When Justine Van Den Borne, a 35-year-old woman with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), parked in a disability place at a Melbourne shopping mall, she encountered prejudice. Following a remark left on her windshield questioning her need for the location, Van Den Borne posted about the event on Facebook. She emphasized that not all disabilities necessitate a wheelchair, expressed anger with judgments made on her good days, and clarified her entitlement to utilize disabled facilities.
Urging empathy for invisible infirmities, Van Den Borne’s message received a lot of attention—more than 17,500 likes and several shares. Because of misunderstandings regarding her age and the nature of her MS, which impairs her gait and produces a host of other symptoms, similar situations are frequent. Liz Sayce, CEO of Disability Rights UK, called for an end to prejudice and discrimination against the 11 million disabled individuals in the UK and emphasized the widespread mistrust toward disabilities that are not immediately apparent.