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Welcome to our discussion group for invisible impairments

Invisible impairments are disabilities or chronic illnesses that are not immediately apparent, they can be particularly challenging as sometimes society's idea of disability is a wheelchair user.
As a blogger, I started a campaign called More Than Meets The Eye to raise awareness of invisible impairments, I spoke to thousands of people who have faced judgement because of their own invisible disability. People with cancer, prosthetic limbs, autism, Tourette’s, brain disorders, bladder issues, partners with dementia, IBD, so many illnesses and conditions, some of which I had never heard of!
If you'd like to share your experiences or seek support, simply click the 'new discussion' button at the top-right of the screen or read through other people's experiences and offer any support you can.
As a blogger, I started a campaign called More Than Meets The Eye to raise awareness of invisible impairments, I spoke to thousands of people who have faced judgement because of their own invisible disability. People with cancer, prosthetic limbs, autism, Tourette’s, brain disorders, bladder issues, partners with dementia, IBD, so many illnesses and conditions, some of which I had never heard of!
But they were all saying the same thing. That there is more to them than meets the eye. Their disabilities may not be visible at a glance but they are so real and it makes their lives difficult at times.
This discussion group is a place to share your experiences of invisible impairments, to get and to give support to others in a similar situation.If you'd like to share your experiences or seek support, simply click the 'new discussion' button at the top-right of the screen or read through other people's experiences and offer any support you can.
Scope
Senior online community officer
Senior online community officer
Replies
Before I met my wife I had no Idea what Insulin Dependant Type 1 Diabetics go through. It is not easy being an I.D. Diabetic
Im not sure about Type 2 Diabetics but Im fairly certain Type 1 is regarded as a disability, from an employment perspective at least?
I have an Aspergers diagnosis and so does my son. im not sure how invisible we are. I have to say very honestly and without any biass that my son is a very clever boy... We are very proud of him. Often inexperienced Teachers make the mistake of thinking because he is accademically very able that he has no needs to be concerned about. If however he has a bad day because of his comparratively immature state of emotional development or he is triggered into a meltdown or crisis situation....... Then they simply can not undrstand what is "wrong"! Everything is his fault apparently, or if not his then it is our fault? Hmmmm. The last time I completed a Post Graduate Module in SEN, I thought that was the wrong sort of conclusion to arrive at when dealing with complex needs?
What is it that some very poor schools dont get about Aspergers and dissability in general?
I suppose between myself, my wife and our son, our household has a few hideen disabilities. Its a shame that these aspects of what are ourselves seem to present so much difficulty for people because of thier own personal and profesional ignorance.
We don't expect any special dispensation or privalidge due to our conditions, just a fair crack of the whip. A level playing field. Within reason.
Interestingly, regarding disability and employment. I once applied for a possition in a National Autistic Society (NAS) School. I am a teacher/lecturer but it wasnt a teaching position it was a learning support role. The NAS supposedly has a policy of interviewing all applicants witha disability. I made a reasonable attempt at the application and seeing as I had been a teacher I thought that I would standa very good chance of an interview (irrespective of my dissability status)
I clearly indicated that I had an ASD diagnosis. Seemingly this was irrelevant to them. I suppose in a way this is a good thing. No special treatment for those with ASD
No such interview was forthcoming. I just got the obligatory two line knockback. Some time later I brought this up with an employee from NAS, she thought it was disgusting. After hearing this I brought the matter up on the NAS advice line....... The lady didnt want to talk about it and put the phone down on me?!
Since then I havent bothered with the NAS. Perhaps my disability is so invisible that the supposed National organisation for my "disability" and that of my sons couldnt even manage to ensure they followed thier own code of practice for interviewing disabled applicants? Shocking, but strangely familiar poor practice, that seems to suround us these days.
I think for various reasons its important to not keep your disability invisible, although this is of course a very personal thing. But we have rights as people.... those rights are there for everybodies bennefit. Not everybody is born disabled. Not all of us apear disabled, indeed disabilities are often caused when people with conditions are not afforded an environment to thrive in. What I mean is society "disables" us from achieving our potential.
its important that we stick up for ourselves and be aware of our rights whether our disabilities are apparent or not. Not just for ourselves but for everybody.
It sounds like what you are going through is awful.
The Atos thing has to change. I've heard so, so many bad things about them and the set up that allows this to happen.
I do agree that if you are suffering an invisible medical condition is hard for others understand the invisible disability. All over The World disable person is the person who is wheelchair user or had mental disadvantage.
Since the time I suffer Trigeminal Facial Neurophatic Pains I do consider personally myself disable. I am in between two worlds: I am no longer normal (healthy who can do whatever wants to do and wherever) and I am not counted as physically or mentally disable as well. Where I do belong than ???????????
I am not recognised as disable by organisations, government and so on. And I definitely cannot do what most of people at my age do.
So I am in between : the normal world and the disable one. (Think ?! how unique I am than
When, I am saying to my child that I feel disable and I see myself this way, my son says "mummy you do not have wheelchair". Ups indeed I do not have one. I think it is time to start educate kids at school what disability is, what types of disability can exist and how difficult it is to adjust the life and yourself to new situation once you started to suffer from medical condition.
Iza
My granddaughter has inherited the hyper mobility and providing she ‘wriggles’ and stretches regularly all is well. She has just sat her 11plus, and was not given these wriggle sessions - she failed by less than 2% (6 marks out of over 300) - the head teacher has admitted she knew but forgot on the day! My granddaughter plays sport to stay fit and strong, and looks absolutely fine but nobody sees the pain of sitting still and clutching a pencil for an hour or more. This is when hidden disability could drastically reduce her earning potential in the future, but hey, ‘she looked OK’!!! Well done KCC.
Senior online community officer
Not sure how to prove otherwise the next time round. I do need prompting, they say no you don't.