It's Time to Acknowledge Invisible Illness and Disability

As someone living with an invisible illness that comes with significant yet mostly invisible disabilities, I see firsthand the judging looks on people's faces when I engage them to request assistance - whether in trains, airports, workplaces, museums or during social interactions.

People with invisible disabilities experience even more hardship because society is not trained to feel compassion for something they can't clearly see. It's time for that to change.

Having an invisible condition means needing accommodation and assistance, while not necessarily looking sick or disabled. There's often an assumption that if someone looks "normal," then they must be normal and don't require help. But diseases don't always manifest physically in ways that are obvious to onlookers.

As such, those with invisible disabilities are subject to stigma, skepticism, prejudice, and outright disbelief regarding their condition. They're frequently confronted with accusatory glances that seem to say, "You don't look sick - what's your excuse?"

It's easy for others to think someone with an invisible illness is faking or exaggerating their symptoms when there's no visual cue or marker of disability. Combined with people's general discomfort discussing disability and illness, those with invisible conditions often feel isolated and unsupported.

This doubt and lack of understanding breeds discrimination. People with invisible disabilities or differences are more likely to have their condition questioned or minimized. They're forced to constantly explain themselves and provide "proof" of their disability, which is not required of those with visible disabilities.

The stress of continually justifying your condition when you already struggle with illness and its limitations takes a heavy psychological toll. As does being perpetually misunderstood and judged for needing accommodations that aren't visually obvious but are still vital.

In medical settings, those with invisible disabilities or differences frequently encounter gaslighting when sharing their symptoms and experiences. Their realities are doubted, dismissed and attributed to other causes. The downplaying and disbelief of their symptoms often delays much-needed treatment and accommodations.

Meanwhile, symptoms like chronic pain, fatigue, dizziness, sensory overload and brain fog don't disappear just because they're invisible to the naked eye. They profoundly impact daily functioning at work, school and in all areas of life. But if people can't see your disability, it's easier for them to ignore, underestimate or outright deny your lived experience.

It's time for greater education, awareness and empathy for those living with debilitating symptoms from invisible illnesses and disabilities. But those with invisible differences should not have to exhaust themselves repeatedly explaining their reality.

True change starts with believing and validating people's words about their own bodies and abilities. It continues by asking, "How can I support you?" instead of, "Prove you're really sick."

Progress means respecting individuals' needs even when you can't personally see or understand their challenges. It means extending patience, compassion and flexibility to those with a diverse range of visible and invisible differences.

Because disabilities come in all shapes and sizes, and not all disabilities are obvious. But they are real, and they matter. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

Roi Shternin is a passionate advocate for people with invisible illnesses and disabilities. Drawing from his own experiences living with debilitating symptoms from an invisible condition, he speaks out about the prejudice and misunderstanding these groups face. Roi emphasizes the importance of believing patients' words about their own bodies and abilities. He calls for greater empathy, education, awareness, and accommodation to allow those with invisible differences to fully participate in life. Through his writing, speaking engagements, and advocacy work, Roi strives to empower those with invisible disabilities and create positive change in how society views and treats them.