Twitter users share the questions they are asked related to their disability

People are sharing the questions they are asked most often related to their disability on Twitter, highlighting the stigma that still exists around being disabled.

Yesterday (4 April), lawyer and disability activist Shannon Murray asked other Twitter users what questions they are asked more than any other in relation to their disability.

Garnering more than 350 responses, the Tweet is shining a light on the stigma that still exists around disability.


In the replies are disabled people, their families, carers and people who are concerned about a lack of awareness and understanding in wider society.

Many of the replies show that there is an assumption that disabled people cannot work, study or live a normal life. More concerning is the public’s opinion that disability can be ‘cured’ or will go away over time.

Each reply highlights the dehumanising questions that disabled people are confronted with every day from people who don’t understand. Many Twitter users recall being asked insensitive questions about how they acquired their disability and how they manage to live with it.

One topic in particular is repeated again and again: sex.


Questions about if things work ‘downstairs’, how it works and if it is possible to have romantic relationships can be seen again and again.

Threads like this one provide further evidence that disabled people and all things sex remains a taboo in society.

A lack of disability education means topics like sexuality, sexual health, periods and menopause are constantly left undiscussed, leaving vulnerable people at risk.

The original Tweet has drawn the attention of influential voices in the community like Paralympians Tanni Grey-Thompson and Stephen Miller, and broadcast journalist Adam Pearson.

While sharing their own experiences, interactions between Twitter users show that questions which should be met by disbelief have become a part of their everyday life.

Without better education and awareness of different disabilities and how they affect people, the misconception that disabled people cannot live a normal life will continue.

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