I appreciate the concept of “temporarily Able-Bodied”as a way to explain empathy to folks who need help with it.
As this Bluesky skeet says:
https://bsky.app/profile/loreleilee.bsky.social/post/3mdgcffmdcs2d
“Someday, you too will be disabled. Your life will be so much better then if you address your ableism now.”
The important thing to remember is that almost all of us will become disabled at least once before we die. It is extremely rare (and usually tragic) if someone dies before disability takes hold.
I’m someone who became disabled later in life: one disability is permanent (hearing loss), and others (like plantar fasciitis) come and go over the years. I can walk without pain now, for example, but there was a period of a few years when I couldn’t.
These disabilities are not “super powers.” They don’t make me special or better. They honestly suck. Nobody wants to live with constant pain.
But having them does not make me less than, or bad, or lazy, or wrong.
So, dear reader: I encourage you to not think of yourself as Able-Bodied, if you are, but rather as Temporarily Able-Bodied. It gives you a different perspective of looking at the world, and is a good way to practice your problem solving skills.
Emilybook 