being someone with an invisible disability, have you ever considered making a flag? I know there is a flag for disability pride but I looked and looked and there isn't one I could find about invisible disabilities and you strike me as a very good person to come up with one (no pressure! just thought you might enjoy coming up with an idea?)
I almost didn't do this bc it's kind of a heavy topic and there is the general go-to of the sunflower icon (sunflower lanyards are used as a subtle sign that a person has an invisible disability) but looking into why it was chosen...
Well. I respect it but this list really didn't reflect my experience of having an invisible disability so fuck it all I drew a sketch just for myself. So rather than a suggestion FOR a flag for Invisible Disability Pride this is, well, my flag for it done very quickly (sorry for the jaggedy outline I used the sketch!):
I have EDS, and they use a zebra as a play on the 'when you hear a horse, don’t think zebra; think horse' line which is when doctors assume something is not a rare condition because, well, it rarely is. But when you're a zebra, not a horse, that's a huge problem. This inspired me to use a unicorn here, because a lot of people don't even believe Invisible Disabilities exist or count as such: depression, chronic pain, even vision loss are sometimes dismissed as being disabilities.
Why not the classic striped colours of other pride flags? Many reasons: people with colour blindness or severe visual imparement cannot easily distinguish them. This icon could be rendered as a relief, so it could still be used as a recognisable icon for people with complete blindness or who appreciate/use tactile imagery. The high contrast of black and white is also for this reason- It is also very easily recognisable at a distance. The heraldic design is to show that we have always been here, throughout all of history, regardless of if people have taken notice. The 'fancy' designs on the legs, tail and face could be seen as beautiful, but could also be thorns, or flames. The 'spikes' along the back are actually a spine. People with invisible disabilities are often in large amount of discomfort or pain, and to someone who is not aware they seem totally fine. The tail is long and flowing, but could easily get tangled in the unicorn’s legs and cause them to trip and fall. The hooves are split to show how sometimes a person can walk without aids but still be in pain (not simply to be accurate to unicorn lore), and the horn is overly large: heavy to carry, always on your mind and painfully sharp.
Here's the version with the sketch btw thanks for reading this far have a cookie:
For all the nods to pain in this image I hoope you all see the unicorn is still alive and proud and fully spread over the flag in action to show we are not defined by our disabilities, but they should be respected just as much as something as potentially dangerous as a unicorn.
Also? Unicorns fucking rule. Just putting that down there.
amandla
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
