Often it's forgotten in this world that not all of us are 100% complete. And no, I don't mean in a typically average person's everyday emotional troubles.
I'm talking about disability. Quick, what's the first image that sprang to mind when you saw that word "disability"? I'm betting $20 it was involving wheelchairs, crutches, bandaged/missing body parts. The visible, the tangible, the easily identified.
Often it's not realised until it's discussed: the "cloaked disabilities". Where people seem to function just fine. So why do they pull in a pension while you miss out?
You may not realise it, but some are so subtle, it takes just one small moment to lock onto the not so obvious factors. The moment that makes you raise an eyebrow at the "abnormal" event. A slur. A stumble. A hand shaking unsteadily.
(Michael J. Fox was diagnosed long ago with his Parkinson's, and reportedly hid his hand in his pants pocket during the filming of Family Ties to hide the shaking, which is why the press and public took so long to find out.)
There are many, but media has locked onto epilepsy as the easiest and most dramatic to demonstrate.
Not a bad thing, the more press for cloaked disabilities the better. We "dented" people could use the information to help our position in life.
(Except disinformation like "Psychotic Epilepsy". Thanks The Exorcism of Emily Rose.)
Just remember: You don't need a wheelchair or crutches to have a disability.
It extends beyond the external to the internal.
When in doubt/shy, look for a Medic Alert bracelet (or similar).
(Although not everyone is guaranteed to own one.)
Or even better, just ASK.
(We may tire of sharing the same details ad nauseum, but we know it's with good reason. Curiosity, not harassment.)
Assuming someone's "faking it" reminds me of two old sayings:
"Don't judge a book by its cover." and "Judge not, lest ye be judged.".
I'm talking about disability. Quick, what's the first image that sprang to mind when you saw that word "disability"? I'm betting $20 it was involving wheelchairs, crutches, bandaged/missing body parts. The visible, the tangible, the easily identified.
Often it's not realised until it's discussed: the "cloaked disabilities". Where people seem to function just fine. So why do they pull in a pension while you miss out?
You may not realise it, but some are so subtle, it takes just one small moment to lock onto the not so obvious factors. The moment that makes you raise an eyebrow at the "abnormal" event. A slur. A stumble. A hand shaking unsteadily.
(Michael J. Fox was diagnosed long ago with his Parkinson's, and reportedly hid his hand in his pants pocket during the filming of Family Ties to hide the shaking, which is why the press and public took so long to find out.)
There are many, but media has locked onto epilepsy as the easiest and most dramatic to demonstrate.
Not a bad thing, the more press for cloaked disabilities the better. We "dented" people could use the information to help our position in life.
(Except disinformation like "Psychotic Epilepsy". Thanks The Exorcism of Emily Rose.)
Just remember: You don't need a wheelchair or crutches to have a disability.
It extends beyond the external to the internal.
When in doubt/shy, look for a Medic Alert bracelet (or similar).
(Although not everyone is guaranteed to own one.)
Or even better, just ASK.
(We may tire of sharing the same details ad nauseum, but we know it's with good reason. Curiosity, not harassment.)
Assuming someone's "faking it" reminds me of two old sayings:
"Don't judge a book by its cover." and "Judge not, lest ye be judged.".
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