If you spend a lot of time on the internet and particularly looking at chronic illness and disability social media, you may have seen the term “dynamic disability”.
Dynamic disability is a relatively new term used to describe disabilities that change from month to month, week to week, day to day or even hour to hour. It covers a wide range of disabilities and illnesses with fluctuating and changing symptoms.
Despite what many people may believe, there aren’t actually many disabilities or illnesses that remain the same 100% of the time. The vast majority of people with disabilities will experience changes in their symptoms and therefore their capabilities on a fairly regular basis.
This is why someone with a disability may be able to do an activity on a particular day, but be unable to do the same activity the next day or the next week.
For many of us, what we can do depends on how fatigued we are, how much pain we are in, how our medications are working, how much sleep we have had, if we have been able to eat or drink enough , environmental factors such as the temperature and so many other variables. We know it can be confusing if you see us doing an activity with a friend or other loved one, and then a couple of days later say we can’t do the same activity with you. This is not personal, and we aren’t avoiding you. The reality is our symptoms can genuinely change day by day, and we have no control over it.
Dynamic disabilities and fluctuating symptoms are also why you might see us using different mobility aids from day to day or even hour to hour. Depending on my symptoms, where I am going, my mode of transport, how much other equipment I have (such as my oxygen tanks) and how much help from others I have available, I will either use a wheelchair, a rollator, crutches or, (rarely ) a folding walking stick. When out with my rollator or wheelchair, I will have my folded walking stick in a bag, so that if I need to walk a short distance because my wheelchair or rollator won’t fit somewhere, I have support. This has resulted in a lot of very confused looks when I have come out of a toilet with my walking stick and sat in my wheelchair.
One of the best things you can do for someone with dynamic disabilities is believe them if they say they can’t do something on a certain day, and be flexible with your plans. If you’ve arranged to go to the cinema and they don’t feel up to it, ask them if they would like it if you came over and did a movie day instead or if you’re supposed to go out to eat, offer to cook or pick up take out. Sometimes they might feel so sick that even hanging out at home feels like too much, but it lets them know you’re there for them in whatever way they need you to, and they might welcome the company. I definitely wish some of the people in my life would be more willing to just hang out with me at home rather than going out all the time, as I don’t often feel up to big nights (or even days) out, but still want to spend time with the people I love.
Chronic musician 