Going through life is hard enough for a fully-abled person, but can you imagine the challenges one must face when they are disabled ? It must be very taxing at times. I think we all can do our part to help our fellow citizens if we only knew how.
That’s why I was very interested when a Redditor asked , “Physically disabled users of Reddit, what are some less commonly talked about struggles that come with your disability ?” to see what those challenges might be. Let’s take a look at what people said. Shall we?
This Truth
“Not (always) being able to tell when an illness or injury is bad enough to need medical attention. When ‘nauseous, fatigued, and in a noticeable amount of pain’ is just your constant state of being, it’s not easy to know when something worse might be going on or if you’re just having a bad flare-up.”
That’s so true, no?
This Challenging Subject
“Bowel and bladder issues. It may not be obvious but they can be a constant issue.”
I had a friend with IBS and she had to watch what she ate because it would make her feel very sick. I’ve always sympathized with her. It can’t be easy when you’re out with friends so I completely understand.
This Defensive Mode
“Most of us tend to hate when people try to get offended on our behalf, we aren’t children.
Also with my disability, I’ve been accused of having monkeypox, I have NF-1 and have tumors on my face that some people mistake for monkeypox.”
Oh, wow!
This Important Fact
“If you have an illness that requires immediate access to a bathroom (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, interstitial cystitis, etc.) and live in Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Washington, the bathroom access act exists. With proof (some urologists and gastroenterologists have a special form for this), it allows people to use employee restrooms. I have also used it as proof when using a restroom of a business I am not a customer of.
One thing I forgot to add: two employees must be in the business, for the safety of the employees.”
Oh, I didn’t know that.
This Tough Road
“I use a cane, and sometimes my fiancé forgets I only have one hand available when standing. Also the amount of energy required to do the same activities.”
I’ve never had to use a cane, but I did help my mom after she had an accident, and it was very hard for her to do even basic daily tasks.
This Uncool Behavior
“The number of random people who will grab or lean on my wheelchair without permission (when I’m in it) would shock you.”
You have to respect a person’s space. I consider a wheelchair an extension of them, so I would never touch it or lean on it absentmindedly.
This Harsh Reality
“Just the exhaustion from having to deal with your limitations, both physically and mentally.
Doing anything always takes extra effort, and usually requires more resting to feel up to doing whatever else needs to be done.”
“As a disabled person who works, I usually only have enough energy to make dinner when I get home. So chores tend to pile up, and some jobs just never get done because it requires more energy than I have in one day unless I get someone else to do it for me.”
Oh, my!
This Ridiculous Comment
“Oh, I get this completely. And you can’t just ‘fight your way through’ fatigue. It’s like the car is OUT OF GAS. A pep talk isn’t fuel, it’s just annoying. I work, too, and my medication has helped so much, but I still struggle big time with laundry, cooking, and cleaning. The cat has to be fed, watered, etc. He has stuck with me through this so he gets priority.”
Aww!
This Restaurant Challenge
“Menus up way behind the cash registers. I’ve always wondered if it gave people with normal sight problems.”
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Or menu boards that are super high with tiny writing. What’s up with that? I wear glasses, so I can only sympathize with somebody with worse eyesight than me.
These Accessibility Issues
“Accessibility gets talked about but what gets me? [Expletive] accessibility. I live in Adelaide, we have a ‘stylised’ gutter system in the shopping CBD that’s meant to mimic a river or some [expletive] and it sways and curves around. Meaning all the [expletive] inner CBD shopping lane is uneven and slopes to the gutter that wavers around. Combined with polished stone that gets slippery when wet, it’s a nightmare to try and control a wheelchair of any type.”
“Also: steep ramps. [Expletive] hell, I am not that buff and strong, my shoulders dislocate under force. Your thirty-degree ramp is terrifying.”
OMG!
This Terrible Accusation
“I am disabled and a part-time forearm crutch user. I have been accused of doing this to get attention because I’m young and I don’t ‘look’ disabled.”
Honestly, this has to stop. Age has nothing to do with whether a person is disabled or not. People need to mind their business.
These Difficult Tasks
“Brachial plexus palsy from birth. There are so many things that you would never even think of that would be difficult to do, until you have to reach with both arms. Changing light bulbs in ceiling lights, hanging curtains, screwing things into walls, putting things on, or getting things on a high shelf. I’m a fairly tall person but I end up standing on chairs a lot. The problem is even with standing on a chair say, to put a screw in the wall to hang a picture, my paralyzed arm will only reach out about a half inch from my body.”
Oh, my goodness.
This Dressing Issue
“Putting on a coat can be weirdly difficult, I usually just stuff my one arm in it and then swing the coat around to get my other one in.”
We all take something like this for granted but for this person, it’s a daily issue.
This Not-So-Subtle Annoyance
“People get mad when I’m standing in the disabled line. Yes, I’ve [expletive] noticed I’m in the disabled line, thanks for reminding me of that.”
“As a wheelchair/prosthetic leg user, when people do that I just raise my pant leg and make a loud enough comment so everyone in earshot knows they’re being a rude [expletive]. [Expletive], not every disability is visible. Public shaming is sometimes the right response to this [expletive].”
That’s just not cool at all.
This Constant Need To Explain
“I have mild cerebral palsy but look pretty normal. I do limp when walking. There were times in college when rushing to class that people assumed I hurt myself (twisted ankle…) The big struggle was getting them to understand it’s not an injury when they insisted on helping.”
That’s can get tiring, no?
This Assumption
“The social aspect. So many people get mad like I’m not disabled enough to be using whatever help I need. But it takes me so much longer to recover from overexertion. Kind of makes me want to deposit people in the middle of the Pacific ocean. Just because they technically could tread water for three days doesn’t mean they should have to or that they would be in any condition to go to work the next day.”
I can only imagine what this feels like.
This Funny Remark
“Farts are wheelchair height.”
“OMG THiS!! Lol. Constant onslaught of butts and not all of them are nice. But some are.”
“I will be keeping this in mind the next time I crop dust someone in a store.”
OMG, haha! I’m glad at least folks have a sense of humor about it, though.
This Sad Fact
“How isolating and lonely it can make you.”
“This is what immediately thought of. I agree with many comments here, but oh boy, it is like living in a cage.”
“This is why I used to love gaming. Community used to be huge. Now everyone is ignorant af (sp) and never talks.”
These comments made me tear up.
Wow, those are some amazing insights, huh?
Unless you’re disabled yourself, it can be hard to put yourself in other people’s shoes. I hope these examples shed some light on what people with disabilities go through in their daily lives.
We all need to be more mindful of how we talk and treat people. After all, you never know if they have an invisible challenge, so don’t just assume things.