Some tips to make new friends when you have a disability

When you have a disability, finding new friends can be tough. But today, there are many support groups and technology has advanced a lot which makes finding friends easier. Check out these few tips to make new friends when you have a disability.

Finding the right friends with whom you can share everything is definitely not an easy task. When you are disabled, this can be even trickier. Apparently, even today, most people look at a disabled person with sympathies. So it is quite difficult to understand whether they need your friendship merely out of sympathy or because they actually really care for you.

Being a social animal, man always needs company. With advent of social media and technology, finding the right people to make your life better is not tough. That way, you can forget loneliness and get a new lease of life too.

Kritica Purohit, who is visually impaired, is the winner of a beauty pageant.

I wouldn’t appreciate if someone tries to become my friend just out of sympathy. They should be ready to treat me equally. A few of my friends used to ask me not to go to a new place because I might fall down or bump into someone. I used to get hurt when they say that. So once I told them about this, and they have never spoken to me like that! You might be comfortable in the visual world, but blind people have an equally powerful audio world and fingers through which we experience things- Kritica Purohit.

Here are some tips to make new friends when you have a disability

Use technology to the fullest– Today, there are hundreds of mobile apps that are available. From dating to finding friends, everything is easily available at your fingertip. In fact, there are many apps for disabled people too. Find out the right and credible ones. These apps can open new doors of opportunities for you. At the same time, be careful of frauds. Download an app and find people who share similar interests with you.

Get a pet– Over the years, experts have pointed out how animals can have a positive and soothing impact to lives of people who are lonely. Hence, animals are man’s real friends. Moreover, some animals like dogs can be more than just pets. They can help in assisting you too. Try and avoid caged animals because you definitely don’t want an animal to be locked inside for the rest of their lives. Realise that animals can make great friends!

Maintain positive attitude– Having a disability is not end of the tunnel. There are many things to explore and know. So always maintain a positive attitude towards your life as well as towards others. People easily get attracted to positivity. It is always great to become someone approachable. Smile during all situations and stay strong. People would always want to reach out to you.

Join support groups– This is a great way to make new friends. Today, there are many support groups that are available online. So you can be part of them sitting at home. You can meet like-minded people and those with your same disability too. You can talk about your concerns and connect with people. You can also help mutually in supporting each other.

“It is funny how people arrive at conclusions and judgements based on our disabilities. Most of the new people that we meet are sure that we cannot do things on our own. People with no disabilities need to understand that we are just as capable as you. Personally I feel that only family members are going to stand with a disabled person through thick and thin when compared to friends”, says Sarath P, wheelchair user.

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