Invisible Disability Awareness Information: tips, encouragement, education

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Ever See an Empty Wheelchair Beside a Hiking Trail?

The phrase wheelchairs and invisibly disabled people seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? After all, if you’re in a wheelchair, you can’t walk. Right? If you’re in a wheelchair but can get up and walk away, you must not be disabled. Again, right? Wrong on both counts. People – like me – have neurological deficits […]

Bringing You Apples of Gold Today for Your Enjoyment

What you do (or don’t) “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” Martin Luther King, Jr. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Re-Connect Ink “Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get […]

Ways to Talk with Invisibly Disabled Family, Friends, and Strangers

Talking with invisibly disabled people is like conversing with anyone else. Mostly. Observer of storms – you without chronic illness – imagine you have a friend or family member with unusual, downright strange, symptoms, but they look just fine. What about strangers? The one with a disabled parking permit who exits their car and walks […]

How To Find New Purpose With Chronic Illness

Connected Carole’s note: my apologies for not presenting Part Two of Lydia’s post about caregiving for her father when she herself needed care. Lydia has experienced a severe flare. Please keep an eye out for it as I will post it when she is able to write again. Meanwhile, please enjoy Patti Burkett’s guest post […]

Invisible Disabilities! But Why Don’t You See ME?

Chronically ill people often feel unseen by others. But why? Because social isolation may be caused by their invisible disabilities. And this leads to feeling lonely. Can the isolation be mitigated and the loneliness decreased? In the early years of my problems (after recovering from the initial severe injuries), my limitations did not isolate me […]

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere – How many do you know?

Hope you like flowers. If you’re like me, you like to look at them but don’t know names. But maybe you’re a gardener extraordinaire. So, even though I created the clues, I’m not sure I could solve the puzzle! Therefore, I included pictures and names of each flower. The link to the solution is at […]

My Ultimate Hope Despite My Invisible Disabilities

Hope, the optimistic belief that my life still matters, derives from a variety of sources. Hope is needed in diverse situations. In Navigating the Storms, we talk about chronic illnesses not able to be seen by others; sometimes, not even understood by doctors. So, where do I find hope despite my invisible disabilities? Forty-plus years […]

When A Caregiver Needs Care, Part One

Do you have physical challenges, yet have a family member who needs help? Lydia Beier’s, a caregiver needs care, introduces her father and why he needs assistance. Lydia herself experiences several disabling chronic illnesses. She writes about this, her faith, and other issues on her website, Being Lydia. Anyone dealing with chronic illness/pain knows that […]

Another New Diagnosis? Shattering News?

When yesterday’s normal becomes today’s impossible, changes must be made. You’ve gotten used to your difficult life, and now the doctor proclaims a new diagnosis for you, an invisibly disabled person. What an impossible situation! What is your first reaction? Dismay? Disbelief? Crying? Upset? Fear? Denial? My Life I probably felt all of the above […]

How Much Do You Know About Doctors’ Specialties?

Hope you had fun. Hope you enjoyed reading the silly answers! Seriously, too many of us have too much acquaintance with too many specialists. Hope this gave you a few minutes’ reprieve from the hardness of your life. PS. Please let me know if you have any trouble using this quiz, especially on a mobile […]