Can I write about disability on my college essay?

Bryn Mawr College

By Nina

I’ve reached the end of my junior year in high school, and over the next few months, I’m planning on applying to college. Part of that process includes writing an essay, and already (so soon?!), it’s time to start thinking about what to write about. One thing that comes to mind almost immediately is my disability. Disability is a major part of my identity that impacts almost every aspect of my life. However, that doesn’t make it a topic I can easily write about in an application essay.

A problem that I’ve noticed is that disabled people are sometimes seen for nothing more than a disability. When disabled people are seen doing something “normal”, we are told that we are “inspirational” and that “we’ve overcome” our disability. Disabled people are used by able-bodied people as "inspiration porn" all of the time, and especially on college essays, this is a completely inappropriate occurrence. I want to be evaluated by an admissions committee without worrying that they’ll get the wrong idea about me. For this reason, I am hesitant to write about my disability. It’s also quite common for disabled people to be pitied, and mentioning disability on a college essay can be wrongly viewed as a beg for pity from an admissions committee, which would crush admissions chances.

Is it still okay for me to mention my disability? It absolutely should be! It’s really unfair that we should have to consider this so carefully. And obviously, I haven’t yet started the actual application process, but I think it’s important to notice how difficult it is for us to actually write about disability. It’s an incredibly personal part of our lives, and sharing that with an admissions committee is challenging. However, I don’t think it’s something we should avoid out of fear. If your disability is important to you and it has shaped your life in an immense way, you should be allowed to write about it.