Face masks and hidden disabilities

[Firef1y72]

So I'm guessing those of us with hidden disabilities such as autism are going to have to wear some sort of huge badge or lanyard now if we want to use public transport.

I've tried using a face covering, I last less than a minute before the sensory overload starts to kick in. I can't wear my glasses that help me see, so wont be able to wear a mask. Cant stand things over my ears.

So I've been trying to get used to wearing a running buff over my mouth/nose. It's not happening, feels like I'm suffocating and no way I'd last the 40 minute bus journey in to town, without going in to sensory overload.

So if (and it's a big if) I am going to be exempt then I'm going to be even more of a social pariah than I am now with my stimming. The world just seems to get more dystopian by the day.

My interest is my child’s wellbeing. Not protecting random people I neither know nor care about from a virus he 99.9% doesn’t have, as he hasn’t been anywhere.

And to be honest it’s as well he has me to give a shit about him and his disabilities, as it’s plain that no one else gives a monkeys.

On one of the other masks threads, I was told that if I'm not prepared to wear a badge to show that I'm exempt from the law, I must 'expect' to be verbally attacked by the general public and that this is justified action on the public's part as we are in a pandemic. Another poster, who would be exempt, was told that there shouldn't be exemptions anyway, if people cannot wear face coverings they should be banned from public transport.

'Be kind' was thrown in the bin a long time ago. Mental health awareness joined it shortly afterwards. Now some people are demanding others label themselves as part of a specific group when out in public, or alternatively, place themselves under house arrest to prevent being attacked.

If things ever get back to normal, one thing I won't be doing is getting back into the habit of chatting to random strangers. There are some seriously vile and twisted people out there and this situation has enabled them to come out into the open. And it seems there's hell of a lot more of them than I thought previously.

I've been thinking about the best way of saying this and I hope it comes across right. I'm autistic and can safely say that a lot of life sucks because of it. I've had to do countless things I hate, deal with endless environments which are awful, wear things I loathe, and I live a comparatively restricted life compared to most people. I've lost jobs and friends and suffered ill health because of it. I have major sensory issues which are a nightmare.

As it happens I'm okay with masks - BUT if I wasn't, I can't help feeling that it would be just like every other day in life: forcing myself to do something I had to. And I'd especially push at it if it kept me and other people safer - I'd hate to think that I'd spread a bug unknowingly to other people like bus drivers doing their jobs

So to all the posters here feeling angry because disabled people apparently don't count - well you might be right, we often don't and it can feel desperately unfair - but don't you think to some extent that the circumstances are just really, really shit, and that's life?

Of course people will notice if you're not conforming to a rule meant to keep them safe, especially if you were unlucky enough to have hay-fever and then cough or something.

So yes my approach would be to try and mitigate it with fabric which is as comfortable as possible. Practice and try to get used to it. Yes it might be awful and might just be a form of security theatre for others, but it's not for long, and not forever.

I swear that had paragraphs in it before by the way.

“ don't you think to some extent that the circumstances are just really, really shit, and that's life? ”

I am really sorry that so many things that most of us deal with easily make things shit for you. My point about all this is that you should be allowed to talk about those things if you want to. I have been saying repeatedly on this thread that many people who are unhappy about masks and expressing it will just get on with it - especially with reports of the U.K. public being “too compliant” with lockdown . As I had to just get on with it with really quite unpleasant restrictions around giving birth during the current situation - I should be allowed to talk about it however.

The only way you would keep a mask on my son is to sedate him as you would for every medical procedure. We have the shoes battle for 14 years and even now when he is anxious they get pulled off and if you persist in trying you get hurt.

NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite: But some of the general public will. If they comply with the rules to protect others, some will feel entitled to question why they aren't being protected by those who aren't wearing coverings.

At which point the Dominic Cummings of this world will say they have a special need and the rules don't apply to them.

It's not a new phenomenon. People who are genuinely disabled have to suck up all sorts of shit all the time, and continually defend themselves on their most distressing and vulnerable issues to total strangers.

People who are not disabled, and therefore suffer no distress about it, will happily claim special needs for convenience.

As it happens I'm okay with masks - BUT if I wasn't, I can't help feeling that it would be just like every other day in life: forcing myself to do something I had to. And I'd especially push at it if it kept me and other people safer - I'd hate to think that I'd spread a bug unknowingly to other people like bus drivers doing their jobs

I think that will vary from person to person and their reason for mask related issues. There are plenty of things I struggle with but I force myself to do but there are also somethings which I'd rather die than do or attempting to do them generates such panic/distress/long lasting mental and physical effects that it's not worth trying. For example when I had a horrendous cough, breathing difficulties, chest pain etc in March, I was very clear to dh that if I kept deteriorating, he wasn't to call for help because I wouldn't consent to any assistance which involved oxygen masks/ventilation.

I was still up at 5am last night in tears trying to find some sort of face covering I could cope with because I'm not comfortable with my community knowing why I'd be exempt. For

DD3 is very anxious about these masks, we’ve been practicing by draping a very lightweight scarf over her mouth and nose while she lies on my bed reading on the iPad/phone. DD4 has been making and selling them very successfully, the rest of us are used to them now. DD3 relies on public transport at uni so it’s really important to get her used to them.

My interest is my child’s wellbeing. Not protecting random people I neither know nor care about from a virus he 99.9% doesn’t have, as he hasn’t been anywhere

In which case you don't need to go on public transport then. Or if he does go on public transport then he does go places, and will potentially have the virus. I'm sympathetic, as the mother of a son with ASD who will also not tolerate a face covering, but the right of a bus driver or tube worker to stay healthy and alive trumps our sons' comfort, and even their ability to use public transport. This is an unprecedented time, and it's no wonder we can't shed ourselves of it, when we cannot accept the measures that have been taken in the places that have tackled it far more successfully.

Cool, as DH is working away and has the car, my public sector employer will continue to pay me to stay at home. 👍🏻

@BritWifeinUSA that is the kind of mask I'm making now, as it's by far the best for breathability, and for those who say they cannot tolerate other masks which press against the mouth. It's called a duckbill mask.

On the news earlier they are not going to enforce or fine but rely on the majority to comply.

So this should reassure OP and others.

So if we are copying other countries when it comes to masks and people are saying we should be doing the same as other countries and cant understand why we havent been so far................then why arent we disinfecting the streets............you know, like other countries?

It's quite straightforward.

No it isn’t. What an offensive, facile comparison.

Telling someone “don’t pursue the career path of surgeon” is a very easy thing to do with zero side effects, since the person doesn’t actually want or need to be a surgeon.

Telling someone “don’t go to work at all, don’t go supermarket shopping, and don’t attend essential medical appointments” is almost impossible and could lead to person being evicted, their children going hungry, and potentially them suffering serious medical problems.

Did I understand today's announcement correctly?

Anyone (no exceptions for children or those with disabilities) attending outpatients or visiting someone in a hospital will have to wear a face covering.

Anyone (no exceptions for children or those with disabilities) attending outpatients or visiting someone in a hospital will have to wear a face covering.

That's certainly how the news are reporting it. Very glad I'm physically healthy because that's me unable to access health care for the considerable future.

It’s unprecedented times and it’s for the protection of everyone.

Presumably you would also have sensory issues having to wear an oxygen mask or being strapped to a ventilator in a hospital too.

It will be all in the same way that public transport is all. There will be exceptions needed and allowed otherwise some very seriously disabled people would not be getting medical care.

"Presumably you would also have sensory issues having to wear an oxygen mask or being strapped to a ventilator in a hospital too."

Some people would which is why they would require sedation for those things and in general for most medical treatment.

Presumably you would also have sensory issues having to wear an oxygen mask or being strapped to a ventilator in a hospital too.

I wouldn't consent to either of those things. When I had what my SiL dr was sure was covid 19 earlier this year and became rather ill (out of breath climbing stairs/chest pain/rattling breathing/horrendous cough), I made it very clear to dh that he wasn't to seek medical help on my behalf if I deteriorated further. It's not sensory for me though.

It’s about protecting the public so not about individual decisions/risk assessments for themselves.

Everyone on a ventilator is sedated. Those who like to use the ventilator 'threat' never seem knowledgeable about it.