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Invisibly Disabled People Deserve Better
Story from Body
I’m Invisibly Disabled & The Return Of ‘Normal’ Life Terrifies Me
Isabelle Jani-Friend
Photographed by Kristine Romano
Going to the toilet or taking a seat on the Tube was never something I expected to become scared of but using disabled services as a young person with an invisible illness has left me facing a lot of discrimination and abuse.
I have cystic fibrosis, a chronic illness which causes passageways in my lungs and digestive system to become blocked with thick, sticky mucus, leading to fatal lung damage. Despite my rigorous daily treatments, constant pain and shortened life expectancy, my disability remains invisible.
In the past, people have yelled abuse at me for using the disabled toilets as I do not “look ill”. They have looked me up and down and called me a liar because, to them, I appear healthy and too young to be disabled.
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There have been countless other incidents where I have been told to give up my seat on the Tube for an elderly passenger. People will mutter comments under their breath and shake their heads at me, and when I am feeling vulnerable, with my [...]