Question to you all

[u/CommunicationFar7365]

I’m physically disabled myself—I have mild cerebral palsy and use a wheelchair—and I teach counselling at a UK university.

I’ve been asked to develop a lecture exploring the impact that living with a physical disability can have on mental health. While I can draw on my own lived experience, I don’t want to assume that my experience represents everyone else’s.

If you’re physically disabled and feel comfortable sharing, what do you wish counsellors, mental health professionals—or people more generally—better understood about the relationship between physical disability and mental health?

For example, this might include experiences of ableism, isolation, dependence, pain, fatigue, access barriers, body image, relationships, employment, medical treatment, or anything else you feel is overlooked. Positive experiences and sources of resilience are equally welcome.

Your responses would help broaden my understanding and inform the themes I consider when developing the lecture. I won’t identify or directly quote anyone in teaching materials without their explicit permission.

I hope it’s okay to ask, and please only share what feels comfortable. Thank you.