Invisible Disability, Invisible Identity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Invisible disability is not automatically apparent to our eyes. This can include physical and mental conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and even vision or hearing impairments. So much of how we understand disability is rooted in its visibility. We tend to base our ideas of a person and their capabilities first on their appearance. It is important to understand how the invisible disability is socially constructed, which then allows for conversation about the problems surrounding this identity. Using queer studies as a model, it is easy to draw parallels to better understand how the invisibly disabled identity functions, and a lot of times, why people do not claim it. So often, ideas of \u201cnormalcy\u201d and the need for \u201cproof\u201d plague our understanding of what it is to be a disabled mind or body. Through these beliefs, we create a culture that invalidates the invisibly disabled and prevents these individuals from claiming their identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we see disability in general as socially constructed, we can break down how the invisibly disabled mind and body are understood in society, and thus how our ideas about these bodies\/minds impact the person with the disability, specifically the individual\u2019s identity. In Disability in Theory, <\/em>Siebers states that, \u201csocial attitudes and institutions determine far greater than biological fact the representation of the body\u2019s reality\u201d (Siebers, 173). Thinking about this in terms of invisible disability, the social construction happening has much to do with ideas about what a \u201cnormal looking\u201d person should be able to do. Before a person\u2019s invisible disability is exposed, they are automatically understood as abled. He goes on to say, \u201cthe dominant ideas, attitudes, and customs of a society influence the perception of bodies\u201d (Siebers, 174). Given we live in a society in which able-bodiedness is the default, a difference in appearance is typically an indicator that a person deviates from the norm, and consequently, that person is labeled an \u201cother\u201d and their identity is heavily influenced by this label. Additionally, the social attitude regarding pain and suffering plays a large role in our construction of the disabled body. Siebers writes, \u201cthe human ego does not easily accept the disabled body\u201d (Siebers, 176). This is in part due to the belief that disability is pain, and humans are quick to reject both physical and mental or emotional pain. However, if much of an individual\u2019s identity has to do with the pain they experience, in a society where there is an emphasis on the \u201ccure\u201d, to advocate such ideas is to advocate for the eradication of a large piece of this person\u2019s identity. The attitude our society holds about pain contributes largely to the social construction of the disabled body. However, the notion that disability is pain and nothing else is harmful and inaccurate. There is so much more to the disabled identity than the amount of discomfort one feels. On the other hand, ignoring the presence of pain at all can be just as harmful when trying to understand what it is to be an invisibly disabled identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is important that the hidden disability is acknowledged for its ability to cause as much pain as a physical one. In her article, Invisible Disability, <\/em>Davis importantly notes, \u201cPeople whose disabilities are not generally perceived by others do not, for that reason alone, find it easier to minister to themselves or to engage productively and effectively in the world without having to endure pain, discomfort, and exhaustion\u201d (Davis, 154). It can be invalidating to the invisibly disabled identity when the pain they feel is not taken seriously simply because they do not appear disabled. In the case of mental illness, oftentimes both mental pain and physical pain are at work, as depression, anxiety, and PTSD can cause physical symptoms that lead to discomfort. To assume that an invisible or mental disability has nothing to do with the body is ignorant, as the mind and body are connected and they rely on each other to work. One cannot drive a car properly with an engine that is uncooperative, and it is no different if the mind is impairing the body from functioning. The pain that the invisibly disabled experience is just as valid as that of other disabilities, and just as central a part of their identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The identities of those with invisible disabilities can be understood using similar terms and experiences to ones frequently discussed in queer studies. Similar to how queer identity has to be claimed through \u201ccoming out\u201d, the invisibly disabled must also claim their disability. Until these identities are claimed, it is assumed that the person holding them is \u201cnormal\u201d, that is, abled. The parallel here allows us to better understand some of the issues the invisibly disabled face. Ellen Samuels discusses the connections between the disabled and queer identities in My Body, My Closet. <\/em>One connection she notes is that similar to queers and queer culture, individuals with disabilities may find it hard to access crip culture (Samuels, 234). This may be especially true for the invisibly disabled, because they are not automatically seen <\/em>as having a disability, so they have to go the extra mile to prove themselves as being a part of that shared experience. This \u201cpresumption of sameness\u201d (Samuels, 236) not only alienates people from being a part of a community, but it can also create cognitive dissonance in the person with the invisible identity. That is, they are being told they are one thing by outward notions of normalcy, yet they feel a different way on the inside. The \u201cpresumption of sameness\u201d and the cognitive dissonance that follows is something that could easily plague the mentally impaired especially, given that tangible or physical evidence of pain is little to none. To the abled eye, there is nothing stopping someone with invisible disability from carrying out everyday life, yet so many people who struggle with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and so on have a difficult time completing simple tasks. This appearance of normalcy can be alienating to the invisibly disabled person who tries to access crip culture and be a part of a larger community.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another parallel between these studies as discussed by Samuels is the idea of \u201ccoming out.\u201d In other words, the invisibly disabled identity must be claimed to be seen. Samuels states, \u201ccoming out refers specifically to accepting one\u2019s \u2018true\u2019 identity and must entail identification with the political analysis of the marginalized group. In both queer and disabled contexts, however, coming out can entail a variety of meanings, acts, and commitments\u201d (Samuels, 237). Those who choose to \u201ccome out\u201d and claim this identity feel connected to disability or crip culture and the experiences of those who also claim the disabled identity. Coming out for the invisibly disabled can be clarifying and freeing, opening doors for shared experience and a sense of community. However, the process is different and unique for each individual who chooses to disclose their disability, and some choose to not claim this identity at all. Samuels refers to Rosemarie Garland-Thompson\u2019s \u201ccoming out process\u201d, in which she did not feel a connection to disability culture at first, but instead felt that her disability was a \u201cprivate matter\u201d (Samuels, 238). Additionally, Elizabeth Brewer talks about how many psychiatric survivors do not identify with the disabled identity, despite the fact that from a legal perspective, there is a connection between mental impairment and disability (Brewer, 15). Individuals may choose not to come out for the troubling reason that they find it easier to stay hidden.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Often the invisibly disabled will prefer to keep their identities hidden, rejecting the disabled identity all together: \u201cpeople with hidden impairments often make an effort to avoid the perceived stigma attached to a disabled identity\u201d (Samuels, 240). This can be seen similar to \u201cpassing\u201d which is also prevalent in queer studies. The invisibly disabled may find it easier to pass as abled for a number of reasons. It is a personal choice, but one that should be available to those whose disabilities are not as apparent. Samuels shares the experience of Georgina Kleege, a blind teacher who is able to \u201cpass\u201d in certain situations:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBecause my disability is no longer readily apparent, and because it is an illness whose symptoms vary greatly from day to day, I live between the world of the disabled and the non-disabled. I am often very aware of my differences from healthy, non-disabled people, and I often feel a great need to have my differences acknowledged when they are ignored. . . . On the other hand, I am very aware of how my social, economic, and personal resources, and the fact that I can \u201cpass\u201d as non-disabled among strangers, allow me to live a highly assimilated life among the non-disabled\u201d (Samuels, 240).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kleege talks about how in some situations, she wishes to be acknowledged but she is also aware of how her ability to \u201cpass\u201d is beneficial in her everyday life. She does not quite resonate with the non-disabled, but she is also able to avoid stigma in certain situations and \u201cpass\u201d based on ideas of normalcy. The practice of passing has, \u201cbeen read as a conservative form of self-representation that the subject chooses in order to assume the privileges of the dominant identity\u201d (Siebers, 240). This can be problematic, especially if disabled individuals are choosing to pass because it is the easy thing to do, and not because they fail to relate to the identity. Choosing to claim the disabled identity as an invisibly disabled person should be that- a choice, and without the pressure that coming out will be more counterproductive than it is freeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be argued that the \u201cpresumption of sameness\u201d that occurs when an invisibly disabled person appears normal and able is actually a positive. If there are no limitations placed on a person solely based on their appearance, that individual avoids stigma. They have more of a choice in disclosing vulnerability if they can pass where the visibly disabled cannot. However, it is possible for the opposite effect to happen, where the assumption of able-bodied can be alienating when a person who is not visibly disabled is expected to function the same way an able-bodied person does, but they cannot. Samuels points out, \u201cThose whose disabilities are invisible may also have to convince other people that they really are disabled, not seeking some special\u2014unfair\u2014advantage: thus, what they must do is meet a burden of proof\u201d (Davis, 154). This pressure to prove is a major reason why an invisibly disabled individual may not choose to claim the identity, despite feeling a part of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The invisible disability is socially constructed by our ideas of normalcy and the need for proof. This identity can be compared to queer identity, as they both operate on similar terms of coming out and passing, and how both have their advantages and disadvantages. Although the invisibly disabled have a choice of disclosure when it comes to sharing their disability with the world, this does not automatically mean they are in any easier of a position than those who do not have the choice. It is clear that many invisibly disabled individuals choose not to claim the identity because they feel passing as able-bodied is more beneficial to them than coming out as disabled. The culture we construct around nonvisible pain prevents those who could be a part of this shared identity but choose not to because we tell them their pain is invalid simply because they look normal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Word count: 1997<\/p>\n\n\n\n Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brewer, Elizabeth. \u201cComing out mad, coming out disabled.\u201d Literatures of Madness<\/em>. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2018. 11-30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Davis, N. Ann. \u201cInvisible disability.\u201d Ethics<\/em> 116.1 (2005): 153-213.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Samuels, Ellen Jean. \u201cMy body, my closet: Invisible disability and the limits of coming-out discourse.\u201d GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies<\/em> 9.1 (2003): 233-255.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Siebers, Tobin. \u201cDisability in theory: From social constructionism to the new realism of the body.\u201d American literary history<\/em> 13.4 (2001): 737-754.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I pledge. Madison Moyer. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Invisible Disability, Invisible Identity Invisible disability is not automatically apparent to our eyes. This can include physical and mental conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and even vision or hearing impairments. So much of how we understand disability is rooted in its visibility. 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