Do u have a disabilty?! from physical to emotional...?

Hi im doing a university design degree, and currently working on a campaign for Dove.. with assosiation with Images of disabilty. If you are disabled in anyway... i would be very appreciated on your views of disability in respect to the media and social views. i.e how do you view your disability? a part of you? a burden? how do you feel others view disabilties? Do you believe disabilties should be portrayed more in the use of media.. (adverts, posters etc.) any other comments would be great.. thanks

Do u have a disabilty?! from physical to emotional...?
wow, thank you for the question. the answer right above mine is great as well. i was born with a hemangioma (broken blood vessel) on my brainstem. i have had multiple brain surgeries to correct this. as a result i have facial paralysis and moderate/severe eye problems %26amp; i have problems driving. the thing is, like the above poster, my disability is mostly invisible to people. it is probably not the first thing you would notice about me unless you are a doctor and even then it doesn't always happen. i believe that people with disabilities should be more prevalent in the media. i think that people in general have a very negative view towards people with disabilities. i think alot of people are scared of disabilities and don't know how to deal with them. this is especially true in the workplace - i have experienced job discrimination multiple times and i know other people in my situation who have also experienced it. i am studying for a master's degree but i feel that alot of times my intelligence is questioned because of my disability. i think people's attitudes towards disability should be reformed. feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions and good luck with your project.
Reply:physical since birth. but I have learned to cope in society. after all there are many things I can still do all I need to do is use my brain to figure out ways to work around the " physically challenged " part of my life.
Reply:Thank you for this question! Yes I do think that disabilities should be shown more in the media. Especially people with invisible disabilities like my wife and I. If you look at us we would look normal to you, but we both suffer from chronic daily pain due to failed back surgeries, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue along with nerve damage. We are fairly young (me in my 30's and my wife in her 40's) and people don't understand chronic pain and how it affects your life on a daily basis. I would love for people to be more aware of people like us so they can be more understanding. Most people don't get it and yes we have lost many friends who couldn't cope with the "new" version of us. Depression comes along with these disabilites and it is a struggle to face each day but we have learned to face this life one day at a time. I think many people view us as a burden and we HAVE been a burden to our families financially and emotionally. There is a website about invisible disabilities that may be of use to you in your research. Just google invisible disabilities. Thank you for asking this question and I hope you will be able to shed some light on this subject. I wish you well.
Reply:i get disabilty money cause i had a break down and dont go out by myself and i selfharm and have post traumatic stress so my therapist says
Reply:Yes I do. I was born with almost no hearing in my right ear. I don't like to tell people about it because I don't want their pity or stupid questions.





"No, you don't have to speak up." "No, I didn't go to a lot of rock concerts."





But it has hindered my social life because it makes me appear snooty or stuck-up. But I'm not. Its hard to have conversations in a crowded place unless you stand right beside me at my left. And when I'm on the phone I can't talk to people around me and it makes them irate and othe people on the phone irate that they have to fight for my attention.





On the plus side, it is possible to "turn a deaf ear" to people when I want to and a bit too easy to tune people out.
Reply:I think they are under represented in the media, therefore people are not really used to seeing them as normally as they might see, lets say, someone wearing glasses - maybe if the fashion designers used disabled people as models things might be different!!





The DWP has also published some useful research on disability if you are interested.
Reply:I had earned my disability... I was a mess emotionally and mentally. I'm balanced today and could probably work... and I do some work, but the over all experience has been that it got me used to the security/safety and I'm afraid to get off of it and depend on my self completely. It's been a rough road with my disability and I suppose the way it has affected my life is part of it too. I remember when I was a mess and my I didn't have it. I was homeless and the trauma of it all has also shaped my fear of loosing my safety. I am now in the process of making myself work on what career I want to go towards or school so I may one day ween myself off of disability. I suppose when I battle all of this stuff and the torment I feel about myself, is a reminder that I'm still dealing with aspects of my disability.
Reply:I have Asperger's Syndrome; a mild form of autism. Along with it, I have dyscalcula, dyspraxia and ADD. I look 'normal' but to my life-long bemusement, I just can't figure out how to interact with the human race .... you observe, you even take notes from time to time but it does no good. I have a reputation of being odd, strange, weird. I'm physically slow (definitely not mentally slow) thanks to my dyspraxia which really infuriates my colleagues.





Because I fumble and am 'clumsy' (shoelaces are a nightmare), unkowingly I developed a coping system and slowed everything I do down (from writing - always a nuisance - to making a cup of tea.





The dyscalcula means that although, like with every other subject, I am fascinated by maths, anything past basic numeracy literally makes my brain shut down. It seizes up and although I have tried on several occasions, I have never been able to complete the GCSE course in it.





The ADD means that I seem to others to think I am amazingly interesting and that the world revolves around me, which couldn't be further from the truth as I have utterly low self esteem thanks to all the very hostile negative conditioning I have received all my life.





Still .... c'est la vie. There are others who are so much worse off than me.
Reply:i have arthritis. i am 44 and had this for 13 years. it gets progressively worse. pain is the worst thing. i am in pain 24/7 so i am very often in a bad mood. i also have asthma and an underactive thyroid. i find it difficult to walk very far so i cannot really exercise much. i am trapped in a catch 22. i cant exercise because of the pain and breathing problems. losing weight would help my load bearing joints. cant lose weight because of thyroid problems and no excercise.





i consider myself quite lucky, i still have all my marbles so to speak. i live with the pain, i have to otherwise i would be extremely miserable. i am limited in what activities i can take part in but i can draw pleasure from watching friends and family enjoying life. i do push myself too far at times as i am defiant, but i suffer for it afterwards.





i sometimes feel angry when people give you filthy looks for parking in the disabled spaces. on the outside i look perfectly normal and i feel i can almost read their minds 'nothing wrong with her' 'why does she get a blue badge'. i get tutted at a lot if i am too slow at packing my shopping or trying to open shop doors etc.





i think it would be a good idea if the media could could help people to realise that you could be disabled even if you dont have a wheel chair. the time will come when i do need one but i cant exactly go around with a sign on my head saying "ok on outside - disabled on inside" in the meantime can i?





hope this helps. good luck