Please Stop Troubleshooting My Disability

A serious perspective on being disabled in an ignorant world.

I once asked for remote work with the premise that stationary life ruins my glucose. For context, walking or other aerobic activities help keep my sugars stable and within a healthy range, but to make sure I’m taking care of myself, I need to do it for at least thirty minutes…and that can cause sweating.

For additional insight on this topic, a poor work schedule that requires me to wake up too early or stay up too late also puts me in a dangerous situation, and though I may not look like my body is under attack by it’s own sedimentary practice, a 200+ blood sugar rating for most of the day is a happy walk to kidney failure and a slew of terrifying health consequences I don’t want to face.

This all to say, I’m not a brat for asking. I’m disabled.

So, remote work to maintain my body whenever I start spiking without sacrificing my sleep is a non-negotiable for a lot of us chronics. But, most people don’t understand that.

What does “disabled” look like to you? Do I need to be visibly crippled for business owners to believe me? That pink donut on my waste isn’t for fashion — it holds my pen needles.

I asked for at minimum, two days of hybrid work where I can stay home and take care of myself. I wanted three, but that was me compromising. They agreed to one. Albeit not without making the off-handed joke of why not pace my office space?

Disrespectful? Hurtful? Oblivious? Are you kidding me?

Having an invisible disease is like that. I say disease because diabetes should be viewed through the lense of a chronic illness, even though it’s also a disorder. It’s not like osteoporosis or asthma or even a broken leg, where the impact is immediate or easier to see.

I can do a full day’s of work for a complete work week, but even I need accommodations. Troubleshooting my disease as if it’s a problem to solve with a curable solution screams a level of ignorance that I find too common in public spheres and by business practitioners.

Late nights and early mornings can ruin my sugars, along with sedentary lifestyles, poor diet, dehydration, stress, and the sun. Diabetes personifies in everyone different, so no one thing is universal.

Are we a community that encourages integration? Or do we just preach it?

Though statistics suggest only 16% of the world’s population is disabled, I suspect more people are disabled than not, whether it be mentally, emotionally, or physically. Let me know if you’ve ever related to this:

Your needs are based on another person’s preference rather than your own.

Trust me, I don’t like cardio. I feel like I’m wasting time doing it, too, but I have to do it. And that typically means having to do it in the middle of the day because a banana spiked me and I don’t know why. That is not an invitation for a none-expert to try and figure it out for me or with me. Keep your insulin-making self out of it. You’re not a doctor. You’re not a diabetic.

In 2022, I became a diabetic without knowing and almost died. What was I doing before that? Doubles on the weekends as one of the only girls in BOH. Late weekends. Early mornings. Walks when I could. I had the privilege of living by an unstrict lifestyle.

Is it an unfair ask or do we just “live in a society”?

My body is not a puzzle piece. It’s very much a tangible, living, high maintenance structure, just like yours. Except mine takes more work. Caring for myself doesn’t mean you lose out on your company, time, or peace of mind (because what the fuck do you think is getting accomplished with pacing, exactly?). You shouldn’t be threatened by me preventing worse health for myself.

But, explaining disabilities is like barking up an empty tree, and prioritizing your health where there should be none-negotiables is asking to get fired even by “the most open-minded people” some say they are. Some people really can’t appreciate numbers on a screen, especially when you as a disabled person aren’t seizing on the ground because of them. It’s clear to me the world has a lot to learn before the concept of disabilities and chronic illness universally matures.