Living With a Disability: A Gateway to Practicing Forgiveness and Compassion

Forgiveness and compassion are two helpful approaches toward reducing the emotional, psychological, and spiritual anxiety brought about by negative and harmful experiences. Disability, forgiveness, and compassion are terms that may not be thought of in relation to one another, but here the authors introduce the idea that the experience of living with a disability can be an opportunity to practice forgiveness or compassion, whether directed toward one’s self or toward others. Forgiveness and compassion are similar yet unique practices that influence the emotional well-being. The experience of disability includes both the disabling life event (in the case of acquired disabilities) and the many micro aggressions that the disabled experience over time. It is the authors’ belief that forgiveness and compassion are tools applicable to people with disabilities that may be used as a means for personal growth and healing. These tools can benefit not only people with disabilities, but also their loved ones and all those they encounter in life