It's Time to Acknowledge Invisible Illness and Disability

15 September 2023 It's Time to Acknowledge Invisible Illness and Disability Chronically The Patient Empowerment Newsletter As someone living with

15 September 2023 It's Time to Acknowledge Invisible Illness and Disability Chronically The Patient Empowerment Newsletter

As someone living with an invisible illness that comes with significant yet mostly invisible disabilities, I see firsthand the judging looks on people's faces when I engage them to request assistance - whether in trains, airports, workplaces, museums or during social interactions.

People with invisible disabilities experience even more hardship because society is not trained to feel compassion for something they can't clearly see. It's time for that to change.

Having an invisible condition means needing accommodation and assistance, while not necessarily looking sick or disabled. There's often an assumption that if someone looks "normal," then they must be normal and don't require help. But diseases don't always manifest physically in ways that are obvious to onlookers.

As such, those with invisible disabilities are subject to stigma, skepticism, prejudice, and outright disbelief regarding their condition. They're frequently confronted with accusatory glances that seem to say, "You don't look sick - what's your excuse?"

It's easy for others to think someone with an invisible illness is faking or exaggerating their symptoms when there's no visual cue or marker of disability. Combined with people's general discomfort discussing disability and illness, those with invisible conditions often feel isolated and unsupported.

This doubt and lack of understanding breeds discrimination. People with invisible disabilities or differences are more likely to have their condition questioned or minimized. They're forced to constantly explain themselves and provide "proof" of their disability, which is not required of those with visible disabilities.

The stress of continually justifying your condition when you already struggle with illness and its limitations takes a heavy psychological toll. As does being perpetually misunderstood and judged for needin