Disability Case

What is the difference between chronic illness that cannot be seen and disability that can be seen?

There are certain obvious differences to be found between chronic illness that cannot be seen and disability that can be seen. Primarily, unlike people with visible disabilities, "People with some kinds of invisible disabilities, such as chronic pain or some kind of sleep disorder, are often accused of faking or imagining their disabilities" ("What are Invisible Disabilities?", n.d.). It is a fact that people with visible disabilities are often treated with sympathy and empathy but people with invisible chronic illness, especially neurological illnesses, are often not treated in a compassionate way due to the fact that they are often misunderstood by those who surround them. In myriads of countries people suffering from invisible disabilities are not provided with opportunities that are usually offered to people with visible disabilities. It is a fact that "Nearly one in two people in the U.S. has a chronic medical condition of one kind or another, but most of these people are not considered to be disabled, as their medical conditions do not impair their normal everyday activities" ("What are Invisible Disabilities?", n.d.), and this inequality in treatment also forms the basis of the differences between invisible disability and visible disability. It is a truth that a person suffering from chronic fatigue should be considered as a person suffering from an invisible disability but he/she will not be considered eligible for receiving opportunities that are usually enjoyed by people with disability and this is only due to the invisible nature of the former's disability.

(249 words)

References

What are Invisible Disabilities? (n.d.). Invisible Disabilities Information. Retrieved October 29, 2013, from http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/invisible/