Bristol Live | The woman who 'lies on the ground' to highlight her hidden disability

By Georgia Lambert from bristolpost.co.uk

A disabled Bristol artistic performer, who has to lie down at regular intervals because of chronic pain, is trying to teach others how to be more aware of hidden disabilities. Raquel started challenging the etiquette of 'resting' by lying down and demonstrating her disability's access needs in public spaces all over the UK. Following the success of her advocacy work, 'Cloudspotting' became the term used by Raquel to communicate the collective needs of the thousands of people in the UK living in chronic pain who need to lie down and rest at frequent intervals, regardless of whether they are in private or not.

Read the full article here -->

I know, I read the headline too and thought -- what??? but keep reading -- she also created an immersive experience which sounds amazing! The most common thing I hear from our invisible illness community is how it often feels like no one believes them. This artist's project is such a great way to "bridge an understanding between able-bodied audiences and the lived experience of people with ‘hidden’ disabilities."

If you are a warrior of an invisible illness and feel that isolation, we created The Symptoms Log for you. It is a place to write down how your condition affects you personally. How many times did you feel the need to lie down today, this week, this month, this year? What did that mean for you -- like the idea of going to Disneyland is out of the question? The Symptoms Log helps you put your story on paper so you can tell it to yourself and, when you want to, share with your friends, family, and doctor so they can better understand your experience.