Shining Bright: Otto Lana’s Story of Disability and Empowerment
This Disability Pride Month, we’re sharing a blog from Otto Lana, one of the stars of our ‘Disability Is Not a Dirty Word’ campaign. Otto is a college student, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, published poet, writer, and actor – a true Renaissance man. Utilizing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools, as he says he’s always ‘dropping gems of wisdom.’
Honored with the prestigious Heumann-Armstrong Award, Otto is recognized for his impactful contributions to the disability community. As Otto says, “Get ready to ride this tsunami of change with Otto – you're in the splash zone now!”
Hello, friends! This July during Disability Pride Month, it’s time to get everyone up to speed and let them in on a secret we’ve always known…disabled people make up a large portion of the population in the U.S. In fact, one in four people are disabled, that’s more than 70 million people. That is right! We are large and in charge; we are loud and proud. We are demographic. We are a voting bloc. We are a Senator from Pennsylvania.
Thank you to Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) for the amazing ‘Disability is Not a Dirty Word’ campaign to help shine a light on us, the multifaceted diamonds we are. Everyone knows the sun is the only pure white light that can show a diamond's true radiance, so thank you ESSC for being our ray of sunshine.
Just a quick disclosure. The following essay is my thoughts that have formed from my lived experiences and the memories I have of those experiences. Words carry weight and have power. It is not my intention to trigger, harm, marginalize, or offend anyone. I am just sharing my truth.
Reflecting on the ‘Disability is Not a Dirty Word’ campaign, here are some questions I often get asked:
What is your personal journey to becoming comfortable with who you are?
I have always been comfortable in my own skin. I have always valued the space I inhabit. I have always been opinionated and strong willed. I am Autistic. Unfortunately for me, those innate traits were viewed by others through their concept of what Autism is, so I was often labeled “non-compliant, protestor, task avoider, eloper, unmotivated, etc.” Thank goodness those short-sighted, narrow-minded adults in the room couldn’t break this wild pony. I am that American Mustang that lives a free and self-determined life. For all those who did not recognize my competence for my first nine years, I say look at me now, look at me now! I am living well, my friends.
What is your personal journey to becoming comfortable with your disability?
I was born this way. I know no other way. I can understand how this would be a question for someone who can demarcate a distinct time before disability and after disability. But that is not my lived experience. It is akin to asking a fish what it feels like to have scales and the ability to breathe underwater, when the fish has spent the first ten years of its life hearing, “too bad for you, you can’t climb a tree.” I have always been this level of a baller. I have always been a diamond in the rough.
It took a master gemologist, in the form of a speech therapist, to give me access and support to a robust system of communication. A text-based system of communication was the beginning of all of my success. Luckily for me, I didn’t listen to haters, the doubters, and those who refused to see anything beyond my diagnosis, and I loved everything about being a fish.
My disabilities are the least interesting things about me. However, they are an integral part of my identity. They are interwoven and cannot be parsed out. They do not tell the whole story. They do not give you the whole picture. It is like looking at one pixel of a digital image and defining the image by that one pixel.
What is your personal journey to not letting society define you?
Society will always fear new and different ideas, casting out anything that opposes their norm or their truth. If I give intellectual or emotional energy to society’s limitations, I will not have the capacity to create all this positivity for change.
My goal in life is to create access for all with ‘Universal Design’ as a standard, inclusion for all, and authentic lives for all. We, as disabled people, will not be woven into the fabric of society, until we can be seen as equals. We do not want your pity. We want you to move over and make room at the table…an accessible table.
Learn more about Otto and visit the DisabilityPride.com website to share your own story of disability and empowerment.