What in the World Is a Dweller?

Yard work, gardening, quilting, traveling, mechanic work? Do you know someone who used to do many of these things but who no longer does? Do you know why they stopped? Was it too hard? Did it become too tiring? Was the activity too time consuming? Are they just lazy? Did they experience injuries? Maybe they are now invisibly disabled people.

These are people I call Dwellers because they dwell in storms of physical problems.

Four years before I met Kristy, she was a personal fitness trainer. Since these people train others physically, they must be in top condition themselves. However, Kristy was now limited to sedentary hobbies. She sustained injuries with the slightest provocation. She was now a dweller.

Do you know how to recognize an invisibly disabled person? Do you know what some of their characteristics are?

Info about Dwellers’ characteristics

Invisible disabilities are so varied that a specific list of characteristics is difficult to compile. But there are aspects that apply to many invisibly disabled people.

Definitions

• Disability
  • Exists only if the limitation substantially hinders one or more major life activities.
• Invisible
  • Not easily discernible, hidden.

Groups of chronic illnesses or disorders

• Neurological disorders
• Visual or hearing losses
• Mental disorders
• Autoimmune diseases
• Brain or spinal injuries
• Chronic illnesses
• Not a complete list

One characteristic common to all groups: invisibility

• The person looks okay but cannot function normally in one or more areas.
  • Some situations appear obvious but may not be.
    • Consider the example of a woman in a wheelchair who gets up and walks. You may not know she sat there because she can only walk extremely short distances. You cannot see the pain and weakness she experiences. She may have a neurological disorder.
• It is not obvious when someone has difficulty seeing or hearing.
• People with brain or spinal injuries often have disabilities that cannot be observed.
• Autoimmune diseases and chronic illnesses severe enough to disable may be invisible to others.

Other characteristics common to many diseases and disorders

• Pain
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Difficulty communicating
• Difficulty controlling emotions
• Balance problems
• Confusion
• And the list goes on and on.

Now …

You have seen some characteristics for invisibly disabled people. Do you think you can recognize such a person? These ideas could help you understand a friend or family member whose activity level has changed.

Blessings on you and your friend. May both of your lives be enriched.

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See the companion post, “What in the World Is an Observer?”

Investigate more characteristics of invisibly disabled people in the following posts. Name One Infallible Way to Recognize People with Invisible Disabilities! Do You Need Information about Invisible Disabilities?

Joe (FJ) and I wrote our book, Sunbreaks in Unending Storms, to help people understand invisible disabilities.

The Invisible Disabilities Association website has a wealth of information on this subject.