Imposter syndrome has been something I’ve personally been working on addressing within myself. Imposter syndrome occurs when people doubt their abilities and feel like a fraud. It manifests as downplaying your achievements and thinking that you’re not doing enough to brag about yourself.
I have experienced imposter syndrome in a unique way as a disabled woman. Since becoming disabled, I feel like I’m either never doing enough, or the work that I do accomplish is not worth talking about. I often find myself downplaying the roles that I take part in, and I neglect to talk about all the cool things that I have gotten to do, such as co-hosting a women’s disability live podcast, as well as educating and empowering others by sharing my story.
Much of my imposter syndrome stems from the societal bias and internalized ableism which we have been conditioned with since birth.
In our individualistic society, we get told from a young age to find a job, achieve complete independence, and follow the rules that are needed to be socially accepted. We are taught the capitalist mindset, which leads us to believe that when someone is not working a “typical job” from nine to five each day, the work that they are doing is less important. We are also taught to devalue the people who don’t “perform” the way society expects them to.
Society teaches us that the severity of people’s disability determines their worthiness. We shame disabled individuals into feeling like they are at fault for their lack of independence in a society that is structurally not set up for them. We lack representation, resources, and rights, yet we are supposed to accept the bare minimum as disabled individuals.