Brentwood Gazette
BRENTWOOD: 'Invisibly disabled' woman starts support group Monday, March 09, 2009
WE are all taught not to judge a book by its cover, but in everyday life, most of us are guilty of making assumptions at first sight.
Take Brentwood resident Kathryn Dean, pictured here. She looks healthy, but in fact she is battling a series of conditions such as lupus and arthritis.
It was hurtful preconceptions – like the scowls she has received when she, rightly and legally, parks in a disabled bay – which led her to set up a new support group for those with so-called invisible physical disabilities.
The But You Look So Well support group is in its fledgling stages, meeting once a month in Brentwood, but Kathryn says they hope to expand and is keen to hear from anyone who would like to join their group. "The main aim is to raise awareness that disabled people don't always look disabled," she said. "We have all done it – seen someone park with a blue badge and thought: 'There's nothing wrong with them.'
"But, when you have your own health problems, you become aware that disabled doesn't just mean a wheelchair.
"Also, I think recently there has been a lot of bad press about people falsely claiming benefits and I think it had a negative effect on people who truly have disabilities that are invisible."
Kathryn says that people with disabilities, which are not always obvious at first glance, face a number of day-to-day challenges.
"Public transport can be very difficult," she said. "You get on a bus or the Underground with a walking stick but sometimes people can't see it – and when you are in pain, you can't stand.
"Even simple things like getting doctors to accept you have got health problems can be difficult.
"I've got a very understanding GP now, but I had one who just wanted to get rid of me and a number of people have found they are just diagnosed with depression."
Kathryn hopes that the group will teach others not to judge, but also provide a support network for those who face challenges and prejudice as a result of their disability.