I have talked before about some privileges people take for granted. This includes traveling (something not everyone can afford), the stability that comes with being born in the United States, and even work. These are all privileges people don’t recognize and instead take for granted on a daily basis, but they shouldn’t.
And there are more privileges that society doesn’t recognize – mainly, driving and autonomy.
The first one, driving, is something almost everyone does; some people hate to do it, and some people love it. But not everyone can drive.
I am a person with a disability, and I cannot drive. This is the case for many people with disabilities. We either have to rely on aides, family and friends, or public transportation to get where we want or need to go.
Non-disabled people don’t have those issues; they can get in their cars and go about their day without nearly the logistics that I and millions of others have to deal with. More people need to acknowledge that driving is a privilege. It provides another level of freedom and independence that I can not experience.
Another privilege that many non-disabled people take for granted might not seem like a privilege, but it very much is: autonomy. Autonomy allows you to make independent decisions, unaffected by outside control – something that everyone wants, but not everyone has.
I don’t have this privilege, either. I cannot go to the bathroom or bed by myself, and I cannot do many basic things – all considered activities of daily living (ADLs). Instead, I have to depend on someone for a lot of everyday things that most non-disabled people take for granted.
This also affects my privacy. I have some, in that I can close my bedroom door. However, for the most part, privacy and autonomy are not something I think about, especially in regard to my aide care with things I need help with. With more intimate things like going to the bathroom, I really don’t have control over that. I still live at home with my family, and even when I move out, I may still not have as much privacy as I’d like.
It might always be that way, and that’s okay. That is the case for many people in my situation.
But having this autonomy – and by extent, privacy – is a privilege most people don’t acknowledge.
Driving and autonomy are only a few of the many privileges that many non-disabled people don’t recognize or acknowledge. And I don’t think people will see them as privileges until you start empathizing more with those who don’t have them.
Not only that, but you need to come to terms with this fact: one day, you could lose these privileges, too. Only then will you realize that these were actually gifts that you took for granted, not understanding the critical role they played in your life.
At the end of the day, these are not just privileges; they are gifts that should be treated as such. Only then would people see their privileges and genuinely appreciate them for what they are.
