Kathleen, author of a chronic pain journal, recently wrote a blog, “Perception of Yourself & Others With A Disability.” She opens with the question:
What is it you see in the mirror?
She then explores the perceptions of the people around her, and how there can be a disconnect between the outward image and the inward reality.
She is intrigued by how people reconcile how they feel on the inside to how they look on the outside. In order to further understand this, she has created a questionnaire; she writes:
I welcome ANYONE to fill this out. Once I receive enough submissions I will analyze the results and present them. The information will be kept confidential. It will not be shared, sold, distributed or released. It will be for the express use of this study. This questionnaire is not just for those with a physical/mental/emotional challenge, it is for everyone.
We are all aging (yes, you Thirtysomethings count too) and it is a timeless struggle. We all see the disabled every day, how do we treat them? How do we, the disabled, feel about ourselves and how we are perceived? Getting some type of answer might be helpful. I know that many of my Cyber Pain Friends have vented about how their friends “pre-disability” have disappeared. How their friends just don’t “get it” and how it affects the patients’ ability to cope with their lives.
I urge you to read the post, then take the survey. Both will give you pause for thought; perhaps a rethinking or reevaluation of reflections in the mirror; reflections in our eyes.
Interesting post and eye opening survey albeit a little too long. worth taking though. an interested in reading the results. It really does make you think, not only about yourself but how you really feel about others!