Invisible disabilities3/31/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Julie Keon, a mother of a child with a disability advises parents to find support in the community. Twenty-five years ago, I had a wake-up call when I sustained my brain injury it taught me and my parents to see and live life differently. Don’t expect them to be what they’re not but celebrate who they are.”Ī common saying within the brain injury community is, “every brain injury is different.” Invisible disabilities affect people in various ways, especially those with autism or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). My writer friend noted, “Learn how your child with autism learns and teach them in that manner. Often, these differences aren’t obvious to others, which makes them invisible, but no less real than a visible handicap. It’s not that they are incapable of communicating with or understanding others, it just means they do it differently. The one thing she wanted people to understand is, “children with autism have difficulty understanding what is happening around them and act up in confusion.”Ĭhildren and adults with autism communicate differently because of how they view the world. I recently obtained some advice from a writer friend whose adult son has autism. How to Encourage Your Child with an Invisible Disability It’s also important to keep in mind each of these invisible disabilities listed can vary in severity. This list is not extensive, however, it provides a few examples of how invisible disabilities can present themselves. Types of Invisible Disabilitiesīelow is a list of invisible disabilities: It’s important for parents to work with their children to prepare them for this kind of bullying-and to help them work through the pain and disappointment when it occurs. For many, it can cause trauma since they haven’t learned the life skills to grapple with bullying or they simply don’t have the ability to understand altogether. I share this simply to point out that people living with invisible disabilities endure bullying regardless of their age.Ĭhildren are even more susceptible to being bullied over invisible disabilities. ![]() These kinds of accusations are more than just hurtful, they are unethical and can be illegal. I was shocked when a friend recently accused me of using my disability as a crutch. Because of the hidden nature of these handicaps, many people are falsely stereotyped or ridiculed. Invisible disabilities may be internal or mental in nature, thus, they are not always visible to the human eye. This was a humbling experience and it drove home the point that I needed help from family and friends to move forward in life. The drooping left side of my mouth had allowed my own food to fall out unbeknownst to me. Suddenly, I felt a wet sensation on my pants leg and looked down to see cereal and milk on my lap. As I watched other people eat with food falling out of their mouths, I felt like I was in the wrong place because I wasn’t that bad off. One morning while in a rehabilitation hospital, the nurse wheeled me in a wheelchair to a communal eating area. It was a hard one for me when I first realized the extent of my brain injury. But there is support and community for those families working through these unique sets of physical, mental, and emotional circumstances. Many parents face the challenge of raising a child with an invisible disability, as it is estimated that 10% of people in the U.S. The average person doesn’t understand invisible disabilities because they cannot see what is affecting the person with the disability. Invisible disabilities, or hidden disabilities, are defined as physical or mental limitations that are not obvious to outsiders. But there are ways to endure and to overcome-especially when you have the support of a loving family. Living with an invisible disability is particularly difficult for the person and their parents. ![]() While people may not see my brain injury, they notice how it affects my life, even decades after this trauma changed my life. It was not an easy road but joining the community of those with invisible disabilities taught me about the support needed from parents and family-and about the need for invisible disabilities awareness. They made many sacrifices to make sure my needs were met during this time. But they were more than willing to care for and provide for me out of their unconditional love. It was humbling for me, as a twenty-something, grown man, to be dependent on my parents once again, just as it was for them to take care of me. My brain injury occurred while in college in 1997 and it forever changed my life and that of my family. ![]()
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