Yesterday was International Friendship Day. As a disabled person, friendship can be difficult to navigate. I will never get used to the social isolation and loneliness that has come with having a disability.
Unfortunately, my disability has also meant that most of my relationships were with adults, especially during childhood. I was thrust into adult environments early. I interacted more with teachers, doctors, family members, and therapists than I did with my peers.
I didn’t realize just how much this impacted me until my younger sibling began to attend birthday parties, dances, sporting events, and sleepovers. I realized that my sibling could go somewhere without wondering how they would get around someone’s house or use the restroom.
I was often jealous of my younger sibling. I longed to be able to go to a friend’s house for an afternoon or go to the movies with a friend. I wanted to go to the roller skating rink or to an amusement park.
In elementary school, I fit in pretty well. However, once I entered middle school, that changed. Middle school was when I became more reserved. By the time I was in high school, I felt like I was living on a different planet than my peers. They were talking about prom and getting their driver’s licenses. I was more concerned about how much fluid I had to drink during the school day.
After graduating from high school, I had some wonderful times with my friends. We went to an art museum, the mall, and even a Boston Bruins game together. I had so much fun at the TD Garden. I wish that we had taken another trip like that. It was the only overnight trip we took together.
The hardest part of making friends with people has been that they tend not to stick around. I don’t have anybody from childhood that I still talk to. Being able to have friendships that last for years or even decades is a luxury. I can’t count the number of friends who have left me.
In January 2021, someone who I considered a really good friend, stopped talking to me altogether. She also misled me into believing that a friend no longer liked me. This stung more than it had before.
Despite all of this, I haven’t given up on friendship. I still believe in the power of connection, even if it looks different for me than it does for others. I’ve learned to appreciate the moments of joy, however brief, and the people who choose to stay, even when things aren’t easy. Friendship may be harder to come by, but that makes it more meaningful when it does happen.
Source:
Collins, Nicole, and Rachel Duffy. “‘She Feels like the Sister I Never Had’: Telegraph Writers on International Friendship Day.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 30 July 2025, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/wellbeing/mental-health/telegraph-writers-international-friendship-day/.