I'm just human, not inspirational.

• Author: Oliver, Erin
• Position: Voices - Young woman comments on her diabetes and public perception of disability - Column

La Vista, Nebraska--"Do you have to bleed in here?" Two middle-aged ladies sat at a table and played 20 Questions with me while I pricked my finger to check my blood sugar. We were in the break room during a local charity marathon. Falling somewhere between "Doesn't that hurt?" and "My grandma has that," the accusing question stung. Maybe it was because I was volunteering at a fund-raiser for multiple sclerosis. You would think they would be sympathetic to the realities of living with a disability. But many people aren't.

Questions about my Type 1 (juvenile-onset) diabetes, diagnosed four years ago, usually don't faze me. Because I'm diabetic--which means the sugar in my blood isn't being absorbed naturally into my cells--I'm often seen as everything from courageous to contaminated. Like a girl with two colors of eyes, people just can't get over me. Whether disgusted by my "rituals" or impressed by my "stamina," few people see past my condition.

I don't know where societal perceptions about disability started. But there is scant coverage of disabilities in the media, and the little press the disability community does get tempts me to cover my ears and scream, "Enough!" Most mentions of people with disabilities collect in the category of heartwarming feature stories. Headlines such as "Soprano Overcomes Disability, Uses Voice to Connect with Audiences" and "Teen Excels After Chemo, Amputation" convince the public that folks with disabilities must be either overwhelmingly inspirational or not worth the mention.

If...