Understanding invisible disabilities needs to begin with empathy.
But, sadly, empathy seems to be disappearing in our country.
Invisible Disabilities Week takes place from the 19th to the 25th of October this year. It’s a reminder that what people need is empathy, not ignorance; support, not suspicion; compassion; not cruelty.
As I write this, I have sciatica. I am struggling to walk due to a trapped nerve and I can’t straighten up properly. It is extremely painful. If people could see me right now, they would instantly know that I am in pain. As my regular readers know, I live…
Most facial pain conditions are invisible so it seems appropriate that Invisible Disability Week is slap bang in the middle of Facial Pain Awareness Month. Many facial pain sufferers say that they think their family and friends might understand and have more empathy if their pain could be seen. So,…
According to the WHO, approximately 15% of the world’s population are living with some form of disability. A very large proportion of those disabilities are invisible. There are so many conditions which cannot be seen. Mental health illnesses are invisible as are fibromyalgia, chronic pain, trigeminal neuralgia, epilepsy, cancer and many other illnesses. There are actually more disabilities which can’t be seen than can. (Please click the title to read more)
I like to think I have a sense of humour. Most days I laugh about something. I even laugh at myself and my disability. But I would never laugh at or make fun of other people’s disabilities. But comedians, and even some well-known politicians, have cruelly poked fun and made…
If you read my distractions post, you’ll know I’m keen on A – Zs, so I decided to make an A – Z to describe what life is like with chronic pain. Counteracting Negatives with Positives Partway through writing this, I realised that the A – Z was quite negative…
Some illnesses are obvious to the naked eye. If someone is hobbling around with a plaster cast on their leg, we can tell they have a broken leg. If they have misshapen fingers, we can normally presume that they have painful arthritis. But so many people have health conditions that…
