This morning, I saw a reel on Instagram talking about how ADHD is a disability and someone should tell the schools. The amount of comments saying they have ADHD and just need to work harder was insane!
ADHD means your brain is wired differently, and so many aspects of life simply don’t suit our brains. We are not lazy, and we shouldn’t have to just ‘work harder’.
It took me until I got my AuDHD diagnosis to realise that life shouldn’t be hard work. Not only that, so many people aren’t spending all their time working hard to get through each day. It’s easy for them!
For many of us neurodivergent people, there are simple things that can be done to accommodate our needs, to make our lives a bit easier. Even something as simple as giving ourselves permission to get a cleaner if housework is something we struggle with.
The school system often isn’t set up for neurodivergent students. Classroom setups can be sensory overload, from the colourful displays to the noise during the day, not to mention being told to sit still and focus. This makes it harder to learn.
Workplaces often aren’t much better.
We are constantly told to just work harder, as if we’re not working really hard already.
We are told that we have to change, to do better, to be better. As if we’re not already doing that, and falling short.
Schools, workplaces, and society in general, make it really hard for us to get simple changes that can make our lives a little bit easier. So we can navigate the world and flourish, instead of trying to survive.
In my mind, ADHD is a disability because we are told to work harder to get through life. If society was set up so that we didn’t have to work harder for the same results, then those arguing that it’s not a disability would be right. Until then, someone needs to tell schools, workplaces and society that it is a disability and we need support.
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