The Challenges of Invisible Disabilities

With many protests and legal battles of past and present, the inclusion of people with disabilities in educational institutions and workplaces has increased over the years. They are also provided with resources which help them fit into the system without compromising their holistic needs. Some forms of disabilities exist that aren’t visible unless noticed through careful observation or from the person themselves. Such disabilities are called invisible disabilities, which can be defined as a chronic condition that interferes with daily life but doesn't show any outward signs or give a clear indication. Some examples of invisible disabilities are neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder; physiological conditions like sickle cell disease, chronic pain, and diabetes; and even psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. Such disabilities affect more people worldwide than physical disabilities but aren’t nearly as recognized.

 Considering that the problems people with invisible disabilities face can be resolved the same way it was resolved for visible disabilities, the social stigmas once against Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) are now prevalent for the former. Add stigmas against mental illnesses to that, some of which are classified under invisible disabilities, and it makes discrimination one of the most prominent issues they face which isn’t caused by their disability. Research identifies some problems most people with invisible disabilities face, and how stigmas come into play:

Self-Efficacy
         Despite being a majority, the tendency of people with invisible disabilities to not disclose it also works against them. In a much more capable society, they are prone to feelings of inferiority, self-hatred, shame, and overall—an intrusion that ambushes their mind. In turn, to fit in this society they conceal their disability deliberately. This process of internal judgment leads to a gradual reduction in how they view themselves.

Employment
        While a workplace requires a person to write any disability or chronic illness on the job application, people with disabilities and invisible disabilities are not accepted or preferred over those without disabilities. Most corporate workplaces seek efficiency over everything else and think that having disabilities will hinder this aspect. Disabilities are perceived as violent, unpredictable and overly dependent. While the employers who actively hold these stigmas are to blame, corporate institutions are relentless at every level. On top of that, should PWDs get employed, they may face extreme discrimination from colleagues, affirming actions from employers, and less preference to receive raises or promotions later on.

Family and Living Barriers
         PWDs face more problems from the stigmas surrounding them than their disability. They are often subjected to extremes—the people who do care may start pitying them and see them as objects of charity or victims of tragedy instead of realising that they are still people with equal rights and opportunities. Parents should identify this as well. Many parents feel shame which shouldn’t be the case since it reflects onto their children and lingers, which increases the risk of developing a negative self-image.

         These challenges affect every minutia of people with invisible disabilities and make daily living very difficult on top of the disability they face. Reforms are imminent and changes are being made, slowly but surely. Some strategies listed below can catalyse the process for reforms.

Pace
         Pace refers to the pace at which the world around them revolves. Often in urban settings, PWDs find it difficult to match the pace and find stress in temporal adaptation to this pace. Some disabilities make mental processing, reactions, and reflexes slow, which brings a physical aspect as well to a majorly mental problem. People who have experienced these barriers in effect have often complained about subpar accessibility standards. As a result, temporal aspects should be mandated in accessibility and guidance regulations, and accommodative changes should be made in environment and service provisions.

Complexity
         Complexity refers to intricate details that require a high level of understanding to decode. It is a concept which is normalised for people who don’t have any disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities. These complexities exist in signboards, announcements, maps, product instructions, etc. and when PWDs try to ask for help regarding them, they are often ridiculed with loud voices or childish imitations. Information should be age-appropriate and presented as such. There has been a noted progress regarding this in terms of awareness. The presence of help centres and information kiosks with non-judgemental staff invite many such invisibly disabled people while keeping it discrete and friendly. Implementing these in public spaces will surely remove constraints and stress on PWDs.

Literacy

         Think of it as suddenly going to a foreign land without prior knowledge of its language. It is a fact that many invisibly disabled people face the issue of literacy. However, they have the right to information as much as the general population. Literacy is an easy problem to solve humans have relied on nonverbal cues more than they have on verbal; this is equally true for modern humans as well. Employing pictograms, auditory modalities and translation of language into signs and symbols are some ways this problem can be resolved.

Stigmas

         By targeting the stigmas, multiple barriers around invisible disabilities can be broken down at once. Many stigmas exist as a result of the perception forced upon these disabilities by the medical field. Indeed, many misconceptions point towards a medical viewpoint—pills, assistive devices, accessibility needs. These cater to disabilities from a medical practitioner’s viewpoint. The damage is done but it's not too late, by adopting a social model, themes like inclusion and support will be under the spotlight. These themes would shape the society to a form that accepts them and attempts at a retaliatory effort should they face troubles. This should be the support disabilities must get.

Counselling

         Counselling services like rehabilitation and therapy are important on a more personal level. Ultimately, negative experiences are not controllable and sooner or later, one goes through them. Anyone is susceptible to them—t just so happens that PWDs experience it on a much frequent basis which piles up and collapses on them. Individual-level support in this case offers a much-needed breath of fresh air by providing a safe space to talk about their experience without being judged harshly for it.

Conclusion

         The most surprising point about this problem is that everyone faces it in its multiplicity but due to variations in degrees, it invites harsh words and offensive acts. Once a person identifies the nature of pain and not the differences in thresholds, he comes one step closer to truly understanding pain. By understanding that nature, you share the burdens of people with disabilities. Any amount of recognition solves a major chunk of the problem and makes the world  more colourful.

 

References

Capanna-Hodge, Dr. R. (2024, August 8). Understanding invisible disability: Challenges and support strategies. https://drroseann.com/invisible-disability/

 

Hendry, G., Wilson, C., Orr, M., & Scullion, R. (2022). "I Just Stay in the House So I Don't Need to Explain": A Qualitative Investigation of Persons with Invisible Disabilities. Disabilities, 2(1), 145-163. https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities2010012

 

Yalon-Chamovitz, S. (2009). Invisible Access Needs of People with Intellectual Disabilities: a Conceptual Model of practice. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 47(5), 395–400. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-47.5.395

 

Ysasi, N., Becton, A., & Chen, R. (2018). Stigmatizing effects of visible versus invisible disabilities. Journal of Disability Studies, 4(1), 22-29.

 

About the Author

Delivering information raw and packed with originality, Ajinkya Choughule prefers the natural order before advancing into the societal view of information.