I had a realization recently that has helped me reaffirm the
strength of disability. As much as I feel confident navigating the world as a
disabled person, I also occasionally question the evolutionary forces on
disability.
Natural selection assumes survival of the fittest; only the
most able survive. Inherently, this means people with disabilities are less fit
for the environment.
When I reflect on the challenges of living with a
disability, I feel gratitude for the civil rights and technological advancements
that I rely on so heavily. At the same time, I often consider the increased difficulties
I would have faced in a different error.
If I were born one hundred, one thousand, or even ten thousand years
earlier, I would have been stifled by the environment – killed by a bear or deemed
an invalid by society.
This train of thought has often led me to a dark conclusion:
evolution is based on survival of the fittest. I am not the fittest. I have to
rely on others to survive.
But what does it mean to be “the fittest,” anyway? The
natural answer would be that the fittest are the strongest, healthiest,
smartest, most sociable, and most able to meet the demands of the environment.
This last piece – meeting the demands of the environment – is especially important.
Regardless of the task, I would always prefer to assign it to someone who has
persisted in the face of difficulty, flexibly and creatively adapted, and
developed novel strategies to best suit their strengths and abilities.
And here comes my empowering realization: those who strive
in the face of adversity are the fittest.
People with disabilities develop creative strategies to
adapt to their environment. I listen to books rather than read them. I use bump
dots to feel buttons on the microwave. I test and tweak and repeat until I come
up with workable solutions to my changing vision. Because my needs, vision, and
technology are always changing, this process will continue indefinitely.
Survival of the fittest means those who are able to best
navigate their environment are the most likely to succeed. Those who have
encountered adversity – in the form of disability or otherwise – have had to
adaptively learn to fit the needs of the environment. The innovation,
resilience, and tenacity required to flourish despite barriers indicate that we
are the fittest.
So, if only the fittest survive, I no longer worry if I’ll
make the cut.
