"Oh, you look fine." "You don't look like you have a disability." "It's all in your head." "You are just being over dramatic." "You are just having a bad day." "There are people who have it way worse than you do."

Those are some of the many different things that people who disabilities that aren't visible are tired of hearing. There are many different kinds of disabilities and not all of them can be seen just by looking at someone.

I am on the Autistic spectrum and people have often told me "You don't look Autistic."

I mean what am I supposed to look like, are we supposed to have green skin or horns or something like that?

Autism is an example of an invisible disability, and to know if you have it or not you have to actually get to know the person and not assume that they are completely normal just by looking at them.

You know how many people are accused of not having a disability when they have handicap markers but yet they don't look like they are struggling, I have seen stories of people getting notes on their cars that accuse them of faking their disabilities, but those people could have MS, Fibromyalgia, they could be blind, they could have anything. You should never judge a person if you don't even know their situation.

I do use a Ride Free pass to take the bus to where I need to go, and for the train whenever I want to go to the city, but when I scan my pass it is often well hidden because I am worried that people will think I am faking it just to get a free ride. I am not, being on the spectrum and having ADHD and anxiety prevented me from getting a license right away. I am working on getting it, but for right now the bus helps me get around.

Instead of bashing people and accusing them of being fake, maybe ask them their story, try to get some understanding of what this disability is about.

We need to educate others on it. That is one of my goals as an Autism Advocate to educate people on what Autism is about. Then maybe they can be a little less judgemental.

For everyone out there that has an invisible disability, you are valid. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't, and you are also not alone, that there are many people out there going through the same thing that you are going through.

Stay strong, odds are those people are uneducated on the matter and we should educate them on it!