“People who are disability advocates, who are very active on social media, are changing the discourse about disability.”–Katie Ellis
Ways we can all help
Social media is a great way to spread the message if you want to help re-imagine disability. By commenting, following our updates, or sharing our posts on social media, you can spread awareness for the issue and show your support in a public online space.
However, you can also make a change in your everyday life.
- Think twice before you decide to judge somebody’s actions
- Start a conversation with you friends, family or community about invisible disability shaming and how together you can do something about it
In the conversations you have, and in your actions, you can show that discrimination towards people with invisible disabilities is not something you will tolerate. No one deserves to be discriminated against.
You may even want to consider doing something more active. This could be starting your own grassroots campaign or hosting an event that is catered towards providing more information and recognition for the topic.
A creative way that photographer Hannah Laycock has helped raise awareness about invisible disabilities is through her photography. Hannah, like an estimated 0.1% of the population, has Multiple Sclerosis (MS) which is a condition that affects the body’s central nervous system. Her recent projects, ‘Perceiving Identity‘ and ‘Awakenings,’ are what she describes on her website as her “attempt towards dealing with notions of identity and the play on this in relation to my diagnosis, as well as the intention to raise awareness about MS.” It is an attempt “to make the invisible visible.”
To watch some of Hannah’s story click here.
By participating in any of the above, we as a society can collectively re-imagine disability in a more inclusive way. Even actions as small as not giving a glare to an able-bodied looking person sitting on the disabled seating on the train will contribute to a large difference in the long run.