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Most people that you meet who say that have a specific disability actually have it but occasionally you will come across someone who swears they have your disability, but you know they don’t because they are saying things that are quite impossible. A vast majority of wheelchair users that I meet will have some form of physical disability but not everyone will have Spina Bifida because not all disabled people struggle in the same ways I do. People sometimes will lie about what disability they have when they are hanging out with a group of people with the same disability because sometimes people feel left out and think they need to be able to relate to your disability, but you can’t only relate to my challenges if you have experienced them. Most the time I can tell when someone has Spina Bifida without asking them because most of us have visible scars where a spinal closure was done but if that scar is not visible and someone did their research I may not always know and just have to take people’s word for it. As a disabled person I think lying about what disability you have can be very bad because if you slip up in front of someone who actually has that disability it could cause you a lot of embarrassment. How can you pick out a faker who swears on their life that they have Spina Bifida but clearly do not.
Someone gave it to you– In high school I met a wheelchair user who swore she had Spina Bifida, but she gave herself away when she said that she had a surgery, and her doctor gave it to her. It was clear that she knew nothing about Spina Bifida because anyone that did a simple Google search would know that is impossible because Spina Bifida is a neural tube birth defect and the only time you will develop is when you are still in the womb. My assumption is that she felt a little left out because all of her friends had Spina Bifida and she felt she needed it too. Was it possible she had surgery, and a doctor made a mistake causing permanent back problems? Yes, but it was not Spina Bifida because if you aren’t diagnosed with it at birth, you will never have it. I do not know if this girl was confused on what Spina Bifida was or got incorrect information, but it was very clear she had no idea what she was talking about because anyone with Spina Bifida would know you can’t develop it.
Spina what?- I have heard some family and friends pronouncing Spina Bifida incorrectly and that is okay because I will correct you, but I don’t know a single disabled person who struggles to pronounce their disability correctly because that is one of the first things you learn when you are first diagnosed. One of the easiest ways you can pick out a faker who claims they have a disability that they clearly don’t is by simply paying attention to how they pronounce it because if someone is struggling too much to say it correctly there is strong chance, they don’t have that disability It is important to disabled people that you pronounce our disabilities correctly at the very least and no disabled person is going to struggle with something as basic as saying our disabilities correctly because if we can’t pronounce it correctly then how are we supposed to educate others?
You claim you were cured– There are a lot of things on the Internet where people claim they overcame their disability and were cured but if someone is claiming they were cured of Spina Bifida they are lying to you. Medical advancements have come a long way and there is a lot more research that has been done to improve the lives of people with Spina Bifida but there is no cure and people with Spina Bifida have to adapt their lives around it and sometimes may need a surgery or two to improve their quality of life. There is nothing wrong with wanting a cure but as of right now there isn’t one and you should question anyone that starts talking about how green juice cured Spina Bifida because it’s just possible. Most disabilities are incurable, and most people that claim they were cured of their disability are not disabled and probably are only saying it for shock value because you don’t overcome a disability but learn to live with it.
Sometimes you don’t know- If someone uses a wheelchair sometimes it is Spina Bifida but most times it’s not. Most people with Spina Bifida will have some kind of physical challenge that are easy to see but if you have a very mild form sometimes you may not have that and may only experience bladder and bowel problem and appear “normal.” Most times I will know if someone has Spina but if someone has clearly done their research and I am not talking to them long enough to watch them slip sometimes I don’t know.
As a disabled person I would never lie about what disability I had because it’s a lot of work to keep up with lie and I don’t think you always have to understand someone’s disability. Be honest with people and tell them what disability you actually have because people will respect you more and you might be surprised that you can relate to other disabled people in more ways than you think. My best friend has Muscular Dystrophy and although there are challenges, I will never fully understand, we both can relate to how inaccessible the world is. If you are uncomfortable talking about your disability that is okay because no one is entitled to know your full medical history, but you don’t need claim to have disability you don’t have to fit in. Some people fake a disability to try to get free services, but most people don’t, and you should never accuse some of being a faker if you have no proof because it hurts the disabled community, and a lot of disabled people have disability you cannot see. How can you tell someone is a faker?
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