Unknown social aspects of disability - on the example of patients with MS

In the context of disability, much is said about the problem of disability and social exclusion. One such group of disabled people are those suffering from MS who experience a completely different form of social exclusion.The aim of the article is to show what form it takes and why this form of exclusion is so painful for the sufferers.

A qualitative method was used to conduct the study, specifically a free-form interview, or a narrative interview. Seven interviews were conducted with MS patients who had been ill for at least seven years.

MS and the resulting disability present not only a medical issue for those affected, but also impacts their ability to function in society. Respondents indicate the difficulties they face, including social rejection and exclusion, which they describe as different and more distressing than that experienced by individuals with disabilities other than MS. People with MS often report that they are not perceived as having a disability because their disability is frequently invisible, and are sometimes accused of faking it. They are forced to constantly explain and justify their symptoms. To avoid unpleasant situations, they often feel compelled to deny that they have a disability, even though tit exists.

The conclusion is that the hidden disability of discredited people in this case causes social distaste. This is because, in the social context, these people are not seen as 'disabled' but as 'strange'. As a result, this leads to the phenomenon of hiding an (already) 'hidden'/invisible disability. The problem for these people, then, is not being disabled, but precisely the lack of social perception of them as disabled - the lack of social recognition of them as disabled.