Disabled people are often approached by non-disabled people and told that they wish they didn’t have work and that we are basically on vacation all of the time. It is always funny to me when non-disabled people compare disability to being on vacation because clearly you have never been on vacation and been disabled because if you had you would know they aren’t even kind of similar. People often compare disability to being on vacation but they are nothing alike because if disability was anything like being on vacation you would be begging to work overtime and not go on vacation. Many disabled people would love to work but sometimes are not able to because our disabilities make working a full-time job difficult. It can be harmful to compare disability to being on vacation because managing a medical condition is a full-time job and sitting at home all day is not as glamorous as people think it is. Is disability anything like being on vacation? In this post, I am going to talk about what it’s like to be disabled to show it’s nothing like being on vacation,
Disability is boring- Non-disabled people often think that disabled people are living the dream life because we don’t have to get up early every day for a job. I am not choosing ,not to work and I don’t work because I looked for a job for several years and was not able to find one. It is nice to not have to wake up early every day and to be able to sleep in when I am tired, but being at home all day is not what it’s cracked up to be. People often think that not working is the best life until they realize that you have to find things to do during the day, because, as much as you hate your job, it does give you things to do for eight of the day. It can sometimes be boring to be disabled because I can’t drive to do things and have to find ways the entertain myself without leaving my home. I started my blog because it gives me something to do during the day. People often think that watching TV all day is living the dream, but I promise you that it will only provide entertainment for a short period of time, and you will eventually get bored with that. Vacations are fun with lots of activity, and disability is the opposite of that, and can get boring sometimes.
Many disabled people struggle financially– It is more expensive to be disabled because disabled people often need medical equipment that a non-disabled person wouldn’t need and despite what some people believe insurance does not cover every medical expense. People don’t want to work until they realize that you need a job to make money to be able to pay your bills because bills don’t pay themselves. Many disabled people struggle financially because they are unable to work a job or can’t find one and are always struggling to make ends meet. Some disabled people get disability checks to help take off some financial burden and sometimes people wrongly believe that the government makes you loaded which is so far from true and often we barely get enough to survive. Disabled people are always struggling financially because it’s more expensive to be disabled which is something I think not a lot of non-disabled people. I always worry about something expensive breaking because I can’t always afford to replace it and the government does not allow me to save more than two thousand dollars without risking losing my benefits. Many disabled people would love to work a job because getting regular paychecks means you can live a more comfortable life with less anxiety.
Disabled people often spend a lot of time at the doctor- Disabled people often spend more time at the doctor than non-disabled people because we have health challenges that require more doctor visits. Some disabled people spend more time at the doctor than others, and it depends on what disability you have, because some people are more susceptible to illness than others. Disabled people may not always have to work, but sometimes we do spend a lot of time at the doctor’s having medical tests, which is not always quick and sometimes can take hours out of my day. I may not have a job, but I would rather work the worst job if that meant I never had to have a painful surgery again, because they are not fun! People often don’t see how many hours we spend at medical appointments, and often don’t realize that some disabled people spend hours a week at their doctors. I like my doctors, but I would rather be doing anything other than sitting in my doctor’s office all day!
Disabled people spend more time fighting with insurance companies– My mom handles all my medical needs, and I never personally call my health insurance when I need something approved, and she does that for me. Disabled people spend more time fighting with insurance companies than non-disabled people because sometimes, despite what some people believe, our health insurance does not supply disabled people with every medical supply we could possibly need. Insurance companies sometimes deny necessary medical supplies, and because we don’t always make a lot of money, we can’t always afford to pay for it out of pocket. I have had my insurance company deny medical necessities that would have cost me thousands of dollars, and I don’t have that kind of money. My mom sometimes spends hours on the phone fighting with insurance companies, trying to get me the necessary medical supplies I need to survive because at the end of the day, are medical decisions really up to your doctor or your insurance company? Disabled people sometimes can spend all day fighting with insurance companies because a lot of the time our medical supplies are more expensive, and insurance doesn’t want to pay for it.
Some people struggle with pain– Chronic pain is not something that all disabled people struggle with but it can decrease your quality of life for those of us who do struggle with pain. Some people spend a lot of time in bed because of severe pain and would do anything to be able to do things without pain. People with pain often spend a good portion of their day struggling with pain flares and figuring out a way to have less pain because doctors don’t tell you everything. I struggle with pelvic pain from endometriosis and migraine attacks, and I am always battling some kind of pain!
When people try to compare disability to being on vacation it is really frustrating because it is literally the opposite of that. Disabled people may not have to get up early to work a job but it’s not because we don’t want to and often wish we could. It is a full-time job to manage a medical condition with no breaks on holiday and terrible pay. I spend a lot of time dealing with stoma issues, pain, and doctor’s appointments, and if vacations were anything like being disabled, I’d never go on vacation. I wish non-disabled people would stop comparing disability to being on vacation because it makes it sound fun to be disabled when it’s not most of the time. Disabled people have a lot of positive experiences because of our disability but we also have a lot of struggles that people forget about. Disability is nothing like being on vacation and it really frustrates me when people say I have an easy life by comparing it to being on vacation. These are only a few things that disabled people deal with on a regular basis, but it is not a complete list because we have so many challenges that people don’t see. What are your thoughts about comparing disability to being on vacation? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below.
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