5 Things To Know About Invisible Disabilities
As I said last week, some issues require and deserve the focus of a special week or month and this is one of them. This is Invisible Disabilities Week and in few areas is the need for awareness greater.
We tend to believe and understand what we can see and doubt or question things we cannot. For children, teens, and adults with an invisible, or hidden disability, this increases the obstacles and the barriers to getting support.
There are some basic things to know about things you cannot see:
1. The issue of no visible supports. It's extremely difficult for a 5th Grader to explain to a teacher that he/she needs to stand vs. sit in a classroom. Or to once again explain that their inability to read social cues in high school requires teacher assistance. In school, disclosure is needed to access supports and services, yet many children struggle to convey and explain what they need even with these supports in place. And because what they need isn't seen, they often face push-back and misunderstanding due to the hidden nature of their needs.
2. The issue of stigma. No one wants to acknowledge that they're struggling and this is particularly true in the workplace. The issue of "conceal or reveal" exists for every employee with an invisible disability and much depends upon the person, his/her needs and diagnosis, the company and environment, external support, and what guidance is received related to making their needs known.
In school, there are supports such as IEPs or 504s and parents are the front-line advocates in this arena. Yet in the workplace, it's up to the individual to self-advocate. Disclosure and the associated stigma and possible ramifications of doing so have real implications.
3. The issue of being misunderstood. Parents of children and teens with developmental disabilities, auditory processing deficits, learning challenges, and mental health issues (just to name a few) know the fight they often face to have teachers, family members, and others understand that their children's needs are real. Far too often, children/teens with invisible disabilities are penalized - in school, in the community, at family functions, and in the juvenile justice system - for needs that cannot be seen.
4. The issue of permanence. While there are services, supports, and strategies that can strengthen areas of need, many invisible disabilities are lifelong. The issue often heard, when is comes to children and behavior, for example, about it being a "stage or phase" does a disservice to the struggles faced. It also makes learning to self-advocate harder when others doubt your word and your realities from childhood into adulthood.
5. The issue of struggle. We tend to empathize with someone who uses a visible tool to aid in their functioning, yet often ignore or underestimate the needs of those whose struggles cannot be seen. The physical, emotional, and mental toll of invisible or hidden disabilities are as real as any that can be seen, if not moreso. The challenges faced go beyond learning to live with ADHD or a mental health diagnosis -- they are intensified by having to convince or prove that what they're dealing with is real.
From parents advocating for their children in school and teaching teens how to self-advocate, to acknowledging invisible disablities in college and the workplace, the words of a very wise man are words to remember:
"Everything that we see is a shadow by that which we do not see."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
