People don’t fake disability … they fake being well. They play through the pain. They say they’re “fine” when they’re suffering tremendously. They do this because our capitalist, ableist society demands it. Disabled people are discriminated against & told to “try harder” I hid my disabilities for years. My illnesses are invisible, so I was able to pretend there was nothing wrong. It wasn’t until I started doing disability advocacy that I realized what a disservice this is. We deserve to be our true authentic selves. We shouldn’t have to pretend for others. We make people uncomfortable because they don’t want to think about the possibility they could become disabled too. They would rather tell themselves we’re “choosing” to be sick than face the reality that anyone can become disabled at any time. I lost a ton of friends when I stopped hiding. But I also gained a community of fierce, wonderful and caring people who see me for who I am. Who don’t expect me to hide. Who challenge our ableist society and the ridiculous idea that worth is predicated on economic activity. We are all so much more than what we produce for capitalism. Never forget it.