Being disabled is hard, because we are often misunderstood. It’s hard for us to make friends, but it’s easy for us to lose them because of our disabilities. People assume we don’t have any feelings or knowledge, because we are disabled.

Disabled people are their own worst enemy, because we don’t give ourselves enough credit when we accomplish simple things, such as walking or talking. Because we see everyone else doing these things with such ease, we believe we should be able to do the same daily activities as our friends.

Disabled people need friends because they help us in ways. When we have friends, they can help us physically, emotionally, mentally, intellectually and spiritually.

Let’s say someone is in a wheelchair, and other people are playing basketball. A basketball player notices the person in the wheelchair and brings a ball to the disabled child. Then, the player teaches the wheelchair child how to play basketball.

That gives us physical help, because disabled people have to exercise more often than regular people, and it helps us emotionally to feel like we’re important enough for someone to give us attention.

We start to realize that not all people are mean, or that others think negatively about people with disabilities. It also helps us intellectually, to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t have a disability. We learn about things they are learning about, that helps us accomplish something on a spiritual level.

Friends give us a reason to continue the fight. However, when we are ignored, we start to give up. If you are friends with a disabled person, and they normally talk to you a lot, but one day their talk is limited, don’t take it personally. Don’t leave them until they tell you what’s going on. People with disabilities need friends who won’t give up on them, even if they give up on themselves.

That’s all we need: true friends.