There are many areas of discriminations based on race, gender, or economic status in today's society. But the one that touches me the most deeply is that against people with disabilities. In the past seventeen years, I have been on the receiving end of such prejudice because I am different from my peers. I was born with physical disabilities including hearing and speech impairments. I have been mainstreamed in my education and gratefully most people have accepted me, laughed with me but not at me, and provided me with encouragement, support, and positive influences. However, one school-related incident of blatant ignorance stands out in my memory.

In my freshman Spanish class, my hearing aid could not pick up the teacher's voice during oral dictation tests. I requested the teacher to consider applying a modified way to test my knowledge in Spanish. The teacher flatly ignored it and insisted that I had to take the test by his method. I was insulted and angered by his insensitivity. Subsequently, my request to be transferred to a class with a different teacher was granted in which I maintained a straight "A" grade for two years. The unwillingness of an able-bodied educator to accommodate my disability (which I am unable to change) is an example of the obstacles that disabled people face in society.

Perhaps the underlying problems rest elsewhere. An unwanted by product of the goal of equal opportunity for all Americans is the heavy emphasis on making everybody the "SAME". It is unfair to blindly apply an equal standard for all, to demand identical performance tasks regardless of an individual's capabilities and to then make premature judgments. It reminds me of the story of the animal school which made the glorious mistake of insisting that all the animals run, fly, swim and climb, then failed them all. While we should be equal under the law, I think that extreme insistence on uniformity is undesirable: society, must also recognize and affirm our differences, On the other hand, we should not tolerate young people with disabilities routinely going through segregated education, a segregated society, or being overly dependent on their parents and public aid. I firmly believe that most of the people with disabilities can achieve and advance when given equitable opportunities. I realize that I cannot, by myself, change the world. I can, however, hope to influence the people around me, expanding their understanding of people with differences. Undoubtedly, together we can make a difference.

As I mentioned in my essay, I was born with physical disabilities including hearing and speech impairments. While searching for an answer as to why I am so different, I have been able to make peace with my own "physical differences", have learned to accept and respect myself, and have maintained my dignity and integrity. Gratefully, both my parents have always been available to walk with me and help me to overcome many hardships through their consistent love and encouragement. My father (a physician, psychiatrist, and professor at University of Southern (USC) California School of Medicine) and my mother (a homemaker with an avocation of ceramics) focus on fostering strengths and abilities rather than concentrating on disabilities: what I can do, not what I can not do. They have been the main force in further developing my strong self-esteem, broadening my horizons, and cultivating the maturity and independence so essential for me with physical disabilities. In the future, I believe that there is an unique statement for me to make in life which is different from others. I am a firm believer that with an understanding of one's past, one will have a better insight into one's future. I have assimilated the lessons that my life has taught me, and in so doing, have come to a better understanding of where I am presently. More importantly, this understanding has enabled me to formulated future plans and goals.