Look at them.

Mosul, Iraq  |  Wheelchair Distribution

Would you take two minutes to look into these faces?

They are beautiful. They are sincere. They are kind, and they long to be seen. They need to be seen.

So here’s my question: why are so many of us uncomfortable around people with disabilities?

Is it a reminder of struggle or pain that we’d prefer to ignore? Is it just about differences we aren’t used to, so we shy away? Or are we afraid we’ll make a mistake or accidentally hurt them?

Perhaps the real reason we’re uncomfortable around people with disabilities is that they remind us of the ways we are disabled. Their struggle reminds us that deep down we’re all basically the same. We all have struggles, strengths, hopes, despair…and every last one of us needs to be seen. Struggles and all.

Sure, some people can’t walk and most can. Some can’t see and most can. Some have a different genetic makeup that allows them to experience and process the world quite differently from the rest of us.

There’s no denying the obvious disabilities some people battle every single day, but many of the world’s disabilities are easily hidden. We put on the costume, rehearse the lines, walk out the door and play the role.

This is exactly why we need beautiful people like the ones in these photos. We need to sit with them, see their struggle, and see them overcoming so we can overcome, too.

We need to see their dependence to be reminded of our own.

We need to see their love and light and joy to live out our own.