Why do Disabled People Fake it?
Spoiler: They don’t.
I’ve never met anyone faking disability, but I have met plenty of people who are faking being well… why?
MEDICAL GASLIGHTING
from doctors/medical professionals denying a patient's illness
'There's nothing to be worried about, you're overreacting'
INTERNALISED ABLEISM
applying ableist views towards themselves like 'I'm not really in pain or fatigued, I'm just attention-seeking and lazy'
FEAR OF BEING HARASSED
sometimes being open about disability can lead to bullying you're just faking it for the money' so it can be safer to pretend to be well
NOT KNOWING HOW TO EXPLAIN
masking symptoms for other people's comfort because it will be a difficult conversation 'my illness is too complicated, they won't understand, I'll just pretend I'm fine'
FAMILY + FRIENDS BEING DISMISSIVE
even those close to a disabled person might not understand eg. 'you're not as bad as *insert person* you should be grateful for what you have'
DAMAGING SOCIETAL ATTITUDES
every day disabled people face ableism like 'only those with underlying health conditions will die' so being open is hard
In short:
If someone lies about their identity don't punish the minority group they are pretending to be a part of.
