Grief

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 a disability is "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits ... major life activities."

Recently several people I know have died and the survivors who loved them are dealing with grief. That certainly substantially limits their major life activities, so perhaps grief should be considered a disability.

I'm not suggesting that people who have lost a loved one should be entitled to use handicapped parking spaces, but they should certainly be given allowances for being unable to accomplish things they usually can do. For example, employers should be understanding when the work of someone experiencing grief is not up to par and insurance companies should be willing to pay for counseling when it's needed.

Fortunately grief usually becomes less severe with time as people work through the four stages and eventually the effect on major life activities will be much milder.

More On Invisible Disabilities

Some people are extremely allergic to fragrances and possibly as many as 17% of the population are at least mildly allergic to them.

A church was trying to start a disability ministry and someone suggested asking members to avoid using fragrances. One woman commented, "I don't see why we should all be inconvenienced for the benefit of a few people."

If a lot of people were in a hurry to get through an aisle in a busy store but the way was blocked by a woman with a cane slowly hobbling along would it be okay to knock her out of the way because she was inconveniencing everyone else?

Of course not!

Just because a disability is invisible doesn't mean it's not real.

Allergic people might just get sinus headaches from being around perfumes and if that woman were knocked down she might just get a few bruises. Yes, she could get broken bones from being pushed, but asthmatics exposed to fragrances might need to be hospitalized and put on oxygen and people can die from anaphylactic reactions. Allergic reactions can be serious and many people who have them must avoid places where they might be exposed to things that cause them.

Avoiding fragrances in cosmetics, laundry detergents, and personal care products and not using them in public places can make a positive difference in the lives of many people.

What is a Disability?

Legally, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) a disability is "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities."

Meeting the ADA requirements can sometimes be expensive but the world has become a better place in many ways because of them, and not only for people who have disabilities. 

For example, when I was younger wheelchairs were rarely seen in public places, but once curb cuts became required  they not only gave more freedom to people using wheelchairs, they also helped people pushing strollers and riding bikes. Back then Sign Language was rarely used in public, but now it has become recognized by Linguists as a real language and many little children have learned to use signs instead of having tantrums. And millions of Americans have had their lives enriched by getting to know people with special needs.