For me it was gradual, at first not being able to bend over or telling my daughter don't fall over as I can't pick you up, but as she has had it all her life it's normal to her, strange. You kept trying to do those things though as if testing yourself or proving there's nothing wrong, living in denial, I remember trying to do a usual household chore once and my daughter telling me to sit down because I was raining, I was dripping sweat :)
Then begins the long process of accepting that things have changed, you have, now you can keep fighting or finding new things you can do, adapt to the new you, it's hard and gets you down from time to time but you know when you do adapt you feel better,.
Because my issue is chronic back pain, I have trouble standing, in pain all the time and use a chair to go out, so after help off friends and family I found something I could do, crafting takes not much energy and can be put away at any time, so I started making butterflies, just out of card, with glitter, amazing how it helps I send them all over in the hope to make others smile, which in turn makes me smile, I have finally adapted to my situation, I can't do what I used to but I can do this.
Whatever your disability is if you sit down and totally wipe that slate clean, think what you can and want to do, write that book, draw, paint, design a website, take some of the skills you used to use and re use them in a new way, I wonder how many para athletes thought of doing the sport they do before their disability, mind some have theirs all their lives but still adapt, society tells you it can't be done.
Society needs to adapt too, when I was small people with Down's weren't given a chance but things have changed, same goes for a lot of disabilities, we all have to adapt, us with the disability and societies views on it, why isn't sign language or Braille options in schools, little things like that help
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