A Personal Testimony
The following is a interview with a person who has some invisible disabilities. They have chosen to remain anonymous. To grant their wish, I will refer to them as Sacha. Some parts of the interview have been edited out to minimalize banter.
Luke: Hello, how are you today?
Sacha: I'm good. I had a nice breakfast.
Luke: That is good, are you ready to start the interview?
Sacha: Not really.
Luke: Well, we have to do it eventually.
Sacha: Fine.
Luke: First, what is your invisible disability?
Sacha: Well, I have multiple technically. I guess. I have depression and joint problems. I don't let everyone know about the depression but most everyone knows about the joint problems. I have trouble lifting some things and need help with it. So help me out with that some of the time.
Luke: Do these things impact your daily work life?
Sacha: Yeah, yeah I'd say so. The depression is always there but it is worse some days than others. The same goes for the joint issues. Some days I can lift things just fine. Other days I have a hard time doing anything with my hands without them hurting.
Luke: Could you tell me something about your background?
Sacha: Yeah. I was a UH student for a while. Now I work at ****** laughs
Luke: Yeah, I guess I know just about all of that, huh? laughs...What is it that you do so the readers know?
Sacha: I do some manual labor and sales stuff.
Luke: How does your invisible disability effect your job directly, in a more specific way then when I asked about how it effects it daily?
Sacha: Well, let me think. With sales stuff it is hard because customers can be difficult. They don't always cooperate or can be rude. It gets annoying and it doesn't help my depression. The depression can also just make it hard to talk to people and be motivated.
Luke: And what about the more manual labor side of your job?
Sacha: I can't lift heavier things like I used to be able to do. I can lift some stuff. If I lift something to heavy, on one of my good days, then the next day will not be a good day.
Luke: Do your joints cause pain even when you are not lifting things?
Sacha: Oh god yes. laughs
Luke: Is it distracting?
Sacha: Yes, but I have some pain killers thankfully.
Luke: Is there a specific story where your disability hampered you?
Sacha: Nothing that stands out as unique beyond what I said before. Not being able to lift something is not being able to lift something. And most customers just kinda merge into one after a while.
Luke: What about your coworkers, have they caused any grief?
Sacha: I suppose so. Sometimes they get annoyed that I can't always help out. It isn't something I had control over, I just have bad joints!
Luke: Is there anyway your organization can accommodate you?
Sacha: Well, healthcare is out of reach which would be nice. Other than that I don't know. Maybe, just understanding that I have these issues and not getting angry at me when I am unable to do something. I can do other things just fine. But certain days lifting heavy stuff is just not going to happen.
Luke: When reading for this project a lot of stuff said to believe a person when they say they have a disability. This seems to be something popping up in all areas of life recently. What do you think?
Sacha: Yeah, I think it's a great idea! Believe me when I say I have joint problems and have depression issues. Believe everybody. Why can't people just be nice? sighs
Luke: Thank you for interviewing with me.
Sacha: My pleasure.