Special requirements

I dislike requiring, receiving and not receiving all the things that I need to try and function in the normal world as someone who technically have a disability. I dislike that concept too and particularly loathe the way that it is used to define a person, i.e. me. It's a little doomed if I do and doomed if I don't. If I don't acknowledge that I have special needs I am not entitled to any of the exceptions that I may require. If I do acknowledge that I have special needs, I am not entitled to the same things someone in good health is and the focus shifts entirely onto my condition and away from everything else. It's an annoying and frustrating flaw buried so deep in societal norms that there's no getting around it.

A virtual world provides the option of more invisibility. Those suffering from invisible chronic illnesses often complain that since their symptoms are not visible they tend to be ignored by others. I sympathize. I have plenty of symptoms that aren't visible and plenty more that are only occasionally visible and it is difficult to try and explain how something that other people can't see is preventing you from doing a great many things. It doesn't get any easier in a virtual community. In fact, in some ways, it gets harder.

I don't socialize much. People have very little patience with the restrictions my condition place on me, and when they associate with me, on them. They feel frustrated, confined and a little angry that their life has just become more difficult because I have certain limitations. I don't group up much in game for the same reasons. Am I too cynical? Do I presume too much? Maybe. But people create complications that are difficult to overcome.

I dislocated both thumbs and a shoulder yesterday and subluxed right elbow and wrist. This means that today I can use my computer for maybe 2 - 3 hours in total and no more than 20 - 30 minutes at a time. If I use my game console and mouse. Keyboard use would at least half those estimates. Thank goodness for Dragon.

As a result of migraine headaches easily triggered by certain visual stimuli, part of the warcraft world is inaccessible to me. The problem is that I don't know which parts until I see them. It's therefore a bad idea to group up for an instance I haven't run with people I haven't informed of the possibility that I may have to log out about sixty seconds after any visual trigger due to a migraine aura starting. And I don't feel comfortable providing that much personal information to other gamers and they would not feel comfortable receiving that much personal information from someone they approached on a whim.


On days where I can't walk (I also dislocated my knee yesterday), can't type and can barely move, there is no social setting where I'd be very welcome or comfortable. The NPC's don't mind though and it's a relief to have something to do and somewhere to go that is outside of my life and distracts from the joint pain. I may not be able to play much today, but I can open up an AH panel, read the general chat and go on a virtual shopping spree. My main needs some new shoes and my main alt needs better jewelry. I made 500g on the AH yesterday, might be time to spend a little today.