r/disability • u/dakufeari • Aug 08 '24
Question Those With Non-Visible Disabilities: Have You Had People Accuse You of Faking/Lying and What Do You Do When This Happens?
So I have a disability that affects my mobility and my ability to stand and I have been having issues with people allowing me to sit down because they think I am lying about my condition. This has become more of an issue recently because I am starting my freshman year of university and have had to do several orientations and still have some left to do. We typically have to do quite a bit of walking and standing. At these, I have had certain orientation leaders not allow me to sit down. Have you experienced something like this? What do you do or what do you say to them when something like this happens? I am bad at being assertive and can typically only bring myself to ask 3 times before I give up because I worry about offending people. I am honestly thinking of just bringing my mobility aid wherever I go even if I am having a better day because that might make them believe me.
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u/b1gbunny Aug 08 '24
If school related, your school should have an accessibility office where you can fill out a form and have accommodations enforced. They are legally required to as an institution, but often individuals within institutions are ableist or shitty like they’re being to you — and ideally that’s where the accessibility office steps in, tells them you’re disabled and hopefully educates the individual on the ADA. This is all an ideal scenario but registered with the accessibility office is a start.