I am writing an essay on invisible disabilities. I'm specifically looking at buildings, and in what ways they do and do not accomodate for disabilities. I am also looking at public transport systems (moreso at the stations than the mode of transportation, but any feedback is welcome). Even those with more visible disabilities I would love to hear from. I understand this could be quite a private thing, so please feel free to PM me. Please note I am including mental health, and things like dyslexia and asthma as disabilities.
if you don't relaly know what to say, here are some questions you could answer:
What disability/disabilities do you have? (are they visible or not?)
Are many accomadations made for your disability, if any?
What about certain buildings woudl stop you using them (relating to your disability)
What about certain buildings makes it easier to use?
Please feel free to rant about how bad (or good) buildings are in regard to yoru disability. I need all the oppinions/angles I can get. From the smallest detail to the biggest conundrum.
Thank you :)
P.S. i did ask the other Mod if this was ok to post :P
"I would be almighty in my own world of art, even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell." -Picasso
"No, painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war." - Picasso
'I have scars becuase I have a past; but they, like my past, do not define my future'
Because of my asthma, I would prefer to use a lift or escalator rather than stairs but where I'll be moving to (I know its totally irrelevant whether or not i'm on the first or second floor) there are only stairs and by the time I get to the top, I have to take a few minutes rest to catch my breath back.
Being stuck in an elevator hasn't stopped me from using them. Although being in a glass lift does make me have to look straight ahead at the doors.
I have a fear of heights and can't go to the edge of buildings or the edge of them where there is glass and you can look out and especially this place you'd never get me in there.
I have a learning disability that makes it hard for me to learn some things as well.
I have mental health problems as well as IBS. The IBS to me is a disability which is worse for me. Very suddenly and without warning I can need the bathroom. I don't like going out to pubs and clubs anymore because they often have queues for bathrooms, and I avoid some shopping centres because they have no bathroom or one you have to pay to get in. Sometimes it feels I literally have to plan my life around being near toilets.
I really hate when there's not a bathroom on each floor of large buildings, or bathrooms aren't clearly signed because, well, I really have to go, don't make it harder for me.
Not sure if I count or not.. my disability is very visable when it decides to rear its ugly head....
What disability/disabilities do you have?
Epilepsy
Are many accomadations made for your disability, if any?
By people who know about it, yes. Such as; I don't tend to walk anywhere by myself, My shower has been made safer for me, when i was working i was allowed to take emergency holidays if i hadnt slept very well that night (epilepsy triggered by lack of sleep) etc.
What about certain buildings woudl stop you using them?
I tend to avoid anywhere thats very busy if i can (dont like the thought of many people watching me fit). Also buildings with no lifts, I had a nasty accident involving a fit and a set of stairs... not good. Any buildings/areas that are very cluttered, as i would like to avoid injuring myself as much as possible if i do collapse.
What about certain buildings makes it easier to use?
Bouncy castles. :) I kid. Really, for me i found that no where is completely safe as i have manajed to break my jaw just collapsing onto the floor. However, buildings that have clear signs as to where first aiders or emergency telephones would be useful if I do collapse for someone to get assistance for me.
Hope this is ok.. if you want to ask any further questions dont hesitate to PM me, I'm very open about my condition :)
I have Meares-Irlen Syndrome which means that I can get completely confused and disorientated when I am walking down stairs that do not have totally clear coloured strips on the steps. I have actually fallen down the stairs because I have become so confused as to where one step ends and the other starts. I cannot run down the stairs and have to walk slowly. London Underground escalators are hell for me.
I also have neurological problems with my sight - I cannot read small text; I can see the lines, there is no blurriness, but I just cannot process the text even though I can see it clearly, so I cannot read small signs from a distance. I also have severely deficient night vision so I need to memorise the positions of all the light switches in the building or have a night light if I am to navigate at night. On the other side - I am hypersensitive and cannot cope with bright strip lighting or flashing lights.
I am also claustrophobic and lifts are not an option, I will walk 12 flights of confusing stairs to avoid lifts. I actually avoid going to extremely tall buildings as I cannot use lifts at all (last time I went in one was a year ago and I was screaming for the duration of using it)
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
It's maybe not a disability as such, but I can become very anxious in places I don't know and if somewhere isn't clearly labelled, such as the exit is/toilets, I can panic. It probably doesn't help that I'm short sighted :P but I have been in places where the toilets are around a corner you can't see/placed far away.
You can't lose hope when it's hopeless.
You gotta hope more,
then put your fingers in your ears and go,
"Blah blah blah blah!"
Things done to accomodate for a disability - like ramps being put in so wheelchair users can access the builing. Something done to help people who may not otherwise be able to do something.
Thank you all for the replies, they are great :)
"I would be almighty in my own world of art, even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell." -Picasso
"No, painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war." - Picasso
'I have scars becuase I have a past; but they, like my past, do not define my future'
What disability/disabilities do you have? (are they visible or not?)
Microscopic colitis (aka IBD), Anxiety, Depression. And something wrong with my wrists and knees which is yet to be diagnosed properly.
Are many accomadations made for your disability, if any?
I don't actually know tbh...
What about certain buildings woudl stop you using them (relating to your disability)
I need to know where the toilets are incase i need them quickly and they are not always signposted. If a bulding is overcrowded I panic/if i get bumped into by people it can hurt my knees and all that jazz.
What about certain buildings makes it easier to use?
Buildings that are clearly signposted and bright help a lot.
Last edited by offlineforever : 07-12-2011 at 11:31 PM.
I have mental health problems as well as IBS. The IBS to me is a disability which is worse for me. Very suddenly and without warning I can need the bathroom. I don't like going out to pubs and clubs anymore because they often have queues for bathrooms, and I avoid some shopping centres because they have no bathroom or one you have to pay to get in. Sometimes it feels I literally have to plan my life around being near toilets.
I really hate when there's not a bathroom on each floor of large buildings, or bathrooms aren't clearly signed because, well, I really have to go, don't make it harder for me.
This.
I hate it when buildings don't have toilets near the front of them, or if they're hidden in a little corner and they're tiny.
What disability/disabilities do you have? (are they visible or not?)
Are many accomadations made for your disability, if any?
What about certain buildings woudl stop you using them (relating to your disability)
What about certain buildings makes it easier to use?
Nystagmus/Very Poor Eyesight & IBS & Severe Anxiety
The Nystagmus can be visible, depending on how bad it is.
The IBS isn't, unless i'm in imense pain (which seems to be very often atm -_-), ditto the anxiety
Erm, as for accomodations; it really does depend. My town centre is a TOTAL no go as there's no public toilet anymore, and none of the shops or library will allow publlic to use their toilet. [IBS]
Any building with steps is aa nightmare to be honest because I have no depth perception at all. So if there's no hand rail, or marking on the end of the steps, then I need a guide to help me up/down unless it's a familiar location.
Hospitals are hell because of the lighting. If there's no/little natural light, then I can barely stand 20 minutes in the room - my eyes and artifical light do not mix. Especisally those fluroescent tube lights? They're awful.
And, kinda related... When you're in a building like a hospital and its crowded and they call my name, expecting me to be able to see who said it. It's like, NO I CAN'T. -_-
Just re-read your post: public transport.. OMG.
I can't see the numbers on the bus, so i have to wait until the very last minute to stop the bus or to stop it regardless, then have to tell the driver I don't need his bus afterall. And some drivers don't take well to either method.
AND. I can never see when there's a spare seat, so I stand up. Then the drivers' get arsey, like SIT DOWN. So I'm like, WHERE.
And stations... WELL.
Who the hell thought that small lower case orange text on blue was a good frickin idea? NEWSFLASH. It's not. And then trying to read the timetable... Nightmare! I try to avoid trains because a. I can't read the timetables and b. I get really anxious and panicky etc
New, unfamiliar locations are hell for all three above 'disabilities'
OH. And. On a side note? Nystagmus [[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hby75sZSAvg"]Nystagmus - YouTube[/ame] although, mine goes up and down too, not just side to side] In a police station, I get askeds what substance I have taken. Every. Single. Time.
I have mental health problems as well as IBS. The IBS to me is a disability which is worse for me. Very suddenly and without warning I can need the bathroom.
That can also be annoying when people use toilets for only disabled people, like people in wheel chairs.
What disability/disabilities do you have? (are they visible or not?)
Depression, and PTSD symptoms.
They are visible insofar as I can become very clearly agitated and distressed.
Are many accommodations made for your disability, if any?
I have reasonable adjustments at work, but that's different.
What about certain buildings would stop you using them (relating to your disability)
Lifts - I cannot handle being in a confined space with other people and with no escape.
Only having an escalator and not a stairs option.
Revolving doors. [either single or multiple occupancy]
What about certain buildings makes it easier to use? Security guards and other staff being understanding and accommodating of mental health disabilities. Not treating me almost like a criminal if I get in a panic.
If my GP surgery had the chairs arranged so that people don't face each other, I would be far happier there. I usually just turn myself around on the seat so I face away from people, but it's embarrassing.
Public transport - is really really hard for me. I have quite severe personal space sensitivity and a very reactive fight-flight response at times. I struggle with feelings of being stared at and so the tube, and buses that have seats facing, I just, can't. When people put their hands on the seat by my head, that makes me agitated too. Not that that can be helped, but more single secluded seats like they have on some London buses would be really helpful.
Like, why do people with mental health disabilities get a Freedom Pass [if they're lucky, I don't qualify] if they struggle with going on public transport? Grr!
When I was younger I had severe asthma, I mean really really severe. A set of stairs could literally send me into a severe asthma attack. So yes lifts are key. Also if you are at a point when your breathing is particularly bad people walking slower is great, I used to be really embarrassed about not being able to keep up and would let myself get breathless and wheezy rather than ask people to slow down. So if you're walking with someone asthmatic and they seem to be struggling, you don't have to mention it, just slow down.
Also, I have suspected discalculia. This means numbers and things are difficult. In shops I hate it when people start sighing or moaning because it's taking me time to count out my change because the more I try to rush the more the numbers don't make sense. Also people assuming I can't do maths. I can, just slowly and with more practice than other people might need. I also was recently made aware that names that sound similar/are a similar length are easy to mix up for some discalculiac people, and this has and continues to get me into a lot of trouble with people, especially in relationships. It sounds funny but you can really hurt peoples' feelings by accident by calling them the wrong name, and it's something I can't help.
Directions and time are difficult concepts for me as well. It is a running joke that I can't find my way around places even if I've lived there for years which is fine when I know roughly where I am or can get back to a certain point I know, but like when I went to uni I got terrifyingly lost. Lots of sign posts are helpful although I sometimes struggle with where an arrow is telling me to go, but the thing that would makes things so so so much more helpful, is when people do maps for things, e.g when I had to find a certain place in a hospital, to do instructions in a discalculia friendly way, using words and description, such as go through the front entrance, this is marked by the sign Main Entrance (that is key, just because something is blatantly x or y entrance to everyone else it is not obvious to me unless it has it written on it) walk down the hall way which has three rows of chairs in it until you reach the first right which has a sign with arrows pointing x way. Take the right... blah blah blah blah. Hope that makes sense. I know it will never happen but it would literally change my day to day life. Plus I'd be less frightened of changing routes. If I've managed to get used to one route and then someone points out a quicker/easier one I usually don't dare switch because I'm so scared I'd get lost and I'd have no familiar point of reference.
Time is also difficult. I am almost without fail early because I have no concept of time (as in it will take x minutes to get here or there) and I'm so scared of arriving late that I misjudge it the other way. I have arrived at things literally Hours early. No joke.
Along side this I have documented problems with memory, which can really really frustrate other people like if we've made plans and I've forgotten and stuff but it's really hard for me to remember. If people remind me by sending texts or whatever that's really helpful although they may have to remind me more than once. I also have a calender on my Ipad which I use but typically I forget to put things in it ;-p
'Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.'
['There is only one thing we say to death. Not today'.']
'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.’ – Oscar Wilde
‘It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.’ Sydney Carter
What disability/disabilities do you have? (are they visible or not?)
I have schizophrenia, anxiety and depression. I also have muscle stiffness which I consider a disability, because on the bad days does interfere with my life. They arent visible, and in regards my muscle stiffness, people just think I am lazy.
Are many accomadations made for your disability, if any?
No, I dont think there are any.
What about certain buildings woudl stop you using them (relating to your disability)
Lack of chairs, because I can find that because of the muscle stiffness I find it hard to walk for long distances or stand for a long time. More chairs in shops would be appreciated because I need time to rest the muscle because I am in severe pain. Although I take medication for this, it doesnt alleviate it entirely, though I would be in a lot of a worse state if I didnt have the medication. I avoid going far or out at all, because of lack of suitable places to rest. I am sure the elderly would appreciate more chairs.
Like others have said lack of signposts. I get panicky sometimes because I cant find stuff (especially when they move around stuff). I cant go into new stores because of unfamilarity. It gets too much for me to cope with. Better sign posts, and them not moving stock around (a month and a half ago my local Tesco moved half the aisles and I am still having trouble finding stuff). I like familarity, knowing that in a certain aisle I can find certain stuff and them moving stuff around has had me in tears. That is why I find Christmas shopping stressful as they have moved stuff to make room to make room for Christmas stuff.
What about certain buildings makes it easier to use?
More chairs. Ifind M&S the best place for chairs, but I find most places are generally pretty poor. We dont have a shopping mall where I live, and the benches are pretty poorly spaced out (there's a lot in one area but very large gaps between clusters of benches). When you are in pain, and need to rest urgently (I get sudden like attacks of when I cant go on any further) often there isnt a bench around or just one which is usually occupied.
Also the attitude of the general public would help, because I get a lot of comments about people think being young I am being lazy rather than being in genuine pain.
Also lots of lifts/escalators because I find that climbing stairs aggrevates my muscle stiffness and lifts/escalators makes my life slightly easier on bad days.
Like Stellata said, security guards who are mh aware. Like I said before I get panicky and also when I cant find stuff I find it really hard to ask shop assistants. (That is, provided I can find one.) I find it really hard to approach people and ask where the jam is for example. So because I wandering up and down looking like I am not concentrating does not automatically mean that I am looking for an opportunity to steal stuff.
Public transport - I find it hard and get panicked/agitated easily when it gets crowded or when there is noisy babies/young children. Because of my muscle stiffness I find it hard to stand up on buses - around here they are putting on increasingly smaller buses. I also hate that people stare at you and expect you to move because you are sitting in a buggy bay when in reality the mother is too lazy to fold up the buggy. (The mothers here are dead rude, and think it is their automatic right they have use of the buggy bay. They get bolshy with the elderly too because they happen to be sitting in the buggy bay). I avoid sitting in the buggy bay for that reason, but sometimes you have no choice (like the last bank holiday I was having a bad day with the muscle stiffness so really needed to sit down. I got some dirty looks because I refused to move for a buggy. They had no consideration as it was a Sunday service and therefore the bus would be full) because a lot of buses have the priority seats (for the elderly and disabled) in the buggy/disabled bay seats.
Also I cant sit on non forward facing seats because I get panicky if I cant see where the bus stop is, and asking people to move their bags can provoke some nasty comments. Once I got on the bus and asked a woman to move her bag (a single bag) because the only other seat was a non forward facing seat. She said "why dont you sit over there" and I explained that I couldnt sit backwards otherwise I feel sick. (It's a lot easier to use that excuse and more believable than telling the truth) To cut a long story short, she tried to refuse and I threatened to squash her handbag if she didnt move it (I won though - I got the seat). So sometimes people appear to be awkward because they are avoiding anxious, not because they are being genuinely awkward. So more consideration for others and less sidewards/backwards facing seat, would help in my case.
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
Like, why do people with mental health disabilities get a Freedom Pass [if they're lucky, I don't qualify] if they struggle with going on public transport? Grr!
I have a freedom pass and at times public transport is my worst nightmare but my freedom pass has been a godsend at times and yeah so whilst you may not qualify don't get pissed off at people that do because as I'm sure your aware they aren't given out easily and there will be a reason behind it even if that person struggles with transport!
Invisible disabilities hum I don't really know I have dyspraxia and I'm bloody clumsy so things that arent going to trip me up are good though more often than not Ill trip over my own feet.
My grandad is old 97 and whilst perfectly healthy stairs and minor bumps are hazardous for him as he doesnt see them well
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
What disability/disabilities do you have? (are they visible or not?)
I have Depression, PTSD, Asthma, Migraine attacks, Adjustment Disorder and Severe anxiety leading to panic attacks.
None are really visible unless they are rearing their ugly head for some reason that day.
Are many accomadations made for your disability, if any?
No real accommodations are made for any of these, but my uni has been really good about dealing with them and if I have to leave class then they just let me go, and if I have been really bad, they are happy to give me extensions.
What about certain buildings woudl stop you using them (relating to your disability)
I avoid crowds like the plague. They freak me out mega time and often my anxiety and panic attacks trigger my Asthma really badly. I don't like being in crowded lifts, so I would happily wait for the next lift when there is 5+ people in one already. I avoid stairs cause it flairs my asthma really bad.
What about certain buildings makes it easier to use?
I like places that are big, open and airy, it makes it easier for me to deal with things. And places with multiple lifts are good, then I can get in a lift and not have to worry about lots of people getting in.
Public Transport...
Hate hate hate. It's always crowded, smelly and people have no sense of personal space. And the divers of buses are always terrible.
From Nymph to Dragonfly, I know my place.
Call me Bee. =) Like it or Lump it.
‘Cause the passion and pain are gonna keep you alive someday
Cam, I'm not pissed off at people at all. It might have sounded like that, but it's really not. It just seems a paradox in some cases is all - could the money be better applied in those cases? Just my thinking.... What does annoy me is when I feel unsafe on a bus and so get off and then get on another one, of course I have to pay again. And my earnings aren't huge and transport's not cheap.
In my area at least, you have to have a Care Plan to qualify. Just so happens that my support network's not set up in the way that I have one.
As well as what I put in my other post on this thread, I also have schizophrenia and Asperger's Syndrome.
After thinking about it, I realised that my Asperger's affects me in that I can become confused very easily in new places, and if there is a lack of clear signposting, I will get disorientated (I actually got trapped in a building once because I couldn't work out where the exit was and I got lost at school many times, even after being there for several months).
Due to my hypersensitivity, I cannot cope with loud "white noise", like loud generators/fans, or, even worse, drilling. Drilling makes me scream or cry.
I don't think my schizophrenia affects me much in this practical sense.
PM me if you want a PDF copy of the ICD-10or the Mental Health Act 1983/2007. I ALSO HAVE THE DSM-V BOOK and am a pharmacology student.
I have a visual impairment / neurological problems so I need people to type in clear text and no funny fonts. Also excuse any typos, my vision blocks things out.
I have autism and have problems communicating, PMs included.
Just becasue I type well doesn't mean I speak well. I am only part time verbal.
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