Disability and Chronic Illness: Assumptions and Perceptions
i’m in a bit of a mood at the moment. over the weekend someone who should know better expressed a judgemental and dismissive attitude towards my health problems. specifically, in this case, my difficulties with the bins. for those playing from outside australia, our bins look a lot like this:
theoretically pretty easy to move. i did the bins a lot as a kid. the problem isn’t the bins. it’s me. and the ground between my house and the curb. i have meniere’s disease. this post tells you what my bad MD days are like. but i am ALWAYS slightly off kilter - imagine being able to feel that the world is round and spinning slightly all the time. now add to this trying to drag one of the above bins over ground that is uneven and on the side of a hill. not exactly wise, is it? i’ve arranged to have my cleaner take my bin out each week and my mum or nan brings it in later in the week. well this week my cleaner could not come until after the bin needs to be out so my grandmother agreed to do it. queue drama llama complaints about this “not making sense” and “putting the bin around the back so i can use the path” no. can’t use the path. the point where the ground is uneven is to the curb. even if i took it all along the driveway to the street i’d still have to get it (then uphill!) several meters to where it needs to sit to be collected!
there’s a point to this, i promise. and that point is this: every person with disability is different. we each have our own challenges whether they make sense on the surface or not. be open minded. if you don’t understand and want to, ask instead of arguing. and be patient, we may not be able to explain immediately.
Current Music: Busby Marou - Better Be Home Soon (Crowded House Cover)
Originally published at The Cat's Reflection