Invisible disability
Due to a lack of awareness and difficulty accessing support in certain environments, individuals with invisible disabilities may face challenges throughout daily life.
A columnist for Psychology Today wrote: I recently met Grace, a woman who had a traumatic brain injury when she was sixteen years old.
An accident occurs, the head hits a part of the car and internal damage to the brain results, ranging from mild to severe.
A disability may cause someone to lose connections with friends or family due to this lack of understanding, potentially leading to a lower self-esteem.
[1] Receiving accommodations can be a complex process of acquiring and submitting documentation of disability, which employers and educational institutions can deny or deem as outdated.
Someone who has a condition that is not immediately visible, such as chronic migraines, may struggle with the fear of being accused of faking or lying when it comes to asking for accommodations.
One such passenger wrote in The Globe and Mail that:[7] Once, flying to Washington shortly after 9/11, I didn't hear the announcement that absolutely no one was to get out of their seat for the last 30 minutes of the flight.
If the nice stewardess had not remembered me and come over to my seat, crouched down to my eye level, and told me that if I had to use the washroom, I had better use it right now, who knows what might have happened.
[1] Beyond the work force, Bureau of Labor Statistics data also showed that individuals with an invisible disability are also less likely to receive a bachelor's degree or higher education.
[1] Nature, a scientific journal, interviewed an individual who struggles with chronic fatigue syndrome who reported attending 117 doctor appointments and paying $18,000 in out-of-pocket expenses in 2017 alone.
[4] Based on findings by the World Health Organization, there are approximately 1.3 billion people that experience significant disability worldwide, representing at least 16% of the global population.
[13] In the United States, 96% of people with chronic medical conditions show no outward signs of their illness, and 10% experience symptoms that are considered disabling.
The Convention addresses various facets of the lives of persons with disabilities, ensuring their rights in areas such as education, employment, healthcare, accessibility, privacy, and cultural and sporting activities.
[1] A growing number of organizations, governments, and institutions are implementing policies and regulations to accommodate persons with invisible disabilities.
[23] Another similar example is the Help Mark badge created by a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly member who had an artificial joint in her right leg.
In the United Kingdom, activist Athaly Altay began the End Fake Claiming Campaign in 2021, to raise awareness of the widespread harassment faced by people with Invisible Disabilities.
[24] Signs displaying the message "Not Every Disability is Visible" were campaigned by Crohn's & Colitis UK to be installed in organizations and businesses.
