Sometimes, the looks make me question myself. Not my eligibility, but my right to exist in that space without explanation. Ableism is insidious in that way. It teaches you to see yourself through the eyes of those who doubt you.
Tag: Invisible Disabilities
University of York | Living with an invisible disability at university in York: The things you don’t see
Someone might look perfectly fine when they turn up to a lecture, but what you don’t see is the hours of rest, pain management and mental preparation that went into getting there. That invisible effort is the part people rarely notice. Showing up doesn’t mean it’s easy, it means someone’s pushing through just to do what most people take for granted.
Psychology Today | The Paradox of Invisible Disabilities
Society tells me to mask my autism, to blend in, to not make others uncomfortable, and to play the game that is intrinsically antithetical to everything I stand for.
San Diego State University | Invisible disabilities and the struggles of thriving in a university setting
While people with all disabilities constantly face inaccessibility in society, another stress is feeling the need to explain themselves in order to be seen as deserving of accommodations. Without the inside knowledge of what a person is going through, it is not uncommon for people with invisible disabilities to be written off as lazy or unmotivated.
University of Oklahoma | PHOTO ESSAY: OU alum, students share experiences living with invisible disabilities, getting diagnosed
“It was really frustrating, and it’s something that’s really common for people with invisible illnesses — that no one believes them,” Walters said. “There’s so much medical gaslighting.”
Identifying the Invisible
More than 90 percent of students who need learning accommodations on campus have invisible disabilities, which they say are often misunderstood.
