My disability came on suddenly just after I turned twenty one. Finding your chanel has really really helped me. I've been doing this for three years now and I've only just accepted that I am disabled. And that's partly due to you so I want to thank you.
I'm so happy for you and thank you! It's not easy!! I can definitely relate, my disabilities came so gradually and without diagnosis, so the pain I felt didn't really announce itself as a disability to me, I thought it was some kind of injury that I'd eventually recover from and be able-bodied again. In my mind, I guess, the pain and ability loss must be decidedly permanent before I could call myself disabled, but after about two years of it being chronic, after my first surgery, someone called me disabled without me ever identifying as such and it surprised me... and I just had a moment of hurt in that surprise, like the door to recovery was closed, and thought "Huh, well, I guess I am."
I had a conversation about the sad stereotype with someone today. It's so frustrating. I'm disabled and happy. Very happy! It shocks me that I can be walking down the street with a huge smile on my face and my cane in my hand and people will still look at me with pity. "Oh... what happened to you?" "I'm so sorry sweetie." "You're too young to walk with that." No, no I'm not. And that's okay. My disability is only visible by my cane, but I wish my passion and dreams were as visible as it is. Maybe then people would ask me about those instead.
AMEN to your videos and to what you said about not all disabilities being visible! I am constantly hearing complaints from others w/invisible ailments like MS and Fibromyalgia who have been accused of "faking it" which always blows my mind.
happy birthday!! and omfg i've had so many "wait that's not a normal thing everyone experiences?" moments with my dysautonomia/pots stuff and it didn't help that my mom and 2 of my 3 siblings also have dysautonomia
Yes yes yes!!!! I have Chronic Myofascial Syndrom, PTSD, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Restless Leg Syndrome, Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder, Interstitial Cystitis, Costochondritis, and I have full dentures, etc. I am stylish, artsy, and a survivor. Everyone except for my husbands thinks I should look fugly and old and decrepid just because I am using a wheelchair at 30. A doctor told me that because I am pretty and young, my regular doctor won't want to see me using a wheelchair. Many people put their prejudices on me. I tell them I am happy, I struggle, but I'm not dying. This isn't a tragedy. Why don't people just let us be? Love you, thank you for talking. Thank you for being a friend.
Hellllll ye i love this!! I'm invisibly disabled and use a wheelchair, and the amount of weird looks I've gotten from people when I've stood up,, so many. It always feels like you have to *prove* that you're disabled when you have invisible once, and it can be real exhausting. Your channel is so good, and so nicce to see, so thanks for doin what you do, and happy birthday! 😊
ChocolateDragon literally sometimes I feel guilty for using a disabled seat when I shouldn't because I have every right too I feel as though I need to defend myself xx
I know what you mean. My disability is very visible. I walk with a limp and use a wheelchair to go out. I swear, every time someone sees me limping around (even for 1 minute), they act like I'm not disabled. I can't imagine what it must be like for someone with an invisible disability.
My friend has a leg paralysis permanent on the right side and I have sometimes to transport him as he wants to go away from home. Every time I park in the handicapped park spot because he has a handicapped parking permit I get weird looks. Because he is young and can walk but, not long. He needs his cane sometimes.
Hope you had a really nice birthday :D I'm fairly newly Ill/ disabled (2 years since diagnosed). I would say that I really didn't feel very mucha part of disability culture until 4 months ago, and I started making UA-cam videos talking about my experiences of being disabled and also unable to eat or drink. I am now a part of such a wonderful community, and have friends that I Skype and chat to all of the time. I don't know where I would be without the internet, probably very depressed and lonely. I love your ideas on this subject. I have to agree! Xx
Thank you so much for speaking on invisible disabilities!!! I feel so self-concious when I use the elevator or press the button to open the door. I always think people are judging me. But it's really gotten to the point that I can't open most of those heavy doors...Now I'm thinking about getting a placard for my car for particularly hard days, but I feel guilty because I know there's always going to be someone who has it worse than I do
Happy birthday Annie ! Since my English course (in Brazil) used your video talking about Frida Khalo as an oral exam, I just didn't stop watching your videos.. Your accent is kinda hard to understand and you use lots of different words, so it's been always a challenge since when I start watching your videos but I can see that I'm dealing with it Haha. So since when i figure your story out and stuff, I don't know.. Your have always been opening my mind to understand and don't judge people on every video I watch and i'm really grateful for that. You're awesome Annie, such an example and a represent of someone who really makes a change inside people's mind, like me :) You're awesome, and I also wish u an awesome birthday :D
Hi Annie! Happy birthday! I just wanna say that I've been watching your videos for a really long time, like since the stop hating your body days. I've always had some kind of disability but recently my doctors decided to send me to specialists because i have a lot of EDS symptoms that are getting progressively worse, here's hoping for a dx. Anyways your videos are really helping me work through and process my thoughts and feelings about this sudden change. Whereas before I was watching as a person with just chronic fatigue issues and LDs, now I'm looking at them in a whole new light amid a possible EDS dx. Thank you so much for what you share and create. I know you put a lot of heart into it and your content always feels genuine and relatable.
thank you so much for this video, for all of your videos, for sharing your words and your story and for just being you! i hope you had a great birthday!!
Happy birthday Annie. Mine is soon too. ^ _ ^ I love your perspective and energy. It's so refreshing and addresses the range of emotions I'm always feeling.
When I turned 18 this year instead of eating cake and special foods, I was being fed through an NJ tube. I had an NJ tube from January 2017 to the end of July 2017 (it was taken out due to severe irritation of the nose and throat and inability to keep it down), I was 100% TPN dependent anyway since the beginning of June 2017 because my motility plummeted further after an abdominal surgery and it didn't recover. Now I am awaiting to getting a surgical tube and ileostomy placed in hopes of getting off TPN and providing symptomatic relief. I spent my 18th birthday working because I didn't want many pictures taken with my NJ tube, and I truly love to work and be productive. I had an awesome birthday even with the tube though. I also graduated and went to prom with an NJ tube and yes I rocked but I wish we had pursued a surgical tube sooner because I now have these great milestones in my life stamped with a feeding tube in my nose. I started college today and it was nice to not have an NJ tube hanging out of my nose while I started my college career and I just had a central line that can be easily concealed and no one knows I am sick. I have spent so much of my life sick I wish I could hid the braces, tubes, and central lines because then people would treat me normally and like everyone else. I understand my medical issues mean I will always be different but I like to keep my medical issues very separate from social, work, family, and school life and it is hard to do that when I can't eat and I am covered in all of these medical devices.
Congratulations on starting college (Exciting times)! Question to think about: Would you still want to keep your medical issues separate from the rest of your life, if people just accepted them as a different way to be normal (like height, or hair color)? In other words, does your difficulty have more to do with your medical issues, or other people's ableism?
Thanks! My college so far has been great with accommodations. Honestly, I think I would still keep my medical problems very private and separate because frankly first of it is no ones business but mine (not that I won't ask questions if they ask but I don't make any effort to tell people about my medical issues unless asked) and I don't want my medical issues to become part of my identity. It is also just exhausting to think about being sick all time. I very much ignore my body and do what I want even if I feel unwell because my illnesses don't control me and what I do.
I do volunteer work for a charity in Australia to spread awareness of the dangers of alcohol in youth. I'm a quadriplegic because of alcohol. I'm also starting volunteer work to be a voice for the disabled in my area. One step at a time we can all do our part to make this world a better place
Definite yes to leaving people who a placard alone; no one knows what anyone else is dealing with, and it isn't anyone else's business. Also, this is the start to your 28th year 😉
Hey Annie thanks so much for your channel! Your videos definitely have cleared up some of my misconceptions and help me recognize some of the ableism in the media or language we use
Wee! Happy birthday! 🎈 I wish disability was more a part of the progressive lexicon. People look at me like I have two heads when I say remember people with disabilities.
cool video, what is the rest of the slogan on your shirt? I really like what you said about hidden disabilities as an Autistic who also has Dyspraxia and Epilepsy.
Is it too late to wish you happy birthday? Definitely agree that people need to be aware that not all disabilities are visible and that they don't fit into neat little stereotypes. Nor do we necessarily react to our disabilities the way they _imagine_ they would if they were so "afflicted"... People also need to be more aware of the Social Model of disability and give some thought to how _their_ environments, _their_ practices and _their_ expectations *disable* people who could otherwise _do quite well_ if it weren't for the *able-bodied-and-neurotypical-centric* environments, policies and expectations that everyone is forced to be in, adhere to or live up to.
Hey, I commented last week on your video about identification asking if I could include your video. I'm finishing it and I decided to include a survey I did about disability and sexuality (which is why it's taken me so long) and if you're up to it and like to ask you a couple questions I'd love to include them. If you're interested please email me at christyleighstewart@gmail.com or let me know how you would prefer to be contacted.
disability is part of your culture? wut? I hated being disabled. I'd never say it was part of my culture. in fact i even rejected it as an "identity". I always thought of myself as so so much more than this body and whatever illnesses that may befall it.
First: Happy Birthday! Second: Oh yeah -- I *hate* (and no, that's not too strong a word) the assumption that Disability = Sadness. If you're assuming that, then you are also assuming that this one aspect of my life is more important than my family, my friends, my skills, my creativity -- basically every other aspect of my life that brings me joy. In short, if you assume that, you're insulting my mother. Also: if you're assuming that, then you're assuming Able-bodied = Happiness, and thus, ignoring all the non-disabled people who also have reason to be hurting: Poverty, physical and emotional abuse, isolation, war, natural disasters... the list goes on. Third: What's up with this new look for UA-cam? Very weird.
![The EDS Things You'd Miss Even If We Hang Out [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DAvbnYUaxXE/mqdefault.jpg)
![The EDS Things You'd Miss Even If We Hang Out [CC]](/img/tr.png)
![I’m autistic [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/qXynK-rfAnA/mqdefault.jpg)
My disability came on suddenly just after I turned twenty one. Finding your chanel has really really helped me. I've been doing this for three years now and I've only just accepted that I am disabled. And that's partly due to you so I want to thank you.
I'm so happy for you and thank you! It's not easy!! I can definitely relate, my disabilities came so gradually and without diagnosis, so the pain I felt didn't really announce itself as a disability to me, I thought it was some kind of injury that I'd eventually recover from and be able-bodied again. In my mind, I guess, the pain and ability loss must be decidedly permanent before I could call myself disabled, but after about two years of it being chronic, after my first surgery, someone called me disabled without me ever identifying as such and it surprised me... and I just had a moment of hurt in that surprise, like the door to recovery was closed, and thought "Huh, well, I guess I am."
@@theannieelaineyyou’re my best friend I really like you ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I had a conversation about the sad stereotype with someone today. It's so frustrating. I'm disabled and happy. Very happy! It shocks me that I can be walking down the street with a huge smile on my face and my cane in my hand and people will still look at me with pity. "Oh... what happened to you?" "I'm so sorry sweetie." "You're too young to walk with that." No, no I'm not. And that's okay. My disability is only visible by my cane, but I wish my passion and dreams were as visible as it is. Maybe then people would ask me about those instead.
Clair Williamson disabled and happy - can I get that on a shirt
AMEN to your videos and to what you said about not all disabilities being visible! I am constantly hearing complaints from others w/invisible ailments like MS and Fibromyalgia who have been accused of "faking it" which always blows my mind.
Thank you for posting as a person with an invisible disability you make me feel good when life gets me down your videos cheer me up.
This really helped me. I’m disabled and it’s so good to see some representation!
happy birthday!! and omfg i've had so many "wait that's not a normal thing everyone experiences?" moments with my dysautonomia/pots stuff and it didn't help that my mom and 2 of my 3 siblings also have dysautonomia
Yes yes yes!!!! I have Chronic Myofascial Syndrom, PTSD, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Restless Leg Syndrome, Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder, Interstitial Cystitis, Costochondritis, and I have full dentures, etc. I am stylish, artsy, and a survivor. Everyone except for my husbands thinks I should look fugly and old and decrepid just because I am using a wheelchair at 30. A doctor told me that because I am pretty and young, my regular doctor won't want to see me using a wheelchair. Many people put their prejudices on me. I tell them I am happy, I struggle, but I'm not dying. This isn't a tragedy. Why don't people just let us be? Love you, thank you for talking. Thank you for being a friend.
Hellllll ye i love this!! I'm invisibly disabled and use a wheelchair, and the amount of weird looks I've gotten from people when I've stood up,, so many. It always feels like you have to *prove* that you're disabled when you have invisible once, and it can be real exhausting. Your channel is so good, and so nicce to see, so thanks for doin what you do, and happy birthday! 😊
ChocolateDragon literally sometimes I feel guilty for using a disabled seat when I shouldn't because I have every right too I feel as though I need to defend myself xx
I know what you mean. My disability is very visible. I walk with a limp and use a wheelchair to go out. I swear, every time someone sees me limping around (even for 1 minute), they act like I'm not disabled. I can't imagine what it must be like for someone with an invisible disability.
My friend has a leg paralysis permanent on the right side and I have sometimes to transport him as he wants to go away from home. Every time I park in the handicapped park spot because he has a handicapped parking permit I get weird looks. Because he is young and can walk but, not long. He needs his cane sometimes.
Hope you had a really nice birthday :D I'm fairly newly Ill/ disabled (2 years since diagnosed). I would say that I really didn't feel very mucha part of disability culture until 4 months ago, and I started making UA-cam videos talking about my experiences of being disabled and also unable to eat or drink. I am now a part of such a wonderful community, and have friends that I Skype and chat to all of the time. I don't know where I would be without the internet, probably very depressed and lonely. I love your ideas on this subject. I have to agree! Xx
Happy belated birthday, Annie!
As always, thank you for this!
Happy birthday beautiful human
Thank you so much for speaking on invisible disabilities!!! I feel so self-concious when I use the elevator or press the button to open the door. I always think people are judging me. But it's really gotten to the point that I can't open most of those heavy doors...Now I'm thinking about getting a placard for my car for particularly hard days, but I feel guilty because I know there's always going to be someone who has it worse than I do
Happy Birthday! Your birthday wishes would make this such a better world
Happy birthday Annie ! Since my English course (in Brazil) used your video talking about Frida Khalo as an oral exam, I just didn't stop watching your videos.. Your accent is kinda hard to understand and you use lots of different words, so it's been always a challenge since when I start watching your videos but I can see that I'm dealing with it Haha. So since when i figure your story out and stuff, I don't know.. Your have always been opening my mind to understand and don't judge people on every video I watch and i'm really grateful for that. You're awesome Annie, such an example and a represent of someone who really makes a change inside people's mind, like me :) You're awesome, and I also wish u an awesome birthday :D
Tell it girl, louder for the people in the back! Happy birthday.
Hi Annie! Happy birthday! I just wanna say that I've been watching your videos for a really long time, like since the stop hating your body days. I've always had some kind of disability but recently my doctors decided to send me to specialists because i have a lot of EDS symptoms that are getting progressively worse, here's hoping for a dx. Anyways your videos are really helping me work through and process my thoughts and feelings about this sudden change. Whereas before I was watching as a person with just chronic fatigue issues and LDs, now I'm looking at them in a whole new light amid a possible EDS dx. Thank you so much for what you share and create. I know you put a lot of heart into it and your content always feels genuine and relatable.
Thankyou for your honest words/Happy birthday coming up soon
that hit me hard with the "life shouldn't be painful" thing. I don't think that I even fully realized what pain was until I was like 9 or something.
Thank you so much for all of the education you are doing with your channel.
😍😍😍😍 gorgeous woman...&... HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY 😀👍😍
Happy Birthday Annie!!! 🎈🎂🎉Hope your having a low pain day today. :) I always love your videos. They helped me through a lot of tough times.
Happy Birthday! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are!
thank you so much for this video, for all of your videos, for sharing your words and your story and for just being you! i hope you had a great birthday!!
Congratulations Annie!
Happy Birthday ✨🎊🎉
Happy birthday Annie. Mine is soon too. ^ _ ^ I love your perspective and energy. It's so refreshing and addresses the range of emotions I'm always feeling.
Wishing you a belated happy birthday! I hope that you had a lovely day. 😉
Happy birthday Annie!!! :)
Happy Birthday! 🎁🎉🎂
I like the t-shirt 😏
y e e e, winter haul! And I'd love to know more about your film camera/s, and how you got started with film photography :)
Happy Birthday!
Happy belated birthday Annie!!!! :D Hope you had a fantastic birthday
I love this!! Thank you for posting. Happy birthday!
When I turned 18 this year instead of eating cake and special foods, I was being fed through an NJ tube. I had an NJ tube from January 2017 to the end of July 2017 (it was taken out due to severe irritation of the nose and throat and inability to keep it down), I was 100% TPN dependent anyway since the beginning of June 2017 because my motility plummeted further after an abdominal surgery and it didn't recover. Now I am awaiting to getting a surgical tube and ileostomy placed in hopes of getting off TPN and providing symptomatic relief. I spent my 18th birthday working because I didn't want many pictures taken with my NJ tube, and I truly love to work and be productive. I had an awesome birthday even with the tube though. I also graduated and went to prom with an NJ tube and yes I rocked but I wish we had pursued a surgical tube sooner because I now have these great milestones in my life stamped with a feeding tube in my nose. I started college today and it was nice to not have an NJ tube hanging out of my nose while I started my college career and I just had a central line that can be easily concealed and no one knows I am sick. I have spent so much of my life sick I wish I could hid the braces, tubes, and central lines because then people would treat me normally and like everyone else. I understand my medical issues mean I will always be different but I like to keep my medical issues very separate from social, work, family, and school life and it is hard to do that when I can't eat and I am covered in all of these medical devices.
Congratulations on starting college (Exciting times)!
Question to think about: Would you still want to keep your medical issues separate from the rest of your life, if people just accepted them as a different way to be normal (like height, or hair color)? In other words, does your difficulty have more to do with your medical issues, or other people's ableism?
Thanks! My college so far has been great with accommodations. Honestly, I think I would still keep my medical problems very private and separate because frankly first of it is no ones business but mine (not that I won't ask questions if they ask but I don't make any effort to tell people about my medical issues unless asked) and I don't want my medical issues to become part of my identity. It is also just exhausting to think about being sick all time. I very much ignore my body and do what I want even if I feel unwell because my illnesses don't control me and what I do.
I do volunteer work for a charity in Australia to spread awareness of the dangers of alcohol in youth. I'm a quadriplegic because of alcohol. I'm also starting volunteer work to be a voice for the disabled in my area. One step at a time we can all do our part to make this world a better place
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Rainbow of books behind you! 💖🌈
Happy birthday! :)
Bon anniversaire 🎂🎉🎈
I learn a lot from this video
Happy Birthday! (also are your books arranged like a rainbow in the background??)
Thank you! And yup! Both my book shelf and my closet are color coordinated :)
Speak it, angel.
Hi Annie how are you? You're very cool and inspiring, keep posting.
❤HBD, Wish you comfort, wellness, and love.❤
Definite yes to leaving people who a placard alone; no one knows what anyone else is dealing with, and it isn't anyone else's business.
Also, this is the start to your 28th year 😉
Kathy Trithardt lol, this is what I get!! 😂
Hey Annie thanks so much for your channel! Your videos definitely have cleared up some of my misconceptions and help me recognize some of the ableism in the media or language we use
Wee! Happy birthday! 🎈 I wish disability was more a part of the progressive lexicon. People look at me like I have two heads when I say remember people with disabilities.
I’ve never seen a rainbow arrangement of books haha gotta go to more libraries. Libraries are second only to homes
cool video, what is the rest of the slogan on your shirt? I really like what you said about hidden disabilities as an Autistic who also has Dyspraxia and Epilepsy.
Ha! It says "Normal people scare me" it's from American Horror Story! And thanks so much!
Is it too late to wish you happy birthday?
Definitely agree that people need to be aware that not all disabilities are visible and that they don't fit into neat little stereotypes. Nor do we necessarily react to our disabilities the way they _imagine_ they would if they were so "afflicted"...
People also need to be more aware of the Social Model of disability and give some thought to how _their_ environments, _their_ practices and _their_ expectations *disable* people who could otherwise _do quite well_ if it weren't for the *able-bodied-and-neurotypical-centric* environments, policies and expectations that everyone is forced to be in, adhere to or live up to.
I was actually just about the blog about this topic, is it cool if I include your video in it?
Sure!
Hey, I commented last week on your video about identification asking if I could include your video. I'm finishing it and I decided to include a survey I did about disability and sexuality (which is why it's taken me so long) and if you're up to it and like to ask you a couple questions I'd love to include them. If you're interested please email me at christyleighstewart@gmail.com or let me know how you would prefer to be contacted.
Hey Annie, what kind of gloves are you wearing? I would like to get a pair for myself.
Bort SellaDur Medical thumb splints!
That AHS shirt rho 👕
Happy Birthday to a fellow zebra!
I was born with a developmental disability
disability is part of your culture? wut?
I hated being disabled. I'd never say it was part of my culture. in fact i even rejected it as an "identity". I always thought of myself as so so much more than this body and whatever illnesses that may befall it.
First: Happy Birthday!
Second: Oh yeah -- I *hate* (and no, that's not too strong a word) the assumption that Disability = Sadness. If you're assuming that, then you are also assuming that this one aspect of my life is more important than my family, my friends, my skills, my creativity -- basically every other aspect of my life that brings me joy. In short, if you assume that, you're insulting my mother.
Also: if you're assuming that, then you're assuming Able-bodied = Happiness, and thus, ignoring all the non-disabled people who also have reason to be hurting: Poverty, physical and emotional abuse, isolation, war, natural disasters... the list goes on.
Third: What's up with this new look for UA-cam? Very weird.
Happy birthday!! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Lol I love how that shirt on you is non ironic, when normies wear them for different reasons. Ha!! Big win!
Happy birthday 🎂
Happy birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy Birthday!!!