What does handicapped LOOK like?

I have recently had my social security disability revoked from me and I am fighting to get it back. I earn it, I need it for my medical expenses (including my monthly treatments). Please share & support my fight. Gofundme.com/devrisfight

I’ve had a handicap placard for the past 4 years, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, however, I have had my fair share of conversations with both friends and strangers in which I had to explain my reasons for having one–and using it almost everyday. No, it’s not just for a better spot.

The definition of handicap according to the Oxford Dictionary, is a condition that markedly restricts a person’s ability to function physically, mentally, or socially.

Keep this in mind next time you watch someone step out of their handicapped-parked car. Maybe they did take their mom’s placard to get a better spot in the lot, but maybe they didn’t. There are literally thousands of illnesses–whether they are mental, physical, or social–which affect many people around you. Sometimes you cannot see it. Just because the handicap symbol is a person sitting in a wheelchair does not mean that every person who needs one also mobilizes in a wheelchair. Mine is because of my illness–I have chronic fatigue that slows me down each and every day. Because of this, I am always tired and exhausted, so I get winded easily while walking. Every so often I deal with confused stares or the occasional “Hey! You know you parked in a handicapped spot, right?” It’s heartbreaking how ignorant some people can be. I wish people would open up their minds more and realize that a symbol is just that–a SYMBOL. It doesn’t represent EVERY SINGLE PERSON that falls into that category. We don’t all get around in wheelchairs, but that doesn’t make us any less disabled or handicapped.

Damsel In A Dress puts it into words so well what 100% of us with invisible disabilities wish everyone could understand: “You don’t know the person who just walked away from that handicap parking spot. You have absolutely no idea what they are going through. You have no clue what a complete triumph it probably is for them to be able to walk away from that vehicle. It could be something they worked very hard to achieve. It could be the most painful thing in the world for them. But it is in no way your right to know that…If you see a handicap parking permit displayed in their car, accept that they have every right to use that spot. Quit being so quick to judge. Go back to minding your own business.”