{"id":23884,"date":"2025-11-05T13:04:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T21:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/?p=23884"},"modified":"2025-11-05T13:09:34","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T21:09:34","slug":"living-life-invisibly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/living-life-invisibly\/","title":{"rendered":"Living life invisibly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The logo for The Ehlers-Danlos Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving people with EDS. | Photo from @ehlers.danlos on Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nov. 5 2025 | <\/b>Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor<\/span><\/p>\n

In the United States, one in four adults lives with a disability that affects aspects of their daily lives. That\u2019s 61 million adults. This statistic includes both visible and non-apparent disabilities \u2014 which have also been known as \u201cinvisible\u201d or \u201chidden\u201d disabilities \u2014 but both forms can have overlapping effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am somebody who has a non-apparent disability. I prefer to use the term \u201cinvisible\u201d because most people wouldn\u2019t be able to look at me and tell, as is the case with most people who have a non-apparent disability. After all, I play rugby, I\u2019m on my feet all day for teaching and, unless I\u2019m complaining about how I\u2019m feeling, nobody knows about my chronic pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I have hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or hEDS. My body doesn\u2019t make enough collagen to support my connective tissues. As a result, my joints constantly ache, are weaker and can hyperextend past what most people would consider typical. I sometimes call my hypermobility my \u201cparty trick.\u201d It gives it a more positive spin on things.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Globally, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is rare \u2014 only 1 in 5,000 adults have it \u2014 and is a genetic disability that\u2019s passed through generations. There are at least 20 gene variants in total that cause Ehlers-Danlos.<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t use mobility aids, though others who have hEDS can use canes, walkers or wheelchairs to remove strain from their joints. I do, however, rely on braces and supportive tape wraps. For rugby, I wear a compression sleeve and ankle brace. I tape my fingers and wrists when they jam, something which is unfortunately common.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People with unapparent disabilities often face problems socially because they \u201cdon\u2019t look disabled.\u201d I can\u2019t even begin to count how many times I have heard that. Because we don\u2019t look like what people have in their heads for members of the disabled community, we are less likely to be believed. When we advocate for ourselves, we are more likely to be dismissed because our pains and struggles are not outwardly visible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Western students, Disability Access Services is available as a resource. The department provides students with accommodations for whatever they need\u00a0 \u2014 whether it\u2019s for academics, interpreting services or advocacy \u2014 and tailors it to an individual\u2019s needs. For every activity on campus that a club, organization or department hosts, DAS will provide accommodations for students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone, whether or not they are a part of DAS, can advocate for people with disabilities \u2014 both visible and unapparent. This allyship is important because it helps create a more inclusive and equitable environment where everyone feels valued and supported.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By challenging barriers, amplifying disabled voices and promoting accessibility, allies play a key role in ensuring that people with disabilities can fully participate in all aspects of life. True inclusion requires collective effort and advocacy from all of us helps move our communities toward understanding, respect and lasting change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And please, when someone says something about what they need from others to avoid discomfort or injury, listen to them. Listening to disabled people about what they know they need is the most important thing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1645,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Living life invisibly","_seopress_titles_desc":"Living with an invisible disability means facing daily challenges most can\u2019t see or understand","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"modified_by":"saragerrick","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23890,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23884\/revisions\/23890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}