“You look a little young to be going to college!”
Today I visited a college for an orientation, and this was how I was greeted by someone on campus. I know that she meant well, that she was trying to be friendly, but the comment immediately made me feel uncomfortable.
I’m used to getting comments like this, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hurtful. It should be simple: I know I’m old enough to go to college. I’m seventeen, I’ll turn eighteen in August, and I’ll be a freshman in college in the fall. She’s wrong to question my appearance and my place here; I know it. So why can’t I brush it off?
I think that this touches on the slight fear I feel any time that I’m in a public place. There are constant thoughts in the back of my head wondering if I’m really welcomed, and I’m acutely aware of the glances from strangers. So when someone says something like that, my fears are realized. “You look a little young to be going to college” has a questioning undertone: “Are you supposed to be here?”
That’s why it hurts to hear her say that to me. It’s just one in a long string of reminders that because I am disabled, not everyone thinks I belong. And there’s nothing I can do to respond but smile politely.
I started this blog hoping to empower other disabled teens. But the truth is, I don’t always feel confident or comfortable in my own skin. Comments like the one I heard today still break me down, even if I don’t show it.
Today I visited a college for an orientation, and this was how I was greeted by someone on campus. I know that she meant well, that she was trying to be friendly, but the comment immediately made me feel uncomfortable.
I’m used to getting comments like this, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hurtful. It should be simple: I know I’m old enough to go to college. I’m seventeen, I’ll turn eighteen in August, and I’ll be a freshman in college in the fall. She’s wrong to question my appearance and my place here; I know it. So why can’t I brush it off?
I think that this touches on the slight fear I feel any time that I’m in a public place. There are constant thoughts in the back of my head wondering if I’m really welcomed, and I’m acutely aware of the glances from strangers. So when someone says something like that, my fears are realized. “You look a little young to be going to college” has a questioning undertone: “Are you supposed to be here?”
That’s why it hurts to hear her say that to me. It’s just one in a long string of reminders that because I am disabled, not everyone thinks I belong. And there’s nothing I can do to respond but smile politely.
I started this blog hoping to empower other disabled teens. But the truth is, I don’t always feel confident or comfortable in my own skin. Comments like the one I heard today still break me down, even if I don’t show it.
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