“May I sit here?” I asked the train staff when I wearily walked into the first-class compartment from an overcrowded train carriage. The rush-hour crowd and noise had become too much for me. “I have a disability, and I struggle a lot with the busyness.” The staff members themselves were sitting there comfortably, and one of them was even taking up two seats with his posture. “No, you may not,” he replied curtly. I explained that I am neurodivergent and that I become overstimulated easily. “You could have known that,” he just said.
In situations like this, people with invisible disabilities can feel very alone. This is why, together with other students, I am working to create a community at the university. A place where other neurodivergent students and those with invisible disabilities or other health challenges can meet each other. There, conversations arise about shared experiences. You see people helping each other with practical tips and recognizing each other's experiences: “I have that too!”
I could have used some support on that train. Still, a situation like that can also inspire me to write new poems. When I travel by train, I often think deeply. I write down those thoughts in a note on my phone, so they don’t stay stuck in my head. When I reread the words I wrote after the incident with the train staff, I feel strong. It feels good to know that I can write a poem about these people. Anonymized, of course. The platform I have as campus poet, I want to share this year with people who have an important voice but are sometimes invisible."
Jet Sterkman is Master’s student in Literature and Society and campus poet.