve observed that kids often target those who are vulnerable, look or talk differently, and stand out from others. My heart broke for the lack of support these children received when they were being bullied. As I listened to their stories, the absence of support groups, opportunities to make friends, or ways to prevent bullying was blatantly obvious to me. They often felt all alone in their struggles and ashamed as they endured being ostracized for being who they are.

There is no perfect person and no perfect life, but young people in the disabled community are often treated as an “other,” and compared with kids without disabilities because they easily stick out. So, as part of this year’s National Bullying Prevention Month, I’d like us to also recognize the effect that bullying has on young people in the disabled community, to urge people to be more understanding, and to stand up for people who stand out.

Perhaps, instead of normalizing what makes disabled young people different and creating more distance between the able-bodied and disabled communities, we could celebrate all abilities and normalize the idea that every ability matters and everybody deserves to belong.

Note: Cystic Fibrosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Cystic Fibrosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to cystic fibrosis.