Proud To Be Me: Aaron (Learning Disability Pride)

Hello there, how are you all doing?

For those who don’t know me, my name is Aaron Hume, I’m 19 years old and I have multiple disabilities which I’ll go on and talk a bit more about in this blog.

I have been a member of get2gether since last July 2020. I was looking online one night for a dating app and something fun to do but I then found a community. It is amazing to think I made a lot of good friends but I haven’t met anybody in person yet due to COVID-19.

This month is June which is Pride month, a chance to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community all over the world. Pride dates back to the Stonewall Riots which was a protest by members of the LGBTQ+ community which took place way back in 1969.   I am a supporter of LGBTQ+ people because I personally believe that love is love, no matter who it is, and if you feel comfortable in yourself, do not let anybody put you down ever because at the end of the day, all that matter is you.

As I said at the start of this blog, I have multiple disabilities. My main one being Cerebral Palsy which is a physical disability affecting people differently but for me personally, it affects my muscles all over my body which don’t work very well so I struggle to walk and use my hands properly and so I do stumble. My throat and voice muscles don’t work very well, I can’t communicate by speech but that won’t stop me from chatting and my eyesight is affected by a time delay between what I see and what my brain processes.

I am Autistic and for me my autism means I like my routines, like having dinner at 5pm on the dot every night or saying I love you 3 times to my mum when I go to bed. I don’t like changes at all and sometimes, I find new situations hard to deal with.

I also have a moderate learning disability. I got a diagnosis at 16 years old. I was diagnosed late because I mimic people and act like I was knowing things but I didn’t and it was a worry for me that I would become more vulnerable . My learning disability affects a lot in my life like I’m not good at recognising money or reading a long book. I also struggle with long tasks but I find that when it gets broken down into lots of little tasks then I can manage.

Also in June, it’s Learning Disability Pride which is a week of celebration across Britain – a celebration of being proud of who we are. In the past years, I have come to learn and see that everybody has something to bring to society and in #BecomingVisible, it just highlights the strong leadership of disabled people. I am very proud to be called Autistic and a physical/learning disabled man.