The Hidden Trap You Might Be Falling Into: Microaggressions

“You don’t look disabled.” “Are you training this service dog for someone else?” “There’s not that many people here. I don’t get why you’re freaking out.” “I have [insert diagnosis] too.” While these comments don’t seem mean, they are all considered microaggressions. Microaggressions are unintentional (or intentional) comments or actions that belittle a person based on their marginalized group, in this case their disability. The reason that they are so hurtful is that they devalue a person’s experience and worldview. It’s saying that how they perceive the world is distorted or what they have experienced in life doesn’t meet your criteria for what a disability is. Some comments can also negate that mental health is on a continuum. What one person experiences is not the same for someone else. The hardest part about determining what is and isn’t a microaggression is that the commentator usually has innocent intentions or isn’t aware of the negative connotations of their remarks. It is the hidden message behind it that shows the real problem. “You don’t look disabled” — this implies that disabilities are only physical. It only counts if you can see it and so invisible disabilities aren’t real. “Are you training this service dog for someone else?” — Many people are only familiar with guide dogs for the blind, but this comment as well implies that disabilities are only physical. If you can’t see it then it must not e...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Agitation Anger Communication Habits Stigma Violence and Aggression Being passive aggressive Empathetic Insecurity microaggression Nonverbal communication peer support rude Self Diagnosis Stigmatization Source Type: blogs