What is the average human being?
Height: 5ft 6 for Women and 5ft 10 for men.
Weight: 137 pounds / Just under 10 stones.
Hair: Black followed by Black.
Ethnicity: Han Chinese.
Disability: None – usually hidden and unaware of.
Handedness: Right.
What is normal for Dan (Founder of Elephant in The Room)?
Height: 6ft 7.
Weight: 240 pounds / 17 stones.
Hair: Blue though there seem to be some hints of brown and some grey (though I’m in denial of that).
Ethnicity: White British.
Disability: Deaf and Anxiety.
Handedness: Left though I am ambidextrous when not writing.
Just looking at the above, I am quite different to the average person and I suspect if you answered the questions for yourself you would agree on the same for yourself.
What is my Normal?
What is normal for me is to be ME. I am loud in every sense and it does me a disservice to hide away because there is nowhere to hide. Then there are times where I surprise myself and others with stealthy ninja moves… (shh… I’m behind you…)
I am told I buck the trend when people realise I am Deaf and what trend is that? Am I expected to be this Deaf man who has no life, unable to communicate orally and is highly dependent? Am I expected to dress in a particular way, not have a job and be under care? These are the very things I was brought up not to be, the very things I desire not to be and the very things I want the wider world to realise that the Disabled/Deaf communities are so diverse. That there are many amazing talented “trend-bucking” individuals out there who deserve not to be labelled by society due to the social model they have had spoonfed to them over the years.
I have been very lucky and very successful in life. I have a beautiful wife, beautiful children, an amazing job and the amazing socio-work organisations that I have founded/co-founded.
What is your Normal? Tell us something about yourself 🙂