ID - Metro Article

‘Being fat and ugly doesn’t count as disabled’ note: Why we need to raise awareness of invisible disabilities

A while ago I shared the open letter to the woman who tutted at me for using the accessible toilets and then started a campaign called More Than Meets The Eye to raise awareness of invisible disabilities. I know that having an illness or disability that can’t be easily seen opens you up to the judgement and abuse of others. But I was shocked to read about a PhD student at the University of York who was left upset and in disbelief when she came back to her car with her 13-year-old son to find a note attached abusing her for parking in a disabled space. ‘Being fat and ugly doesn’t count as disabled – (park elsewhere)’ read the note found by Sarah Metcalfe’s son. Sarah, 35, has chronic illness Fibromyalgia, an invisible disability that causes pain, chronic fatigue and muscle stiffness.  After parking her car in a disabled space at a Tesco store on Thursday 30 April, the mum returned to the handwritten note left by a judgmental passer by despite being entitled to park due to her illness. In a Facebook post Sarah shared the note along with an open letter to the unknown person.

Open letter ‘Dear shopper in Clifton Moor Tesco York car park at approx 6pm today the 30th of April 2015 who decided to leave this hurtful note on my car. I know I may not look ill, in fact I choose to smile rather than cry, but I do suffer from a long term condition that causes pain and fatigue all over my body and these symptoms are: increased sensitivity to pain fatigue (extreme tiredness) muscle stiffness difficulty sleeping problems with mental processes (known as “fibro-fog”) – such as problems with memory and concentration headaches irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – a digestive condition that causes * stomach pain and bloating dizziness and clumsiness feeling too hot or too cold – this is because you’re not able to regulate your body temperature properly restless legs syndrome (an overwhelming urge to move your legs) tingling, numbness, prickling or burning sensations in your hands and feet (:) anxiety and depression  Despite the fact that I work hard (I never take sick time), don’t claim disability benefits (not that it’s wrong for people that do) and I juggle work and family life I was really just having a BAD and very painful day. Please don’t be so quick to judge people by appearances. I fear one day you may say the same to someone and it could really push them over the edge. Luckily I am open minded and know that appearances can be deceptive and that some people don’t know these things. But I would just like to say to you if your reading this now that it’s better to be kind than hateful- quite frankly you never know what kind of day a person is having and what the consequences of your actions will be. Thank you.’

She hopes that a social media drive will find the person responsible so she can educate them that not all disabilities are visible.  The post has been shared over 3000 times and has caused outrage on social media. We need to raise awareness of invisible disabilities (Picture: steve p2008/Flickr) Sarah told me ‘I have suffered from eating disorders and from low self-confidence in the past and that note could have really pushed me over the edge, that’s why I feel so strongly and have raised awareness of it.’ The People’s Strictly Come Dancing winner and Royal Marine, Cassidy Little, lost a leg in Afghanistan, he also suffered abuse after parking in a disabled parking space recently after a person didn’t realise he had a prosthetic limb. This is why raising awareness of invisible disabilities is so important.  Those who are judging think they are defending the rights of the ‘genuinely’ disabled but in reality, they are just making life a lot more difficult for people already fighting a battle with their health. Have you faced judgement or abuse because of your invisible disability?

Notes:

• Look into more than meets the eye campaign
• Looked into the more than meets the eye campaign and noticed that there was nothing online about the campaign, nor on other social platforms such as twitter etc. 
• shows the need for another campaign/on a larger scale campaign is needed more than ever.
• Polite request informing people, again raising the clear need for an awareness campaign for the effects of invisible disabilities.
• Social media used as a platform to raise awareness and address people in a way where it will reach more people and therefore create a greater awareness overall.
• Misunderstanding can lead to triggering other elements in someone’s life which will make their condition worse.