Background Information

What Everyone Should Know

Important Terms

Invisible Disability: A disability is a aspect of a person that poses a challenge in their life. When it is invisible, it goes unnoticed based on physical appearance of the person. Invisible disabilities can be neurological, physical, or mental (Invisible Disability Association, 2020). 
Visibility: Bringing invisible disabilities to light and making them visible is an important aspect of inclusion. Because invisible disabilities are not readily seen they must be made known by other means. By vocalizing about them and spreading knowledge about them they will become "visible" in some sense of the word. 
Ableism: Ableism is a form of discrimination that marginalizes people who have a disability. In the context of invisible disabilities, ableism presents its self as not treating invisible disabilities as real disabilities. Some statements about people may boil down to "but you don't look disabled;" this statement ignores the person's disability because it is not readily detectable. Ableism poses a challenge to people with hidden disabilities because it prevents their issues from being discussed and treated as legitimate. 
Neurological: Disabilities that occur from nervous system are considered neurological. Because they happen in the nerves or brain they are not seen to the naked eye. Epilepsy is an example of a neurological invisible disability.
Physical: Physical invisible disabilities exist in multiple forms. Physical invisible disabilities, however, cannot be seen unlike other physical disabilities. An example would be joint issues.
Mental: Depression and anxiety are examples of mental disabilities. They are common and can effect the day to day life of the people who have them. 
Doubt: It may be tempting to doubt a person when they say they have a disability and believe they are just using it as an excuse. This is not something a person who has a disability that is readily seen (such as a wheelchair) goes through. If a person says they have a disability then it is imperative to believe them.
Microaggression: A microaggression is a small comments or non verbal cues that communicate to others a negative attitude towards a group of people. These reflect ableism and show people of marginalized groups that they are not equal. 
Disclosure: It is up to the individual with an invisible disability to disclose what they have with others. They are not obligated to share the information because it can be a private matter.

Stigmatization: When a thing is stigmatized it becomes associated with negativity. This effects people with invisible disabilities because it can make them seem lesser if they disclose to others they have one. An example of this would be the stigmatization of depression; often people will call depressed people lazy and brush off the condition as merely being "sad" rather than it being a true disability.