Gardening changed how I see myself as a disabled woman

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Updated August 21, 2023 at 12:52 p.m. EDT|Published August 20, 2023 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
Illustration of a woman in her wheelchair with her service dog among a lush community garden. A friend holds a clipboard and points to their many plants.
(Illustrations by Sonaksha for The Washington Post)

Asking for help can bring up complicated feelings for people with disabilities.

One such feeling is called “self-perceived burden,” which happens when people who need care from others feel frustrated or even guilty that someone else had to help them.

For Rosemary McDonnell-Horita, a 29-year-old with multiple disabilities, gardening gave her an opportunity to be a caregiver rather than a care receiver. Taking care of plants shifted the way she thought about her own body.

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