There is a saying that “a picture is worth 1000 words.” Although, in many senses, this is not true. A photo cannot tell someone’s story at all.
You cannot tell from a photo of me, that I was born missing part of my jaw and now have lots of metal in my jaw and chin, nor can you tell that I have a vision and hearing impairment. I find that even in real life, people have no idea that I have a problem with my vision and hearing until I make them aware of it.
If I was to walk past you in the street and you didn’t know me personally, you would be none the wiser of my disability, as I do not have any support from a long white cane or guide dog.
That being said, just because I have enough useful vision to get around without bumping into things without the use of a mobility aid, does not mean that I do not have any challenges.
Feeling like your disability is “less valid” than a visible / physical disability.
I am a little guilty of feeling that because my disability is not always that obvious to others, it isn’t as valid as some other types of disabilities. However, this is such an unhealthy way of thinking. No matter the type of disability, or additional challenges caused by a medical condition or impairment, they’re all valid.
I have had people in my life say to me before “but you’re not really disabled”. I don’t know if this is a comment which is made with good intentions or pure ignorance, but it really just makes me feel that my personal struggles caused by my level of vision and hearing aren’t bad enough in their opinion.
People find what they can’t see, harder to understand.
It is of course in the name that invisible disabilities are un-obvious to the eye, however, this proposes its own challenges. When someone is in a wheelchair, most people can understand from seeing that mobility aid, that that person cannot walk, or at least, cannot walk far.
However, when you “do not look disabled”, people can find it really difficult to try and contextualise. It is very hard for someone to get a good understanding of how much you can see, just from a description. This in return makes it hard for people to know how to assist you, or when to assist. Linking back to people not understanding what they cannot see, I frequently find that even when people are made aware of my multisensory impairments, they even forget or it goes straight over their heads.
Worrying what others are thinking of you.
Lastly, something that others with a hidden disability can probably relate to, is because there isn’t anything physical to make people aware of the condition, I worry about being in situations where I will do something which would seem strange for someone who hasn’t got a disability. For example, when I am in a supermarket, I have to get really close to price tickets, in order to see the prices of each item. Or if I can’t read it, I will zoom into my phone’s camera. These things cause me to take longer and be in the way of other shoppers. As a result, it causes me to feel like a bit of a nuisance.
Other examples include worrying about what other passengers think when I get out my bus pass, as I can only assume that people would be wondering the reason for me “deserving” of one of those. Secondly, when standing at a road crossing, I take extra care before crossing the road due to having less vision and hearing to rely on. I’ve had incidences where I have stepped into the road not hearing a car coming and then been told that the person in the car gave me a dirty look as if I should have been paying more attention.
People are typically more patient and understanding when they can see someone is disabled, or elderly. I, on the other hand, am a pretty ordinary-looking person in my 20s and it is for this reason, that it can cause me to feel more self-conscious or embarrassed when I do end up doing something “unusual” for someone without an impairment.
What are your thoughts on this topic, have I mentioned anything which you hadn’t of though about before?
I appreciate you taking the time to read this blog post.
Becky. X
