Call for sensitivity---The new face of disabled people

Disabled people used to only mean people in wheechairs, people using canes or walkers, or mentally-challenged people. However, with so many chronic illnesses that are debilitating or cause intermittent physical disability, you can no longer go by the way that a person looks.

There are people that look like the picture of health, that may be secretly battling chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, or multiple chemical sensitivities, to name a few. So when a person that looks great takes longer than you think to cross the street, gather his or her change and move his or her cart to get out of line; or perhaps asks for assistance in carrying something, that person might just be having an exacerbation or flare-up of symptoms.

The sad truth is that you probably work with some of these people, but they don't dare tell you and risk you seeing them as somehow less than worthy of a full-time job with benefits. Is that why Susan or Brett has months where they are late or leave early a couple of times a week? Could it be because of flare-ups or for medical treatments? Or is that why Kim never attends after work events, even just a couple of drinks or appetizers at a nearby eatery? Perhaps Kim only has energy, or can only ignore her pain for working her 8-hour shift, but then has to go home, take her pain medication and then immediately climb under the covers.

Another sad truth is that in this economy, disabled people have to choose between being able to maintain a roof over their heads and maintaining health insurance by working, and energy for personal pursuits. Get on social security disability? That is a joke, because it takes an average of two years to be approved for social security disability. By that time, the disabled worker will have astronomical debt (bills will not get paid without a source of income), be homeless (neither mortgages nor rent will get paid without a sufficient source of income), or possibly even be dead (not being able to afford medication or supplements, plus the stress of having no source of income, can exacerbate symptoms to the point of death. STRESS DOES KILL!).

With all of the environment toxins and accidents caused by such a fast-paced society, increasing numbers of hard-working, even brilliant people, will become disabled during their prime working years. They will watch as their independence, physical functions, and financial stability are suddenly or gradually taken away. However, they will continue to work until they just cannot push their bodies anymore, and then they will pray that their social security disability is approved before they become homeless or worse.

So remember, you cannot always tell if a person has a disabling condition by looking at them. They can appear to be the picture of health, even looking younger than their actual age. Sadly, often the youthful-looking person may feel like an elderly person. Please try to be more sensitive.