Invisible Disabilities week 2024

It is Invisible Disabilities week 2024, and once again I feel the need to talk about how we shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover. Too often medical professionals and the public see us on social media living our lives and trying to have fun and enjoy it, and assume we are faking. This of course, is not helped by the governments of the world saying we are to blame for crumbling economies and used as scapegoats. So, let’s get into the truth.

Why Invisible disabilities week matters:

With the rise of social media, people in the disabled community can speak out and be seen, this in turn helps others to realise they are disabled. A lot of the time society makes us push passed stress, pain and illness to keep working, but learning more about what is wrong helps us to reach out for help.

However, as more people realised they have mental or physical conditions and with Covid, society saw it as a trend. The idea of people pretending to be sick so they can make money on social media started to spread, and for the most part I personally think this is because we didn’t used to be seen.

If you look back into history, you will see that many disabled people would find themselves in workhouses, asylums or institutions. The public did not see them, and the world was not built with disabled people in mind, which you soon realise around the UK with all the old buildings.

The difference now, is that people can share their symptoms, and how it affects them, and it reaches the people who are struggling and didn’t realise. I know for me it makes sense that it helps people to realise they do not have to suffer or struggle with illnesses that make their life harder.

Scope has estimated that 80% of people who are disabled have a hidden disability, which could include mental health, chronic pain and chronic fatigue. This is equal to ten million working aged people, most of which do not make social media content so why would they fake it?

Some research into disability benefits and how difficult they are to get and to give would tell anyone that is not going to be a reason either. I know for me; I would love to be well enough to work and to contribute and have more money for fun and nice things. But with my fatigue levels that is impossible, but you cannot see fatigue so easy which is why I share my life in vlogs on my YouTube channel now.

Invisible disabilities week 2024 is a chance to really share what is happening because most of the time, you only see disabled people on their good days. This is why we term it invisible, because the parts of it that make us struggle are rarely seen as those are the days when we cannot leave the house.

Invisible disabilities are hard enough to cope with, so this Invisible disabilities week do your research, stop making assumptions, and use your compassion. People who are disabled don’t always fit into the boxes society tries to put them in and it is time to educate so we recieve less hate and misunderstanding.

Thank you xx

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