Do you think "invisible" disabilities are worse?

Question

I have "invisible" disabilities. Just because you cant see them, does not mean they dont exist. Some disabled people have blown off legs and stuff that are obvious. However, we "invisibly" disabled people often get the worst of it...sometimes accused of faking it. For example, if you met me you may not know I am disabled. I dont use a wheel chair, dont have blown off legs. Even tho I am severely hard of hearing, I have developed some methods of dealing with it. For example, I tell the waitress exactly what I want, so I often do not even need to really hear what she says. Also, when I am very close to the speaker, have no background noise, and the speaker speaks clearly, I can sometimes hear enough to know what they are talking about, and I can respond appropriately.

Answer 1

Well, I don't know if my disability is visible or invisible. I have a hearing disability and I am a hearing-impaired. Not everybody in my school knows that I am a hearing-impaired. I wear a hearing device, Cochlear Implant and most people don't know what is a Cochlear Implant and I don't know if my hearing disability is visible or invisible.

Answer 2

I think in terms of receiving any kind of assistance, from a clerk in a store, to a disability agency having an invisible disability makes it harder if not impossible. No one would EVER ask a person in a wheel chair to help them lift at 50 lb bag of flour into their trunk, no one would ever say to a person who is visibly disabled that they are just lazy - or roll their eyes and call you a dumb blonde if you are having problems counting your change, or yell insults if you park in a handicapped parking zone or piss all over your car because you did - yes it happened to me - no one would ever say to a disabled person in a wheelchair, "what kind of mother are you? what kind of example are you setting for your kids by not working?' or phone the police and tell them this person doesnt work so they think they are selling drugs - etc etc

The insults and slights and accusations are too long to list them all. Even friends and family which is why I posted that website that had print outs to give to people about understanding your disability however yahoo took the word of the troll and deleted it - TWICE -

Even yahoo discriminates against the disabled and this site, because they see nothing wrong with trolls coming on here and calling the disabled retards -

No matter what the disability you will not be given the same consideration or the consideration one would expect from a so-called educated and "advanced" society.

Studies have been done that PROVE apes and chimps are more compassionate and caring to their disabled than human beings are. That imo says it all

Answer 3

I don't think it matters which is worse. Everyone experiences their disability differently. What is difficult for you to handle may be easy for me to handle and it is the same disability. I have a physical disability and am also very very hard of hearing. At home neither is so bad. When I go out shopping and have my scooter and can get where I want and am mostly window shopping - both are OK. But if a shop is very tiny and the aisles very narrow, suddenly using a scooter is a big problem. If a store is very loud and I need to ask a question - suddenly the fact I can't hear well is a problem. In a quiet store with wide aisles- I don't feel disabled at all.

Answer 4

Both kinds of disability are bad. If you have a disability that is visible people do tend to judge you and stereotype you before they have even spoken to you. If you have a hidden disability you may look "normal" but act differently, people then tend to think you are drunk or even on drugs. The best way to deal with it is to treat each person as an individual and not make snap judgements. Unfortunately this doesn't happen very often. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I'm probably a biased opinion, because I have an "invisible' disorder, but I have to say that invisible disabilites are worse in many ways. I have High Functioning Autism (Like Asperger's, only I was much more severe when I was younger, so it's inapproprate to say Aspergers), and I stuggle every day. I have to think about everything I say, everything I do, and I have to try to do it in the same amount of time as a 'normal' person. At least with visible disabilities, you are allowed to limp or be in a wheelchair, but I have to work so hard to be like everybody else. Not personality wise, believe me nobody is like me, but socially I am in constant fear of doing something wrong. Since I look normal, people are like "You're Autistic? Wow, I would have never guessed", which makes me have to work harder to be socially okay.

With visable disabilties, you lose some pride, but you are mentally okay, and people see you as normal, even with a wheelchair. I look okay, but struggle mentally, and so I don't think of me as normal.

Answer 6

I don't know which is worse since I have invisible type. I find the harder I work to pass the more outrage and abuse I get when the misability strikes. Even family and my mate can't accept that I am not acting or doing it to distress them. I have spent up to two years inside my home from fear of unprovoked attacks by strangers I never even saw. I think it is worse, but I'll keep it rather than have my legs blown off.

Answer 7

yes - because when I use my handicap sticker - people see me and don't realize that I may be moving okay at the moment, but my knees can give out and I'm flat on my face. But when I'm having a bad day and I use a cane and my braces I don't get the same attitudes.

I also know people who have a mental disabilities. It's hard for them to constantly explain why they don't or can't work. Especially when it's known they have college degrees.

Hidden is harder.

Answer 8

Not sure but I having discalcula which prevents me from passing my Ged and schizoprenia which means I have to take meds to make me normal.Im a pretty woman people say but nobody gets why I seem so nice and smart and yet I have to work in a factory and am stuck being poor due to my education level.Whats so bad is people tell me Im lazy,That if I tried harder .I would suceed .They dont get that Its like so so hard.I try so hard and have no success.It makes me so angry at times. People who know about me being schizo tell me to get disability.#1 I want to work.#2 I make more money working.Its only about 3 or 4 hundred more but it counts.

Answer 9

I have RA now it is invisible.To look at me you would not know
how much pain I am in but, RA is a crippling disorder.
It get worst over time some day I could be in a wheel chair like
my mother.
You are right all of us with invisible disabilities do get the worst
of it.
.

Answer 10

i think that visible disabilities are worse then invisible. you really have to think about it, someone who has no arms will probably get stared at and pointed at. someone who has an invisible disability will just blend in as any person out there. if i were to have a disability, i would want it to be invisible so i wouldn't feel like everyone stares at me. when i see a person w/ visible disabilities, i don't stare because they cant help it.