International Day of Persons with Disability
An estimated 1.3 billion people are disabled in some capacity internationally, bringing the statistic to 15% of the world’s population. The broad spectrum of disability through movies, tv shows, and other media still remains under-represented. Many people are unaware that December 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This is largely due to the under-representation of disabled individuals throughout the nation. Serenity Zone is dedicated to representing the mental health of all regardless of disability status. In this post, we will showcase some statistics you may not know about disability mental health, and tips on how you can best support someone you love who may have a disability.
“What are the statistics?”
Americans with disabilities tend to earn less than their able bodied counterparts. According to a recent study from the United States Census Bureau, disabled adults earn approximately half of what their able bodied counterparts make. This is largely due to the lack of representation of disabled individuals through several different occupations. Disability discrimination laws supposedly protect the rights of disabled individuals so that they can not be denied a job due to their disability, however, many hiring managers will replace their reasons with lawfully accepted ones (ie: They aren’t knowledgeable enough about the position, They do not have enough experience, etc) in order to smooth over the fact that the individual with the disability is seen as a burden in the workplace.
Disabled women are more likely to experience medical gaslighting. Medical Gaslighting is defined as a behavior during which a provider dismisses an individual’s physical symptoms as a psychological condition without doing proper physical testing for their concerns. Disabled women are more likely to have their symptoms “explained” by anxiety, depression, hormone imbalances, postpartum depression, and more. Disabled women of color are the most likely to experience this, and also be deemed as “confrontational” or “aggressive” if they point this discrimination point to their medical staff.
Disabled adults do not have marriage equality. It’s largely unknown that disabled adults do not have marriage equality in the United States. You may be saying, “How can this be?” Well, if a disabled individual decides that it would be best for them to seek disability benefits through the state, then they agree that they become the legal responsibility of their spouse once officially married. This means that their partner’s income will be counted as their income and therefore increase their household income. Long story short, if their spouse makes any money, the state thinks, “Well, then you can afford to take care of this person.” and, if they do not meet the financial requirements, will terminate all disability benefits from the disabled individual, leaving the able bodied spouse as the only source of income for the household. For many disabled people on government disability, they rely on their income for support, sustainability, and health care. Without it, they are left to fend for themselves - which will only increase the mental health statistics throughout disabled individuals.
Disabled men are three times more likely to commit suicide compared to able bodied men. The mental health of men has been internationally under represented and poorly explained for several years, however, according to the 2021 Census for the United Kingdom, disabled men were three times more likely to commit suicide or have serious suicidal ideation than their abled bodied peers. This is concerning, because according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the rate of suicide is highest in middle-aged men. If the rate of suicide is highest in men to begin with, imagine how many disabled men make up that statistic, or worse, how many disabled men are committing suicide on top of that statistic.
Disabled individuals have much higher rates of suicide than their abled bodied peers. In addition to the concerning statistic for disabled men’s mental health, the Office for National Statistics reports that disabled individuals have a higher rate of suicide, with a rated of 48.36 per 100,000 for men, and 18.94 per 100,000 people for women. If you’re wondering why this may be, I invite you to imagine for a second if you were living in a body that was constantly on fire. You’re in constant pain all the time, it’s unbearable, it’s debilitating, it’s all consuming. On top of that, everytime you try to seek help, you get told that all of your symptoms are anxiety or, worse, you’re overreacting. You don’t make enough money to stay afloat, but at the same time, you may not qualify for disability. If you’re married, you may feel this overwhelming guilt of being a financial burden on your spouse. These are some of the many reasons why this alarming statistic is so high for disabled individuals. It is a crisis, and we have to do something about it.
“So, how do I support my loved one?”
Provide space for them to express themselves.
When listening to the heavy emotions of any person in need, many might try to problem solve and present solutions to their needs. However, for many disabled individuals, their chronic conditions have no cure and they simply wish to express themselves to a non judgemental ear. You can provide them the space they need by remaining non judgemental. Instead of passing judgment with comments such as, “Maybe if you cleaned up your diet, you would feel better.” consider remaining silent and actively listening to their feelings. You can say, “Your feelings are valid, and deserve to be heard and cared for.”
Don’t compete in the sick olympics.
If you also live with a chronic health condition or disability, be careful not to diminish the struggles of your loved ones with your own. Avoid saying things like, “It’s not that bad, I’ve had way worse.” It’s not a matter of who has the worst condition, the main objective is to make sure that both of you remain non judgemental and provide space and support for each other.
Just ask.
Many disabled individuals struggle with feeling like a burden to their loved ones. Because of this, many may not want to reach out for help when it is very much needed. You can support your disabled loved one by asking them, “Is there anything I could help you with?” or, “How can I best support you right now?” Listen carefully to their responses and help out the best you can.
Include them in things.
When you have a disability, you can very easily feel isolated from your peers. Friends may sometimes assume that you’re unable to attend certain events or activities and may withhold an invite. Remember to check up on your disabled friends and invite them to activities and social gatherings. Double checking to ensure that your destination is ADA complaint is essential, as well as asking them if there is anything that you can do to help them during that event (getting around, carrying stuff, etc). For your friends who may have GI dysmotilities or other GI disabilities, consider being considerate of their nutritional needs when planning a trip to a restaurant.
Educate yourself on their condition.
If the person’s disability is not a well known one, then many can struggle with understanding the needs of the individual. However, it is important to remember that it is not the responsibility of the disabled individual to constantly provide you information about their medical condition. In fact, they are not obligated to disclose any information to you. If understanding their disability would help you better support them, then research is the way for you. When you research their condition and show them that you understand what they are going through, you in fact show the individual that they mean enough to you for you to want to research how you can best help them. (For example: I (Celine) have POTS, and if someone invites me to run a 5K with them, I know that they obviously don’t understand or listen to my condition, however, if they tell me that the venue we are going to has AC and plenty of seating, I know they truly listen and care about my needs).
In Summary….
Our goal for this post is to bring awareness to the many needs of disabled individuals across the globe. We understand that we do not speak for all disabled people, but we hope that our insights and research provide our audience with a more diverse knowledge of disability advocacy than they may previously have had. We encourage you all to continue to research and advocate for the needs and care of disabled people throughout the world. Remember that anyone can become disabled at any time, and it shouldn’t have to directly affect you to warrant your attention.
Thank you.
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