As you know I am someone with a physical disability (moderate visual impairment with weird-looking glasses) and a mental illness (bipolar 1).  I think a physical disability plus a mental illness adds up to more than the sum of its parts.  At least it has in my life.

• In all my communications with people I start out with negativity right off the bat because of my thick glasses.  In every relationship it’s like I am making the first golf shot from a sand trap!
• Because of my visual impairment I cannot drive.  I cannot go to people’s houses and force myself on them.  Because of my physical disability and mental illness I’m almost always the needier party in the relationship and as such is the one initiating.  This keeps me from initiating.
• Because of my mental illness I don’t have the inner strength to shrug off the negativity from and live above my physical disability.
• Because of my physical disability I’ve been rejected for jobs I was qualified and now have so many gaps in my resume I am unemployable
• Because of the way I’m treated on account of my disabilities it is impossible for me to believe I have innate worth–there just isn’t any evidence to back it up!  Non-disabled people are often treated better so they find it easier to believe this lie.

May I ask, how many successful people do you know or have even heard of who have both a physical disability (particularly a visible physical disability) and a mental illness. You hear countless stories of people rising above their physical disabilities and becoming something and you often hear of people with mental illnesses who can function. But have you ever heard of someone with both make anything of their life? I haven’t!