#visible disabilities

[whumpinggrounds]

Writing Visible vs Invisible Disabilities

Poll winner! Here goes. I would like to emphasize that my information and knowledge pertains specifically to the USA - I’m going to discuss some legal stuff with accommodations/disability equity that are super specific to America so if you are reading from/writing outside of the USA, you should probably conduct some of your own research on that.

Vocab

Invisible disability, hidden disability, or non-apparent disability are all terms used to describe a disability that is not readily measurable or apparent to sighted individuals. Invisible disability is the most commonly used, but non-apparent is felt to be the most neutral, as “hidden” implies a conscious secrecy and some so-called “invisible” disabilities do become visible or apparent in the right circumstances. Examples may include things like neurological conditions, chronic illnesses, mental illness, or autoimmune diseases.

Personal note: In this post I primarily use invisible disability because to me, it is the most common, and most recognizable. I also use non-apparent, because I think it’s specific and useful. I don’t use hidden because it does seem to carry value judgment, more so than invisible.

Visible disability is a term that describes a disability that is measurable or readily apparent to a sighted individual. Examples might include someone with a partial limb, muscular dystrophy requiring the use of a wheelchair, or a form of dwarfism resulting in a different body shape and size.

Multiple disabilities or multiply disabled refers to a person that has more than one disability.

Cross-disabled or cross-disability is a term that refers to organizations or concerns that apply broadly to people across the spectrum of ability and disability. This is as opposed to organizations or concerns that are specifically tailored or related to a particular disability.

The ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act, is a piece of cross-disability legislation.

The SMA Foundation (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) is a single disability organization.

Passing is a term sometimes used to describe someone that is not in an identity group but can look or behave as though they do. An example might be a Deaf person using hearing aids to “pass” or be seen as hearing. 

Nondisabled is a good neutral term for people that do not have disabilities. Abled or able-bodied is frequently used, but some see it as creating a hierarchy between abled and disabled people. Try to avoid words like “normal” or “healthy.”

Limb difference is a term describing the partial or complete absence, or malformation, of an arm or leg. This can be congenital (from birth) or acquired.

Facial difference is a term that describes anything above the neck that is visibly different from the majority of other people. I have a post about it that goes into much greater detail.

Self-disclosure means sharing something about oneself. In the context of disability, self-disclosure refers to the decision to share one’s disability status or diagnosis. Generally speaking, self-disclosure is a formal term and in my experience is used when referring to disclosing disability status or diagnosis as part of attending school, starting a new job, or otherwise requesting accommodations. 

Access needs are something that a person needs to communicate, learn, or take part in an activity.

Support needs are sometimes used interchangeably with access needs, but can also refer to a person’s basic needs in order to live (eating, sleeping, bathrooming, etc.)

Accommodations is a term often used to describe legally mandated services provided to a person who has been diagnosed with a disability. These are most commonly in place at a person’s school or work and help a disabled person effectively complete tasks.

Access needs, support needs, and accommodations are similar in nature and are sometimes used interchangeably, but are not always the same thing. I know this is wildly confusing.

Generally speaking, the word “accommodations” (in regards to access) is used primarily in schools, and sometimes in professional working environments. Access needs are used more often in public or professional environments, and support needs in personal environments.

Some examples: Ramps are an access need. They can also be an accommodation, but an accommodation would more likely be phrased as “wheelchair-accessible classrooms or workspaces,” which could either be accessed through ramps or being on the bottom floor.

Assistance with handling finances is a support need. Extra time on tests is an accommodation.

Visible Disability Considerations

Before we get started: I am not saying these things only apply to those with visible disabilities. They may be more common for people with visible disabilities, but people with invisible disabilities could, and many have, experienced the same or similar things. I am not gatekeeping anything; I am just trying to organize this post.

Harassment in public. Someone who is visibly disabled may be openly stared at or subject to ableist abuse because people can tell that they have a disability. Most of what I have to say here relates to this, but there are some specifics I’m going to get into as well.

Being pitied. “Well-meaning” non-disabled people may try to do something “nice” for someone who they see as “less fortunate.” Assistance with things someone doesn’t need assistance with, comments about being brave or inspiring, or offers to pray for someone all fall under this category - all that and more, in fact.

Assumption of incompetence. Sometimes this means that people assume someone with a visible disability is automatically cognitively disabled. Sometimes it means that people believe a visibly disabled person is not capable of performing simple tasks. This can mean anything from being “helped” in a supermarket to being discriminated against when applying for work.

Ableism and discrimination. Everything listed is ableism and discrimination, but it’s worth saying outright. People with visible disabilities are often subject to ableist abuse, hiring discrimination, housing discrimination, and many other kinds of prejudice because they cannot mask or hide their disability, or pass as non-disabled.

People with invisible disabilities also suffer from ableism and discrimination. This is sometimes more common for people with visible disabilities, but can happen to anyone - even, actually, to non-disabled people who are thought to have a disability.

Inappropriate questions. Just because someone is visibly disabled does not mean that anyone is entitled to further information. Asking a stranger “what happened to them” or “what’s wrong with them” is always inappropriate, and is often inappropriate with coworkers or acquaintances as well. Your characters should know someone decently well and be able to gauge your disabled character’s comfort level before asking this kind of question.

Mobility aid policing. Mobility aids are visible, so users often fall under the visible disability umbrella. Sometimes, even though someone is using a mobility aid, random people in public decide they do not need it, or try to argue with them about faking it. Not being visibly disabled “enough,” or not being believed about being disabled, is still a problem for the visibly disabled.

Service dogs can be mobility aids, or other kinds of disability aids. People interacting with them, or trying to interact with them in public, also falls under this category.

Invisible Disability Considerations

Once again: I am not saying these things only apply to those with invisible disabilities. They may be more common for people with invisible disabilities, but people with visible disabilities could, and many have, experienced the same or similar things. I am not gatekeeping anything; I am just trying to organize this post.

Assumption of ability. Someone with an invisible disability may be assumed to be capable of everything a non-disabled person can do. They may have to repeatedly explain why they cannot do certain things or even why they do do things - like take pills, avoid certain foods, or rest more frequently than non-disabled peers. This ties into our next section -

Not being believed about severity or symptoms. People without visible or measurable disabilities can be disbelieved by strangers about their disability status, but also, very painfully, by friends, family, or medical professionals. Since a non-apparent disability may rely on self-report, other systemic biases may come into play here as well, like not believing someone because they’re a woman, or POC. People may also get comments like “you’re too young to be disabled,” “it’s all in your head,” or “you don’t look disabled.”

Again, this can and does also happen to visibly disabled people as well.  

Being accused of lying or faking it. This is obviously the same as not being believed, but is a slightly different manifestation. This is when non-disabled people believe someone is faking having a disability in order to get attention or access to disability resources. Ignoring the fact that that is a completely unrewarding thing to do, this is a combination of disbelief, and suspecting the disabled person in question of intentional malice and selfishness. Again, this can be frustrating and incredibly painful.

Once again. Can and does happen to visibly disabled people.

When to self-disclose. Someone with an invisible disability gets more of a choice in if and when to talk about their disability. This means they have more control over who gets to know, when, how, what, and why, but also comes with problems of its own.

Telling new friends may come with concerns about being viewed or treated differently.

Telling a school or place of work may introduce the risk of scrutiny or discrimination.

Telling anyone risks potential ableism or alienation. 

Asking for accommodations. Possibly more so than a visibly disabled person, a person with a non-apparent disability may have to self-disclose and then actively pursue the fulfillment of their support needs, access needs, or accommodations. I know many people who have voluntarily gone without the accommodations that they are legally entitled to, because they wanted to avoid shitty conversations about them and their needs. 

Being able to go without one’s accommodations and “pass” for non-disabled can be viewed as a privilege, but going without one’s needed support needs, access needs, or accommodations can also be difficult, painful, and sometimes more impossible than a person realizes.

Resource policing. Some people may not be visibly disabled, but may still need resources like a service dog, an accessible parking pass, or use of the accessible bathroom stall. It is not at all uncommon for random people in public to see someone that they don’t think is disabled making use of a public resource for disabled people, and decide to say something about it.

Cross-Disability Considerations

What are your character’s support needs, access needs, and/or accommodations? If they don’t have any, why not?

How is your character perceived? Is their disability apparent to all, some, or none of the people around them? Under what circumstances might it become apparent?

How comfortable is your character with talking about their disability? Is it something that they take pride in, or something they would rather not be defined by? Does it feel very personal to them, or is it not that big of a deal? In what situations do they explain their diagnosis, and in what situations do they decide not to?

In what ways does ableism manifest, or not manifest, in your character’s life? Is there stigma attached to their diagnosis? Why or why not?

How does the medical establishment of your setting view your character’s disability or disabilities? How does that contrast with other disabilities? What is the reasoning behind this?

How does your character feel about medical interventions or cures? How much time/effort/money are they willing to put into medical interventions and cures, and why might that be?

Is your character part of a community or identity group centered around their disability? Do they know anyone with their same disability, or any disabilities at all? How does this community, or the lack of it, feel to them? How does the representation and kinship, or lack thereof, feel to them?

Rethink

This visibly disabled character has it harder than the invisibly disabled character. Or vice versa. Try not to set up hierarchies of suffering or ability. Non-apparent disabilities can be just as disabling, or more so, than visible disabilities. Setting up these two arbitrary categories in conflict is not really necessary, and is ableist no matter what direction it is in.

This character has accommodations/access needs/support needs but doesn’t use them or seem to truly need them. Why would your character have accommodations/access needs/support needs but not use them? Why might it seem “better” to not have these kinds of needs?

This character goes to great lengths to appear non-disabled. Again - why? Not saying you can’t do this, but think about what messages it sends and be intentional in the way you write this.

This character is visibly disabled, but can function exactly like a non-disabled person in every way. Exact same questions as above. Also - how realistic is this? Why might it be important or valuable to adhere to a non-disabled standard? What might be gained or lost?

Resources

As I have mentioned, I don’t like recommending media I haven’t personally read/watched/listened to, because I like to know what I’m recommending. In reviewing my own stuff, I don’t have much for invisible vs. visible resources. I have two books that are pretty general. If anyone else has media that fits with this post, please feel free to add it on!

Demystifying Disability by Emily Landau is a cross-disability primer on disability basics, etiquette, and disability justice. It’s a quick read that I highly recommend.

Disability Visibility, collected by Alice Wong, is a book of essays written by disabled people about their lives, thoughts, and experiences. It’s super engaging and informative, and I also highly recommend, particularly because these people are talking about their own lives in their own words.

#disability writing guide #invisible disabilities #visible disabilities #writing disabled characters #disability representation #representation matters #writing invisibly disabled characters #writing visibly disabled characters #invisible disabilities vs visible disabilities #disabled characters

[jewishdainix]

Always baffles me when people say that a baby is beautiful. Not it isnt. How would you even tell? They all literally look the same

#aside from like minor differences like skin colour and weight i suppose and like #visible disabilities #but i see no way in which those could impact the beauty of a baby

[winglssdemon]

Holy frick frack, I made ONE post on another site where I didn't SPECIFICALLY mention invisibly disabled people when I mentioned "disabled people" and you know what? If you're invisibly disabled and think everyone is excluding you because they didn't specify INVISIBLE disabilities then that's a you problem. That's not on OPs to have to constantly mention that we're including invisibly disabled people every single time. If you don't think you're included under generalized "disabled people" then try and think about that. Is it internal ableism? Do you think you're not actually disabled unless someone specifies "invisibly" and if so, why? Is it because you can't handle visibly disabled people existing? Is it that you can't imagine a visibly disabled remembering that invisible disabilities exist?

Figure it the fuck out and stop pulling this shit.

#invisible disabilities #visible disabilities #ableism #if youre not including yourself under the general disability umbrella term thats not my problem and im tired of it being made my problem

[satellites-halo]

yeah you're "punk" but are you normal about deformed people?

#if you arent #youre a fucking poser #punk #cripplepunk #cpunk #cripple punk #visible disability #deformities #disability pride #physical disability

[zebulontheplanet]

Just a reminder that people who still live with their parents as adults deserve respect and for you to stop being ableist. There are multiple reasons someone could still live with their parents! From invisible to visible disabilities, finance issues, and more!

Stop using the “well they’re gonna turn into a creep living in their parents basement” punchline! It’s disgusting. STOP. BEING. ABLEIST. STOP. FORGETTING. THE. POOR.

#autism #zebrambles #actually autism #actually autistic #visible disability #invisible disability #neuordiversity #neurodivergent #physical disability #financial issues #society #ableism #tw ableist language #tw ableism #Zebplanet

[balthazarslostlibrary]

Dan Piraro, Bizarro Comics 2006

#people get so weird about me using a cane sometimes #it’s like oh my disability is visible to you so now you treat me different #actually disabled #disability #disability aids

[theamphibianmen]

"low support needs disabled people are often not believed to have a disability at all and therefore struggle to get accommodations."

"high support needs disabled people's accommodations are often seen as 'too much' and therefore are not met."

"neurodivergent people's needs are often dismissed because nothing is physically wrong with them."

"physically disabled people people often cannot physically access buildings and people refuse to do anything about it."

"invisibly disabled people are seen as lazy by society."

"visibly disabled people are ostracized from society."

IT'S ALMOST LIKE THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE DISABILITY

#disabled #neuordiversity #neurodivergent #disability #ableism tw #ableism #physically disabled #physical disability #invisible disability #visible disability #this is not a personal attack on anyone I promise #if you'd like to add on go ahead

[sneakygreenbean]

personal observations made by a new cane user:

you do not need to be in constant pain to own a cane.

folding canes have a clasp or band to keep them folded. losing the band is a pain in the ass.

you will get dirty looks

it does not matter what age you are. you will get dirty looks.

you have to hold it in the opposite hand as the disabled leg. this is fortunate, as I am right handed, so i hold it in my left hand to support my right leg.

people will try to steal your cane from you.

when standing still, I hold it in my right hand unless i need to do something right handedly. this does not work as well as i thought it would.

being visibly physically disabled is difficult. having a mobility aid will help with pain and movement, but some people don't get them because visible disability is treated with disgust.

if someone meets you for the first time, and you don't have your cane, then they will like you more, but they will not believe you are actually disabled.

if someone meets you for the first time, and you have your cane, they will not treat you the same.

the majority of other cane and mobility aid users I have met are homeless. I live close to a big city.

People do not want to see you being disabled.

you will not hear of the benefits of using a cane from anyone who does not use a cane.

no one will prepare you for the world of being visibly physically disabled. however bad you think we have it is usually not from the disability at all. I can deal with pain and I can deal with an indisposed left hand.

the hardest part of being disabled is the fact that no one will care until you make them care.

the disabled seats on trains are a suggestion

the disabled seats on buses are a suggestion.

you will have a different experience with using a cane than I have had.

your hand will become tired. you are using it as a leg.

your cane is legally a part of your body. this will not stop some people.

you are not your disability. but it will affect you.

i love you

theres always an invisible someone who has it worse. that person will not be affected or offended by your use of a cane. take the damn ibuprofen. put the folded cane in your bag. ask your friends for help. gd knows they need help sometimes too.

you will have to learn that things will be impossible to you. you may not run as fast anymore. you may not become a skater, like you always wanted to be. you may be left behind when everyone else runs ahead.

you deserve better.

your cane handle gets dirty. wash it.

some days pain is worse. some days you will feel it the moment you wake up.

no one deserves pain. the human condition is not to suffer. we deserve better. we deserve to be loved and not tolerated. we deserve to be seen better than from the corners of eyes. we deserve to be heard better than an afterthought at a meeting.

be quick to care for yourself. I love you.

#disability #if you clown on this i will kill you with my teeth. #personal #disabled #cane user #mobility aid #physical disability #this is about physical disability do not derail. i understand that mental disability is treated badly as well. this post isnt about that. #this post is also not about invisible disabilities because i have a very visible disability. #please be patient with me. i am young and new to the use of canes. most of these revelations are shockingly new.

[soggedboytroutanti]

hey guys. Reminder. Disabled people who played a hand in and/or caused their disability still dont deserve any pain it causes them

#actually disabled #physically disabled #physical disability #disabled #disability #cripple punk #cripplepunk #invisible disability #visible disability

[isa-ah]

that’s what the aids are for!

#oc #isaiah #disability month #what is it? visibility? awareness? idk lol #alls i know is getting. a cane was the best thing i’ve done for myself

[mavigator]

i talked about it a little bit already but i have things to say about it. for context, i was born with amniotic band syndrome. the amniotic band wrapped around my left wrist in utero and stunted the growth of my hand. i was born with about half a palm, four nubs for fingers, and a twisted half of a thumb. i can open and close my thumb and pinkie joint like a claw.

yesterday at work i had a shift in the room with 5-10 year old kids. i had my left hand hidden in my sleeve (a bad habit of mine). a kid asked if he could see my hand, and even though internally i was debating running into traffic, i said “sure you can” and showed him my hands. he stared for a moment, looking disturbed, and then said “i don’t want to look at that anymore”. that hurt to hear, but i understand that kids are new to the world and he probably didn’t mean it out of malice. i put my hand away again, told him that it was okay, and that i was just born that way.

he then went on to talk about how he knows a kid with a similar hand to mine and called it “ugly”. i told him that wasn’t a very kind thing to say and that he wouldn’t feel good if someone said that to him, and he replied that no one would say that to him—because he has “normal hands”, and he’s glad he does because otherwise he’d be “ugly”. i tried to talk with him for a bit about how everybody is born differently, but he just started talking about a girl he knows with a “messed up face” and pulled on his face to make it look droopy. i went on some more about how it wasn’t very kind to talk about people that way, but the conversation moved on to something else.

i’ve told my supervisors about it and they’re going to have a talk with his mom. what i wanted to say is this: i’m genuinely not upset with the kid. kids are young and naturally curious, and he clearly simply hasn’t been taught about disabled people and kind ways to speak to/about others. which is why i am upset with his parent(s). i know he’s encountered visibly deformed/disabled people before (he said so himself!), yet his parent(s) clearly haven’t had any kind of discussion with him about proper language and behavior. i knew from birth that some people were just different than others, but my parents still made a point to assert to be kind to and accepting of others. i wonder if adults in his life are the type of people to hush him and usher him away when he points out someone in a wheelchair. that kind of thing doesn’t teach politeness. it tells children that disabled people are an Other than can’t be acknowledged or spoken about; which, to a child, means disability must be something bad.

i’m lucky enough that this was a relatively mild incident, and that i’m a grownup with thicker skin. i’m worried about the other kids he mentioned to me. has he been talking to them this way? when i was a kid, i had other kids scream, cry, and run away at the sight of my hand. or follow me around pointing at me and laughing at me. or tell me i couldn’t do something because i was ugly or incapable or whatever. one time a girl at an arcade climbed to the top of the skeeball machine, pointed at me, and screamed at me to put my hand away and wouldn’t stop crying until she couldn’t see me anymore. another time, a kid saw my hand, screamed at the top of her lungs, and ran into my friend’s arms, crying hysterically about how i was scaring her. that second incident made me cry so hard i threw up when i got home. i can kind of laugh it off now, but having people react to me that way as a child is something i’m still getting over. why do you think i have a habit of keeping my hand in my sleeve? it just irritates me to see children that have clearly not been taught basic manners and kindness—their parents Clearly missed something pretty important .

#and for the record i consider my deformity pretty mild. maybe i’m just used to it but things like amniotic band syndrome can turn out a lot #more severe. i rarely even call myself disabled because i don’t feel like the term is applicable to me. i’m more hindered by like #my adhd anxiety depression etc than i am my hand. so for those kids to react that way to what i THINK #is a pretty small thing. makes me worry about people that are more visibly disabled #Kids.That are more visibly disabled

[sojourner-between-worlds]

Even if you, personally, don't hate Discord's new UI, I am begging ya'll to still send them the following feedback:

"The changes made to Dark Mode are an accessibility issue due to the lack of a low contrast option for those who need it."

The previous dark gray was never ideal, tbh, but it was still worlds better than what we have now. As someone who can feasibly get by with the new dark mode but vastly prefers low contrast, and as someone who knows people who do need low contrast -- please tell them about this problem.

#discord #its all terrible but most of it i can get over #this i will not #its a problem and they NEED TO KNOW its a problem #disability #autism #autistic #random ramblings #PLEASE mind me #disability visibility #disability advocacy #idk what all to tag this with but hopefully thatll at least get it seen a little bit

[valcaira]

Look I get that we all want to relate to one another. I really do. But seeing people on my post about how shitty it is to exist as a visibly deformed & disabled person in public say things like "that's why i don't stim in public" or "that's why i'm scared to bring my cane in public" is just... You're missing the point.

Some of us cannot mask our disabilities. You can simply not stim if you can supress it in the first place. You can leave your cane at home if you're doing that already in the first place. A knee brace doesn't make you look like a "freak". You do appear abled otherwise.

I cannot. Many people I know cannot. I can't just "hide" my deformities and abnormal gait or convulsions to appear abled. I *need* my crutches everywhere I go. I can't supress my tics. Full-time wheelchair users exist. High support needs autistics exist. Schizospecs who cannot mask exist. People with William's Sydrome, Down's Syndrome and various obvious deformities exist. Little people. People with severe chemical burns or otherwise or scarring. People with Parkinson's, Tourette's, Huntington's, Cerebral Palsy, every disabled person who looks "abnormal".

We can't just "turn it off" like you. People WILL stare at us. Point their fingers at us. We have no power. They used to put us into freakshows. Not you. Not you who can hide your disability to "appear normal". That post was not for you to "relate to". I and many people are sick of many invisibly disabled people claiming they "want to look disabled" so they'd be "taken more seriously". It's not an invitation of you to declare you leaving your mobility aid at home or shit like that. It's not the damn same.

#ableism #vent #visibly disabled #cripplepunk #cpunk #visible disability #physical disability #invisible disability #actually disabled

[echo-bleu]

Eärendil the Mariner

Who deserves a pirate outfit more than Eärendil?

The background is largely inspired by one of Philip Sue's paintings. It was fun to draw a flat earth!

In other news, I love drawing ships but that was the worst angle possible to figure out. In my head, the Silmaril is at the prow in some kind of glass/mirror lantern that amplifies its light.

I wanted him to look soft, and little wry maybe, rather than fierce. I'm sure he's fierce aplenty but I mostly headcanon him as tired. His fate breaks my heart. Also, it doesn't really show here but my Eärendil is blind from overexposure to the Silmaril (and half-human fragile eyes).

I always waver between giving him locs or a shorter Mannish haircut, but his hair is really too kinky for the shoulder-length, Aragorn-style cut, so locs it is!

IDs in alt text.

#silmarillion #tolkien #fanart #earendil #the silmarillion #silm #lotr #echo's drawings #disabled tolkien characters #not sure if he should be part of the tag since he doesn't have a visible disability here #but on the other hand he's still disabled to me #vingilot #vingilote #ardamire #earendil the mariner #silm art #tolkien fanart

[elysianmadness]

Happy lesbian visibility week/day to every lesbian around the world! I hope you're going to have a wonderful week, wherever you are. Your lesbianism is perfect and needed in the world. In this household, we love and appreciate the diversity of the lesbian experience <3

#venus.txt #lesbian #lesbian pride #lesbian positivity #trans lesbian #butch lesbian #lesbian of color #femme lesbian #disabled lesbian #aspec lesbian #poly lesbian #mspec lesbian #two spirit lesbian #hairy lesbian #lesbian sex worker #mentally ill lesbian #stud lesbian #androgynous lesbian #he/him lesbian #fat lesbian #closeted lesbian #lesbian week of visibility #lesbian visibility week #lesbian visibility day #lesbian day of visibility #lwov #ldov #terfs dni #kinky lesbian

[holierthanth0u]

im kinda tired of the assumption that physical disability = visible, and non-physical disability = invisible. it is not that simple and it certainly aint the case for me.

#disability #disabled #actually disabled #disabilties #autism #physical disability #actually autistic #physically disabled #invisible disability #visible disability #disability representation #disabilities