What I Say When People Ask About My Disability

Hello! I'm sure if you have any visible indicators of your disability, you've been asked about, as have I, so what do I say when people ask? Well, it kind of depends on how well I know the person, so let me lay out for you what I say depending on how well I know the person in question.

1. It's a person I've never met.

Scenario: They come up to me and ask me about my wrist braces in a public space.

Them: "What's wrong with your wrists?"

Me: "I have joint pain."

My opinion: I don't think people have any right to ask about my aids without knowing me, so I'm curt with my answer and don't give them much information.

2. Someone I'm acquainted with

Scenario: They come up to me at church or school.

Them: "What happened to your wrists?"

Me: "I have a connective tissue disorder that causes me pain."

My Opinion: In this scenario, I share a little bit more, but still don't go into details. I find that with most people, they won't ask more questions after that.

3. Someone I know well

Scenario: Someone I know well who's seen me with aids for the first time.

Them: "Are you okay? what's with your wrists?"

Me: "I recently got diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder called hEDS, which causes me a lot of joint pain, so I wear these."

My Opinion: In general, these people will ask more questions, and I'll be polite while answering with as much or as little as makes me comfortable, usually trying to keep my answers concise because they usually have no idea what I'm talking about.

Now, for all of these scenarios, I used the example of my wrist braces because these are the aids that are the most obvious for me, and I get a lot of questions about them, but these can be exchanged for any aid you use, whether that be crutches, wheelchairs, compression garments, braces, etc., etc.

I hope this was somewhat helpful! Have a good week!