Don’t let your disability define you.
It is always rewarding to hear about a person who followed their dreams with a disability and succeeded. They are neither limited nor defined by their disability. Greta Thunberg is one of these people. Greta, born in Sweden, is 16 years old. She has been been diagnosed with Asperger, which is on the autism spectrum (ASD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and selective mutism, but that has not stopped her from becoming the youngest, highly awarded activist on climate change. In fact, she attributes her success to having autism, because being on the spectrum means she sees almost everything in black and white.
Greta first heard about climate change at eight years old and has thought of little else since. She sees it as a crisis which ultimately will destroy her generation’s future. She has made it her life’s work to raise awareness of climate change and have people in power sit up and listen, demanding they do something ‘before it’s too late’.Whether or not you agree with the climate change debate isn’t the point. What is important is that this young girl, with multiple diagnoses of challenging conditions, has turned them to her advantage, pursued her goal and people are listening.
What is selective mutism?
While most people know about ASD and OCD, selective mutism is less known. It is a complex childhood anxiety disorder. The Selective Mutism Centre say it is “characterized by a child’s inability to speak and communicate effectively in select social settings, such as school”. They have a fear of speaking, and social settings where they are expected to communicate. This makes Greta’s accomplishments all the more amazing.
How it started
At 16, Greta realised that in spite of all the scientific warnings, little had been done to address climate change. Inspired by the students strikes in the USA who were fighting for tighter gun control and recognising an opportunity of the Swedish elections, she went on strike. With no support from other students she sat outside parliament every day for three weeks during school hours. She made up a sign which read “School strike for the climate”. Even after the elections, she maintained her strike, but on Fridays only.
Help from Social Media
When her photograph was posted on Facebook and Instagram, people started to take notice. She now had worldwide attention. By December 2018 more than 20,000 school students were motivated by her to hold strikes in at least 270 countries. By early 2019, academics were acknowledging the actions of the striking students as positive. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres admitted that his generation had failed the current younger one, and he understood their anger.
Overcoming fear
Overcoming her fear of speaking, Greta has given addresses about the need for action on climate change at a number of high level forums.
- TEDxStockholm
- COP24 United Nations climate change summit .
- World Economic Forum in Davos
- European Economic and Social Committee
- In 2019 she spoke before 25,000 near the Brandenburg Gate
- EU Leaders at the European Parliament
- Austrian World Summit R20
You can read all Greta’s speeches here, https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/greta-speeches
Prizes and Awards
Since 2018 Greta been received many prizes and awards, including being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The winners will be announced in early October. Among the very many accolades she has received, Timemagazine named her one of the world’s 25 most influential teenagers of 2018, and in April 2019 named her as one of the most 100 influential people of 2019. In the same month she was given Ambassador of Conscience Award by Amnesty International. In July of this year she was awarded the Geddes Environment Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, automatically granting her an Honorary Fellowship.
Greta’s achievements are awe inspiring. Steadfast in her crusade on climate change, she has overcome the many challenges she faced and embraced them as a strength rather than a weekness. I doubt that this will be the last we will hear of Greta Thunberg.
Need help in achieving your dreams?
Not everyone can be as successful as Greta. She is certainly an inspiration and has achieved much. Everyone dreams of how they would like to live their lives and while you may have challenges that doesn’t mean you need to give up on your dreams.
If you receive NDIS and would like to help to follow your dream with a disability, Care to Change can help. If you want to talk to someone call us on 1800 515 888. Or you can email us on [email protected] otherwise use our contact page. We will get back to you within 24 hours and will be happy to discuss your options with you.
References:
