Many of the things I like to do on my own are the little things, like picking out my clothes for school. Most people don’t even think about these things when they’re doing them, but I have to…. Another thing I like to do on my own is to go out without someone looking over my shoulder all the time. Sometimes I just like to take my cane and walk a little.
– Laurie, blind
When I’m alone I like to read books. I like to look at the view outside my window and meditate by myself.
– Susan, deaf
For a long time as a young woman I was in a leg cast living in my parents’ house on top of a hill. I couldn’t get off the hill for months at a time. Luckily I had art. Every day I went into this little cubby hole and painted at this fevered pitch. Maybe if I hadn’t had arthritis I could have accomplished the same thing by climbing a mountain.
– Ginny, rheumatoid arthritis
I don’t like being all alone because it gives me a feeling of loss. I think it all started when I went to the hospital and separated from my family. There was almost no communication. I think I have been alone for so long and for so many years that I really hate the idea.
– Lois, deaf
Being alone is still a new experience for me. For years I didn’t like being alone. Being alone meant trying to find a different way home from school so that I wouldn’t run into kids who would know I wasn’t popular. Being alone meant nobody likes me. Now I’m more comfortable—like being alone in my car, driving and thinking. It’s a hard road to learn to be comfortable with yourself.
– Judi, cerebral palsy
Sometimes I feel really alone because of my disability. I am hard of hearing and although I can function fairly well in both the hearing and the deaf worlds, I do not, at times, feel a part of either world. I am not totally accepted as deaf because I can talk and lip-read fairly well, and I am not totally accepted as hearing because there are times when I cannot hear and use an interpreter.
– Missy, hard of hearing
The time I spend alone is Sunday—my housecleaning day. I really enjoy that day: I enjoy cleaning. Just me and my dog. People know they’re not welcome at that time. No one comes. No one calls.
– Margie, blind
I love playing the piano when no one else is around. I sing and get really dramatic.
– Ann, short stature