Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week 2024

Hidden or Invisible Disabilities

Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week 2024

Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week runs from the 20th – 26th October. Hidden or Invisible Disabilities are disease or illness that others can’t see which brings an extra layer of stress to a health-challenged life.

Invisible conditions can be just as disabling as visible conditions — oftentimes more so — but they don’t get the empathy or credibility that visible conditions get.

What is a hidden Disability?

An invisible or hidden disability is a condition that does not appear to affect someone – they may appear in good health but struggle with a condition.

What are some of the most common hidden disabilities?

These are just some of the many different hidden disabilities, there are many more:

  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Asthma
  • Autism
  • Long COVID
  • Diabetes
  • Dyslexia and other learning disabilities
  • Endometriosis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Hepatitis C
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) eg. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
  • Mental illness, such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression
  • Migraine
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Psoriatic arthritis (PsA)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Many people naturally struggle to believe things they can’t see, and these doubts and denial fuel stigma and feelings of isolation in those with invisible disabilities.

Aspects of the daily life and behaviours of people with invisible illness symptoms may be hard for others to truly understand if they haven’t lived with them or really “seen” them.

4 Things People With Invisible Disabilities May Do, and Why?

If you’re living with an invisible, or less-visible illness, you may wish people understood why you …

1. Seem obsessed with logistics when making social plans (Will there be access to a bathroom? How far will we have to walk?)

For instance, someone might get easily fatigued and overstimulated, which makes it necessary for people to manage their expectations if they make plans with someone with a hidden disability.

2. Use a Disabled Parking space even though you “look healthy”

Parking in a disabled parking spot is not a perk or privilege. It is an accommodation that is needed for some. You don’t need to know why they have a Disabled Parking Permit even if someone isn’t using a wheelchair or cane.

3. Cancel plans at the last minute

The unpredictability and varying symptoms of invisible conditions, whether physical, cognitive, or mental, can interrupt plans.

Sometimes those with invisible conditions cancel plans at the last minute because their symptoms are flaring or acting up.

4. Use an assistance animal such as a dog

Whilst many people are aware assistance dogs aiding those with vision challenges, these animals can also help those with other conditions. For instance, assistance dogs might alert their owner of a seizure or significant changes in blood sugar levels. There are many reasons to use an assistance dog!

People with Hidden or Invisible disabilities can contact The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, which supplies lanyards that are designed to show that someone has a hidden disability.