"People with invisible disabilities, such as chronic pain or some sleep disorder, are often accused of faking or imagining their disabilities. These symptoms can occur due to chronic illness, chronic pain, injury, birth disorders, etc., and are not always obvious to the onlooker.
Invisible Disabilities are certain kinds of disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others. It is estimated that 10% of people in the U.S. have a medical condition that could be considered a type of invisible disability.
Nearly one in two people in the U.S. has a chronic medical condition of one kind or another. Still, most people are not considered disabled, as their medical conditions do not impair their normal activities. These people do not use an assistive device, and most look and act perfectly healthy.
Hundreds of conditions, illnesses, and injuries can result in a hidden disability - anemia, brain injuries and strokes, allergies, epilepsy, heart diseases, lung conditions, mental illnesses, and chronic pain are just a few examples. Yet, although we are all aware of these individual conditions, there is much to be learned about the shared needs and experiences of the hidden disability community as the unique group it is."
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Taken from the Invisible Disabilities: List and General Information by Disabled World (DW), 29/01/2026
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Link to Disabled World’s (DW) collection of articles, research papers, and documents focused on various aspects of invisible disabilities
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Did anyone see The Lost King about the search for Richard iii? There’s a bit at the end where someone from the University of Leicester says that the fact that Richard was shown to have scoliosis shows that he really was evil - ie Shakespeare was right about him having a hunchback (even though the scoliosis would not have caused a hunchback) so he must have been right about everything else. Someone else argues “So twisted spine equals twisted personality??”
I found this webpage discussing how Richard iii was made into a disabled stereotype, and how disabled people in general have been seen as cunning and deceitful, which is even true in the modern era. After all anyone who has applied for disability benefits knows you are treated as a scammer who is faking your disability. I just thought it was interesting:
https://www.3da.org/post/richard-iii-shakespeare-and-the-making-of-a-disabled-stereotype
That is interesting, and an interesting read. It’s definitely still portrayed and perpetuated in media in the worst way, which just piles on to how people learn to view disabilities.
It seems like the media is constantly trying to portray us as awful and it’s clearly been going on for hundreds of years. I’ve started thinking it’s some evolutionary thing, the healthy trying to get rid of the weak so we don’t drag them down.