If you *actually have* a physical disability, what is it?

[Hagon]

I actually suffer from a scoliosis (I did nothing to help).
I have a Gilbert syndrome who only cause the white of my eyes to take a yellowish color, it's a leaver disfunction who cause it to produce a protein en masse... It's seems to be more noticeable in autumn and winter (maybe because I tend to eat a bit more in this part of the year).
My hearing is a bit damaged since I used to listen musics too loud.


Funny thing is that I tend to befriend easily people who have specifics traits. (like having a bone missing in each foot or having a scar.)
Also I met a lot of people who can be considered as disabled (one of my grandfather had a part of one of his legs missing after he got hit by a car. I met a blind guy who use the buses a lot, and a girl who had one leg amputated)

I'm actually postulating for a school who specialize in the making of prostheses and orthosis. (before somebody ask, nope, this is not since playing the game that I had this idea.)

[Rivinhal]

I voted "Hearing Impaired" although my disability runs a bit more deeply. I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease. (link for anyone is genuinely interested, which would be quite surprising actually: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9ni% ... 7s_disease) Ummm, on severity, I would say it's bad, but manageable most of the time.. The worst part is that I know I am slowly going deaf. I am already completely deaf in one ear, and my ENT doctors say that it is doubtful if I will still have my hearing at all in a few years. (though on the bright side, i've learned to cherish everything audible around me while I still have the gift of hearing.. from passing planes. to songs i love, to the way others speak, everything.. I've also taken up sign language and started going to classes for the deaf and stuff to try to help me adapt. these are all things i would have taken for granted or not done had I been without my disability..) The other symptoms are what I would call bothersome, but certainly not "life-shattering".. I get "episodes" of vertigo, migranes, and nausea that last a 6-8 hours at most usu (and are almost always triggered by seemingly simple things [that I avoided in fear for the longest time] such as too much salt in my diet, nicotine, or even just riding in a car or bus), and I have some severe balance issues because of it, but with medications, I am able to ride in cars again and my balance has improved to the point that i'm not in a wheelchair any longer. As to how I acquired my disability, my doctor's aren't 100% certain. There are a couple ways to develop Meniere's (birth defects/genetics, a certain type of Herpes Virus that effects those with low immune responses [and not the gross kind of herpes either! some other kind of terrible herpes!!!] etc.) but they believe that it may be a genetic birth defect, as my father and my aunt both have it (although they are afflicted by it much less intensely so, thankfully.) I'm sorry to have written so much, but to anyone who's actually read this far, thank you for listening.. It may not seem like it, but It means alot.

[Deltamon]

@Deltamon
I'd say something poignant but I'm at a bit of a loss... but some times I wonder if people who don't feel have a part of them that secretly refuses to feel, for whatever reason, maybe out of too much sadness or hurt. I know I've had that happen where I almost need something to break me in order to change out of my rut...

Yes, it's definitely in my case because of all the years of unhappiness and sadness that I felt.. But mainly what really caused to me become as emotionless as I these days feel, is the death of my best friend few years ago. After that I have found myself being unable to feel things as strongly as I used to (however it also made me consider death as more normal subject and part of life, but I also noticed that I haven't had any thoughts of suicide ever since. I did have some of them every now and then before that). And while I don't feel as much sadness as I used to, the same applies to feelings like happiness.. Which does get quite annoying if you are just trying to enjoy your life, but really feel like you can't.

[ZeronosVega]

My actual physical disability is Marfan syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder. The disorder itself can affect various organ systems and can vary amongst individuals who have this disorder. For me, personally, it has affected my lungs, heart and to a mild extent, my eyes and skeleton. I was diagnosed with this disorder after my second collapsed lung (I've had six in the past two years, two of which required surgery). What is funny about my heart condition is that I also have a heart arrhythmia, so I related quite a bit with the main character of the series. Although, his appears to be worse than mine is, but it was an interesting coincidence. While my disorder was a huge change in my young life (Only about five years ago I was diagnosed), life goes on and while complications happen, one just rolls with them.

What I love about Katawa Shoujo is that discussions such as this can happen. So many people are unaware of disabilities and ailments which are oftentimes unable to be seen with the naked eye, such as the case with Hisao and myself.

[Rivinhal]

What I love about Katawa Shoujo is that discussions such as this can happen. So many people are unaware of disabilities and ailments which are oftentimes unable to be seen with the naked eye, such as the case with Hisao and myself.

I completely agree. With a not-obvious disorder myself, beyond my obvious hearing impairment that I have to wear hearing aids for, which can be a bit offputting for some, many people don't at first notice I am disabled in any way for a while atleast.. So I can relate just as well..

[Xevo]

Not sure if it counts, but I have Haemophilia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia

[Rivinhal]

Not sure if it counts, but I have Haemophilia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemophilia

Sure, if it impacts your life in a significant way.. Having actually attended a school for disabled myself, I've found that while most normal folks may scoff at what they believe to be "minor" disabilities, most more well informed people (my teachers and the staff and etc.) all looked at it like if it it impacted your life in a negative way, so that you had to change your life to accommodate your condition in a significant way, that you were "disabled" in some way.. I'm not trying to say you are or are not (as I'm not qualified to do that for that for one [I'm no doctor and I don't know about your condition or it's severity], and secondly, I don't want to offend you in any way) but I was just kind of giving my own opinion on a probably hypothetical question.. I doubt it counts for much at all though..

[Xevo]

Sure, if it impacts your life in a significant way.. Having actually attended a school for disabled myself, I've found that while most normal folks may scoff at what they believe to be "minor" disabilities, most more well informed people (my teachers and the staff and etc.) all looked at it like if it it impacted your life in a negative way, so that you had to change your life to accommodate your condition in a significant way, that you were "disabled" in some way.. I'm not trying to say you are or are not (as I'm not qualified to do that for that for one [I'm no doctor and I don't know about your condition or it's severity], and secondly, I don't want to offend you in any way) but I was just kind of giving my own opinion on a probably hypothetical question.. I doubt it counts for much at all though..

Well it's not like having a limb less or not hearing anything, but for example I'm not allowed to do any dangerous work or anything that might be dangerous at all. Even normal sports were out of the question couple years ago. Now a days the medication improved and I can do a lot more stuff, but still if I were to find myself bleeding in the middle of the woods, I doubt I'd reach the hospital in time. :p

It's not a physical disability, since I can do everything, it's just highly recommended I don't. So in the end it sort of becomes a physical disability.

[RyuKei]

Not really a disability, but my right leg is around 4-5 centimetres shorter than my left.
I wear a special shoe with a lift on it.

[Yorec]

When I was a baby I had Torticollis but thankfully the doctors spotted it and sent me to physical therapy. Basically it was a type of stiff neck that caused my head to tilt to the right of my body. I suppose if they didn't catch it then my condition would be worse but I just get the rare neck and shoulder pain now. Nowadays I just have to deal with low vision.

[N.os]

Haha this is quite cool looking at people with all different type of disabilities in real life. I personally have been born with 1 eye completely blind and the other legally, haha. I have to say though this does not affect my life at all. Since i have been bron with it, i assume that i was already adapted to use one eye to view the world. But since this thread is about "if we have one" i think that the disablity of like hearing impareness is the least severe among the rest and i will go with that one.

[Guest]

I chose "Deafness in both ears" since it's the most severe of my disabilities. I was born completely deaf in both ears, and thus am more or less a self-imposed mute. I can make sounds, but simply choose not too since I can't communicate through them in any meaningful way. It's kind of funny. I thought that surely I'd end up liking Shizune the most since she's the most similar to me in terms of things, but I ended up not liking her path very much.

I also wear glasses, but the script on them is very minor. I can see almost as well without them as I can with them. Unfortunately, it does make reading lips a bit harder.

[Bloodbane]

I stated in a thank you post, I have a Heart Condition much like Hisao's

[Rivinhal]

Sure, if it impacts your life in a significant way.. Having actually attended a school for disabled myself, I've found that while most normal folks may scoff at what they believe to be "minor" disabilities, most more well informed people (my teachers and the staff and etc.) all looked at it like if it it impacted your life in a negative way, so that you had to change your life to accommodate your condition in a significant way, that you were "disabled" in some way.. I'm not trying to say you are or are not (as I'm not qualified to do that for that for one [I'm no doctor and I don't know about your condition or it's severity], and secondly, I don't want to offend you in any way) but I was just kind of giving my own opinion on a probably hypothetical question.. I doubt it counts for much at all though..

Well it's not like having a limb less or not hearing anything, but for example I'm not allowed to do any dangerous work or anything that might be dangerous at all. Even normal sports were out of the question couple years ago. Now a days the medication improved and I can do a lot more stuff, but still if I were to find myself bleeding in the middle of the woods, I doubt I'd reach the hospital in time. :p

It's not a physical disability, since I can do everything, it's just highly recommended I don't. So in the end it sort of becomes a physical disability.

I personally would call that a disability, as it hinders your life/health, differently than per se, my deafness, however, it does so just the same.. You have to change your life just like I do, and others do, albeit in different ways.. Once again, personal opinion here with no negative connotations implied.. I don't normally like to specifically even "consider" a person to be disabled, as most take it as a insult.. But you shouldn't think of your problems as any less than anothers.. it's simply different, and your own.. thats all.. but i'm glad to hear your medication has helped you.. As much as I despise doctors, I am thankful that they do have medications that can help some of us to a degree these days. I'm not quite sure how i'd make it without mine anymore..

[Guest]

Where's the "I am a brain in a nutrient enriched fluid filled container," option?