Quote graphic with a photo of Ryan Honick and the text:
“Disability isn’t a metaphor. It’s not a personality type. And it’s definitely not something you can pray, push, or positivity your way out of.”
I’ll be honest: I’m tired. Not just physically—existentially. Because every time I talk about disability, someone inevitably says:
“Well, everyone has something, right?”
Everyone’s a little neurodivergent.
A little ADHD.
A little OCD.
We all have trauma.
We’re all on the spectrum.
Except… no.
We’re not.
And saying we are? It’s not inclusive. It’s dismissive.
You don’t have to flatten the disability experience to feel connected to it. And yet, this "everyone has something" mindset keeps popping up in classrooms, in DEI trainings, and on conference panels—as if lived experience is just a vibe we all sort of share.
Here’s the thing: “Relating” to something isn’t the same as living with it.
It’s one thing to feel distracted. It’s another to navigate the world with ADHD while constantly masking to meet neurotypical expectations.
It’s one thing to like your desk organized. It’s another to live with OCD and be consumed by intrusive thoughts that disrupt your entire day.
It’s one thing to be upset. It’s another to be triggered—and suddenly transported into a trauma state that can take hours or days to come down from.
When we use clinical terms casually—or treat disability like a shared inconvenience—we erase the people actually living it, day in and day out.
Disability isn’t a metaphor.
It’s not a personality type.
And it’s definitely not something you can pray, push, or positivity your way out of.
And yet, society loves a good overcome story. It makes people feel comfortable. But comfort has never been the goal of disability justice. Equity is. Access is. Dignity is.
We’re not here for inspiration. We’re here for infrastructure.
Disability is real. It’s physical. It’s mental. It’s emotional. It’s systemic.
And while yes, it’s common—1 in 4 people in the U.S. have a disability—that doesn’t make it universal. And it sure as hell doesn’t make it insignificant.
So please. For the love of accuracy and advocacy:
Stop saying “everyone has something.”
Say:
✅ I’m listening.
✅ I want to understand.
✅ I’ll advocate for accessibility.
Because that? That’s how we move forward.