Don’t be fooled by the invisible

by LaVonne on 16/07/05 at 7:35 am

By Becki Gipson and Linda Crossman

For most of us, “You look so good,” is a compliment. But to a disabled person with no visible signs of disability – no wheelchair, no deformity – such a comment can be interpreted to mean, “I don’t see anything wrong with you.”

Isn’t that also a compliment? To a person whose life is severely limited by extreme fatigue, dizziness, weakness, pain or cognitive impairment, such well-meaning statements can add to the frustration of coping with the disability. Educating family and friends – and strangers – about an invisible medical condition is often an added burden.

A survey of income participation in the mid-1990s found that of 26 million people considered severely disabled, 19 million did not use a wheelchair, crutches or a walker. In other words, nearly three-quarters of the severely disabled population did not use an assistive device.

Invisible disabilities are impairments not generally obvious. Muscle weakness, for example, may not noticeably impair a person’s gait, but it may limit the distance that person is capable of walking.

Chronic illness, injury and birth disorders can result in a variety of disabling symptoms that limit full participation in life, but often go unnoticed at first glance.

The disabled person may strive to appear normal, but needs support of family and friends when disabling symptoms are overwhelming. A disabled person who looks perfectly healthy may be recovering from a bout of total disability or may be operating at a functional level for only a few hours a day.

Pain may be a constant companion. Think of a sparkling used car with an engine that will only run for a few miles before it conks out. But it looks good.

Most of us have suffered through the flu or other transient illnesses where we are so ill we literally could not get out of bed. Imagine feeling that way on a regular basis and getting so fed up with being sick that you struggle to attend a wedding, go grocery shopping or visit a neighbor. Imagine feeling lousy and being told “You look so good.” A person might assume the person making the comment either expected the person to appear in far worse condition or is lying to hide the fact that the person does indeed look wretched?

We have all seen a people parking their vehicle in a blue handicapped parking zone and then walk into a store without so much as a cane to assist them. How can this person be disabled? Consider the possibility that the driver may have an invisible disability rather than an illegal parking placard. The driver of the car could suffer from multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, a cardiac condition, a respiratory condition, is recovering from an injury or is dealing with chronic pain?

What if today is a “good” day for that person? What if you make eye contact and smile or hold the door at the store’s entrance?

There are two basic kinds of disabilities: visible and invisible. We should make no assumptions that just because a disability is not apparent that it does not exist.

Mental illness, serious environmental allergies, cognitive limitations and hearing difficulties are not necessarily readily or immediately apparent, yet individuals with these types of disabilities may need accommodations to receive our services.

Becki Gipson is a Vacaville ADA Advisory Committee member and Linda Crossman is ADA Title II Coordinator for the city of Vacaville.

Healthbuzz