On bad days, my ankles hurt, my knees hurt, my lower back hurts, my wrists and hands hurt, and on REALLY bad days one of my hips actually occasionally gives out under my weight. Needless to say, on those days I have no intention of taking the stairs or walking any more than I have to. However, I often get looks when I take the elevator only a couple of floors, because I don’t LOOK disabled. I could carry a cane, but then that’s one more thing to juggle which is not always a benefit.

It’s really very frustrating. Luckily, my professors and the disability office have been very understanding so far.

Some day someone no doubt will accost me for doing so, at which point I shall point out my Orthopedic Boots and smile.

I am in an interesting situation where for years compensation people have discriminated against my “mental” (Brain) injuries on the basis that I am fully physically fit for work.

I have always been amused that they totally ignore my physical limitations in attempting to reach their “future intentions” (Exit from the compensation scheme) toward me.

I have been assessed into oblivion as far as Brain Injuries go,

Nobody will risk employing me yet that seems of no concern,

Yet some people expect me to produce great art works for them as favour, to give me something to do.

For free of course!

I am upright therefore I am seemingly in the image of God.

To compound matters my Parents kept me as far out of the Disability Systems hands as they possibly could when growing up.

Never asked for help so he must be fine.

I avoid Medical people as I have had two examples of people convinced that they could “cure” my chemical sensitivities

With Asthma and “other patent medicines”. BEWARE Cholesterol lowering Statins they can be nasty!

I had one Doctor who dared to put “Brain Injury” on a medical certificate and he was immediately “Ordered” to produce a replacement certificate without mention of brain injury

and to cover this an attempt was made to charge my Caregiver with fraud for signing on my behalf as being the reason for the new certificate.

I am now entering yet another battle in which my “Mental Injuries” have once again been dropped from my records and I am being sent to yet another Occupational Medical Specialist.

From which no doubt another round of Specialist Visits will result
and I shall either be pronounced physically fit for full time work

OR visit yet more “neuro” people and have my broken brain once again quantified and then any suggestions of rehab assistance ignored.

My blog is temporarily devoid of much as we have had to employ a Solicitor, in a no fault compensation system to try and get my identity re corrected,
my history returned to reality and past diagnosis entered so that the Occupational Medical Assessor can at least base his report on some sort of reality

The most interesting thing is that those “Clerks” making pronouncements of my being physically fit totally repeatedly ignore even their own Corporation Legal and Expert Medical Findings.

When asked about missing information the reply is “We may no longer hold such information and it is up to you to prove we ever did.

“Meeting Key Performance Indicators” certainly encourages the “Body Police” in this part of the world it seems.

Letter Claiming that it is “Too Dangerous” to have an accident compensation claim results

In letters saying that at no time has anybody said you present a danger to compensation staff.

Humour always seems to arise in dire situations I should be as miserable as sin but in actual fact it has all become rather farcical and funny, must be the brain injury kicking in.

I have an 1854 Lutheran Bible which tells me somewhat the history of Generations of my family.

Compo people have about 13 large volumes of collected information about someone they claim is me, with a small handwritten comment on the first page “Original Claim details may be incorrect”

Also, whenever we park in a reserved spot, if my true love is driving I get really nervous if he doesn’t immediately whip out my placard and hang it from the rearview mirror before even turning off the engine. I fear the very look of the local “police,” you see, the withering Glare of Disapproval my townspeople adopt as they scrutinize vehicles parking in these spots.

Perhaps I fear karmic retribution for my own policing activities.

And this notion of temporary disability is right on the nose. There have been times I’ve chosen not to do something I knew I could, because I know that somebody else would look at me and decide that I am better and they no longer need to worry about accommodations for me.

Another thing I was thinking about was those sidewalk cutouts. I had a professor once bluntly assert that those cutouts were a waste of state funds. He asked the class “How many people in wheelchairs have you ever seen use them?” Since my best friend at the time used a wheelchair I answered “Every time I go out with my friend,” but I didn’t even take into account the number of people who can’t climb a step without a handrail for whom those cutouts are super helpful. Also, there are lots of people pushing groceries in carts or babies in strollers who use those cutouts all the time. But because they were being used by people who weren’t using wheelchairs, my professor declared them a waste of funds. I wonder how that fits into all of this.

Kethry, my girlfriend has a mild form of cerebral palsy and has resisted getting a bus pass just for that very reason! And the policing of overweight bodies fits into this discussion perfectly as well. The idea that being overweight is a result of personal (selfish) choices that could be easily remedied by walking a few extra blocks is absolutely absurd, and yet it persists systematically in all sorts of ways.