Invisible Disability

Invisible disabilities are conditions that impact something called Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), but are not visible to others. ADLs are things like eating, bathing, dressing and grooming. They are activities that we need to be able to complete in order to care for ourselves. Invisible disability also impacts Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), things like managing your home, health, money, communication, transportation, shopping and preparing meals. Some people who are disabled are able to manage some, but not all of these tasks, while others need assistance with the majority of the ADLs and IADLs.

Parlee Beach, New Brunswick

An inability to complete ADLs may show up as someone who doesn’t eat well, or much, who doesn’t consistently get dressed or shower. While IADLs may look more like someone who has communication differences, or who cannot take the bus, or who is unable to prepare meals for themselves. We need to be careful when observing behaviour. So much of invisible disability looks like won’t when it’s actually can’t. Adding to this challenge, some people with invisible disability may be unable or unwilling to articulate their challenges leading to damaging judgement and blame. Internalized ableism, when the person believes they “should be able to” and feels distress that they can’t, adds another layer of challenge to the lives of people who are invisibly disabled.

Invisible disabilities can include conditions like mental health conditions, chronic illnesses, neurological conditions, sensory challenges and learning disabilities. There are some potential advantages to invisible disability. No one needs to know unless the disabled person feels the need to share the information, the extent of a condition my be less visible and the person is less likely to have to fend off questions about the disability from strangers. However, invisible disabilities come with their own set of challenges.

People with invisible disability may feel erased from discussions of disability, dismissed by health professionals, may have challenges accessing support and, in many cases, have to repeatedly explain the accommodations required. When we see someone who uses a wheelchair, we know that they may need assistance from things such as ramps and elevators (ideally these are universal accommodations) but we may not understand that disabled people may need accommodation if we cannot see the disability.

I work with clients to address internalized ableism, challenge societal beliefs about what “should” be manageable and validate the range of experiences that come from invisible disability.

Book Now