Blog: Ill versus disabled – is there a distinction between the two?

[Andy]

Disabled activist, Stella Young recently wrote: ‘The social model tells us that we are far more disabled by inaccessible environments and hostile attitudes than we are by our physicality. My disability comes not from the fact that I’m unable to walk but from the presence of stairs.’

How true is this of people who are chronically ill? Accessibility is rarely the issue – we often have little energy to go out at all.

Hostile attitudes: yes, to an extent particularly if the people in our lives are not supportive – but how many people do we actually see?

Severely chronically ill people are not out there like many disabled people. Depending on the disability, many disabled people share much, much more with the well than we do.

http://inclusionproject.org.uk/soci...abled-is-there-a-distinction-between-the-two/

 

[hixxy]

There's also quite a difference between people with mild ME and those on the more severe end of the spectrum. People with mild ME (still able to do some work and have a social life, participate in life events and gatherings) are much more similar to regular disabled than they are to those that are severe for who those things have become non-existent.

 

[Esther12]

Some good comments under this too. This project is taking on some interesting issues that I've only ever thought about quite vaguely in the past. Thanks to all involved.

 

[arewenearlythereyet]

I found the following so true

“I still believe that there are kind people in the world but unless you’ve walked in our shoes it is extremely hard to understand what it’s like to be severely ill your whole life.”

I’ve not been severely ill my whole life but have had an invisible illness most of my life which I have learned to hide due to the disgust mentioned. My mild ME (more recent illness) allows me to work but is impossible to hide due to the restrictions ...The other day I had to ask for a chair to sit on for a team building activity that required everyone to stand. Small things can single you out and cause a sort of malicious gossip to start for the largely unimaginative.

However there are truly beautiful people who can imagine what it’s like and are considerate. They do seem to be a small minority though from experience . I think it’s human nature to reject the perceived weak...this is base behaviour though a bit like mob behaviour. I think the same can be said for “out of sight out of mind” I think this is a defence mechanism to avoid the frightening. It’s tricky because the majority opinion makes it difficult to change prejudiced views....this is a slow game.

Only by making non visible people visible can we change this