When thinking of disabilities, many people picture a physical disability, such as someone missing a limb or someone that is paralyzed. However, individuals fail to realize that disabilities go beyond one’s physical appearance.
Many individuals face mental disorders and illnesses that are not visible and their condition shouldn’t be taken any less seriously than those with visible symptoms. The “vision” of a disability has been shaped over time and society contributes to the view that disabilities are only what we see.
The International Symbol of Access (the stick figure on a wheelchair) has been known as the most common symbol for disability. Though it was intentionally used to to indicate spaces with “barrier-free access,” the man in a wheelchair became an international symbol to represent those who face unique challenges on a daily basis and provide them with accessibility in certain areas. Alarmingly, those with non-physical disabilities are cast out since the man in the wheelchair depicts a physical disability.
However, it becomes detrimental when people simply begin associating disabilities with what they see and jumping to conclusions. In reality, there are countless disabilities that you cannot see with the naked eye — invisible disabilities.
For example, Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease that is caused by Borrelia bacteria. If left untreated, it could lead to the inability to move one or both sides of the face, severe headaches and heart palpitations.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease in which an individual’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. It can harm the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys and nervous system.
In addition to these disabilities, mental illnesses such as Schizophrenia, Tourette’s disorder and Delirium also greatly impact an individual’s life, even though they cannot be categorized by appearance.
Despite the evidence of non-physical disabilities, many people fail to recognize that they do, in fact, exist. In recent years, many people have used social media to share images of notes left on their car shaming them for parking in the disability spot, assuming they weren’t disabled based on their appearance.
In October 2017, Lexi Baskin, who had ependymoma, a cancerous tumor on her brainstem, shared images of her vandalized car. Undergoing radiation treatment left her extremely exhausted and dizzy. Despite having a permit for parking in the disability spot, she was shamed for being “lazy” because she did not fit the prototype for a disabled person.
https://twitter.com/lexa_baskin/status/923652452200648706
There are countless others facing challenges and invisible disabilities such as Lexi that have been shamed and degraded for using the accessibility parking spot. It’s important for us to realize that disabilities go beyond one’s appearance and not jump to conclusions about a stranger’s life.
