Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

I saw this interesting current affairs programme last night and thought it would be helpgul & useful for those who find it hard to come to terms with the fact that some people have hidden disabilities.

It's important to educate and inform those who don't believe that such a thing exists or that people are using their conditions as excuses for various things.

It's hard to believe, but some people have actually been made out to be liars or had their disability challenged!

https://www.itv.com/hub/tonight/1a2803a9316

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Another pot kettle black jobbie post. Oh the irony.

I find it strange you find it 'hard to believe' in this day and age where it seems to be the norm for others to get annoyed when a top of the range 4x4 parks in a disabled spot with a Blue Badge. Or challenged when someone comes out of a disabled toilet walking and not in a wheelchair. Things like that aren't helped when you can buy Radar keys from Argos, Amazon or Ebay etc. At least the the disabled logo's on the loo doors are changing which is a big help.

Some of the worse offenders / complainers I've come across are those that are disabled themselves, like they are or should be treated with some kind of superiority over others.

Still other people's ignorance is their invisible disability, and if they want to challenge me, I won't take offence, I just find it funny.

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

We had a session on vocab to use and one big no-no I do remember is that not to use "disabled toilet" - the toilet is not disabled.
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In some places I use the wheelchair/accessible toilet at the moment because I need to use a catheter to urinate and these units have more space and a sink next to the toilet. I wouldn't use them if someone who really needed it was waiting though.

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

I'm sure that I have a couple of hidden disabilities, the most obvious one seems to be not suffering fools gladly.
I've tried for years to cope with this but to no avail, as I then get quite annoyed at myself for having to refrain from telling the truth so I don't upset people and hurt their feelings.

Being quite direct, open and honest (opinionated? ) is also something I suffer from . . or is that the same as the first? . . anyway, whatever it is it means some people think twice about asking me questions because they've found - from experience - they might not like the answer. Others seek my advice because they know they'll get a straight answer, no beating around the bush, lump it or like it that's how it is.

Am I a bad person? No.
Am I different to the masses? Yes.
Does it cause concern to others? Yes.
Does it cause concern to me? . . . what do you think :D

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Our son's college registered him with a charity, which, like many, only exists to generate income to keep themselves open, and their staff paid.

As expected, the only contact he had with the charity for over a year were strongly-worded requests for him to chug in streets and outside supermarkets, or go door-to-door asking for donations direct from bank accounts.

They would provide a tabard, an ID card, collection box and/or a donations pad. No help with transport, and he had to collect the items himself, and return them at the end of each day's activity.

Then out-of-the-blue came a request from them to support a movement to have the word "disability" stricken from the English vocabulary, to be replaced with "otherly able".

I remember when "handicapped" was pushed further and further out of use. The change made no difference.

Then another request to design a replacement logo to replace the "person in a wheelchair" one that adorns parking spaces, toilets for the disabled, etc. The charity wanted to address the "hidden disability" question.

How did this help with his condition?

The pandemic brought "hidden disabilities" to the fore in some places. A company designed and then sold the "Sunflower lanyards" to shops, who would then give them free to people who could not wear masks. This would indicate their "hidden disability". A nice little earner for the company behind the masks (no pun intended).

But then anti-maskers found copies of these lanyards online, so it all became a farce.

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Who ?

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Which point in particular?

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

I agree, which point?

People should acknowledge their hidden disabilities? Do that mean you should ask someone if they have a hidden disability or does that just mean you should learn to just 'mind your own business'?

Personally I don't see why I should justify myself to others just because they get 'upset' over something. It's their problem not mine and I don't get offended by it either. It's how you deal with is the key.

Nothing will change anyway, those with that kind of attitude will always challenge others based on what they see, you just have have a thicker skin and ignore them.

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Because it effects your relationship with others it would likely be a condition. Do you like to have control also? as in need people to be on time and need to plan your day out quite rigidly ?

in 2019 I self-referred to IAPT and was referred to a course of CBT. I pretty much like you am quite opinionated and blunt and like you it effected my relationship with others. I also suffer from clinical anxiety and have done most of my life due exacerbated by minor brain damage that occurred when I had encephalitis as a child.

The CBT bought out a control issue I had no idea I had, I need people to be on time I hate tardiness and I need to know what is happening around me. The CBT helped me a lot, I am not cured but I deal with things a lot better

I do think mental illnesses are cover the majority of hidden disabilities and those who have not suffered with similar have absolutely no idea just how debilitating they can be

---------- Post added at 15:14 ---------- Previous post was at 15:13 ----------

I think the "mind your own business" is the one that needs following.

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

I do tend to agree.

Yes saying things that you know full well will upset other people and having no care or empathy about it is a sign of a mental illness/disability.

These are often the traits of Aspergers Syndrome or autism. It can run in families and there are many cases of it now being picked up in the parents when their children receive a diagnosis.

It's a crying shame that so many lives/relationships have been affected or even ruined before it was tested for.

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

I'm genuinely not - he makes multiple points and I'm not a mind-reader.

Re: Help for those with little or no understanding of hidden disabilities.
 

Ummm ...

You find it odd that people question a 'hidden' disability :confused:

You do know the meaning of hidden, right ?