Tag Archives: self-authority

A Poem Called “Invisible”

Invisible,

by theamazinJ

Not seen,
Not heard,
Not even there,
watching over,
observing,
seeing.
everywhere I go,
I see.
everywhere I go,
I move.
I listen.
I tend to go from here to there.
I also go from there to here.
watching.
Invisible I am,
visible I seem.
Speaking I do.
Others and many don’t listen.
My voice matters once,
but not much at all.
I am important.
I run in my soul.
I speak in my mind.
I use my voice to lift me up.
My congruence is soft,
and sweet.
My differences are not unique.
I am different than the status quo.
I am disabled by default.
I am competent.
I am visible to those who see me.
Invisible mostly.
My voice counts like every voice counts.
I am seen in the world
like everyone else.
The world is changing.
Leaders are transitioning.
Leaders becoming immune to
the rest of society.
Leaders are not in touch
with the reality of every community.
Leaders fault on this.
Building outreach to everyone,
listening to those who actually do it,
while the leaders pay attention.
Every leader counts their materials.
Leaders do not understand
which is goes side and which goes the other side.
Leadership can be invisible too.
Being invisible fading in and out
of the community we live in.
Some visible moments,
but mostly invisibility
to work on ourselves.
Dangerous to be visible,
dangerous to be invisible.
Cautious when we become visible.
Everyone has their choices,
and no body can
take away that dignity.
Everyone has their family
as we learn to use the
right supports for the right time.
Sometimes
sometimes
mostly,
getting our words out there
for the best support we can get.
support means interdependence,
while no one is independent.
Sometimes many don’t understand
what support actually mean,
and instead intend to control.
Control is not support,
voicing ourselves
under what they think others want
without listening.
Self-determination is
recognizing what we want
being self-aware,
and doing what is
important for ourselves
without being under the influence,
and without being controlled.
Invisible or not,
any of us chooses
when we want to be seen,
and when we want not.
Being visible is a part of self-determination,
but mostly it is about who we are
and what we want at the time.
Be Seen or not be seen.

A Poem called “Presume Competence”

Presume Competence,

by theamazinJ

I am able even though I am disabled,
no one is not even able, even though they may be disabled,
because its all in the way we all behave,
it is all in the way we all seek universally designing the world
of what everyone feels everyone can conform to together,
realizing conforming to current structures needs changing,
it is all about conforming, but to what aspect do we all conform to together,
It doesn’t matter what another thinks,
we make decisions
and can negate the approval or
what fate any one else thinks someone else has,
presume competence no matter what.
Presuming competence is so important,
everyone can do the right thing
as long as they show consistently
the things they can do and can’t do,
even with a cognitive or psychiatric disability.
No one is incapable, because everyone is capable.
No one can automatically assume to not presume,
because we all have what it takes,
many have been through the traumatic society
we live in for far too long
and internalize all that trauma
in a reaction that may show
everyone now, that they may be incapable,
A person is not incapable
A person is not not able to decide
A person can choose for themselves
A person any person is a human being,
Any person can do, say, or whatever they please
unless they have proven consistently
throughout their life they cannot do that, however,
many who are disabled
have also been through an extreme amount of trauma
in the society they have lived in,
many who have bullied them,
many who have taunted them,
many who have hurt them both physically and mentally,
many who have brought them down making them feel useless and worthless,
and many who just assumed their whole life
that they can easily manipulate and control
a disabled person they question:
a disabled person who they question is vulnerable,
a disabled person who they question is not all there,
a disabled person who they question the self-authority,
a disabled person who they question competence,
Yes, disabled people are vulnerable
like you,
Yes, disabled people may not always be there,
like you,
Yes, disabled people get tired and may need your support,
like you,
yet, disabled people regardless need support
like you who tend to not presume competence,
like you who tend to assure society
that just because a person has a disability
does not mean they cannot be presumed competent,
it does not mean anything unless proven consistently
that the person can’t, but that is a long stretch
from the manipulations, abuses, and neglect society has done
without taking responsibility for the damages,
because once society and individuals take responsibility for those damages,
we can finally make rational decisions
of a person’s competence,
we can then finally decide what, if any,
a person can or cannot do,
and finally,
we will know for sure,
what to presume and what not,
until then,
we all wait,
until then,
we all must presume competence,
until society and individuals take responsibility for these damages
of what many have done to a disabled person,
we can only do what is best,
what is right,
what provides human dignity and respect for everyone,
with all the inalienable rights we all have,
and all the most important things we can do
to speak out and advocate for ourselves,
because in the end,
one self-advocate voice helps another
regardless of being disabled or not,
and that makes all the difference,
and that is all what it takes,
to presume competence first and foremost.