Invisible Disabilities

What are Invisible Disabilities?

Invisible Disabilities are certain kinds of disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others. It is estimated that 10% of people in the U.S. have a medical condition which could be considered a type of invisible disability.

Nearly one in two people in the U.S. has a chronic medical condition of one kind or another, but most of these people are not considered to be disabled, as their medical conditions do not impair their normal everyday activities. These people do not use an assistive device and most look and act perfectly healthy.

Generally seeing a person in a wheelchair, wearing a hearing aid, or carrying a white cane tells us a person may be disabled. But what about invisible disabilities that make daily living a bit more difficult for many people worldwide?

Invisible disabilities can include chronic illnesses such as renal failure, diabetes, and sleep disorders if those diseases significantly impair normal activities of daily living.

For example there are people with visual or auditory impairments who do not wear hearing aids or eye glasses so they may not seem to be obviously impaired. Those with joint conditions or problems who suffer chronic pain may not use any type of mobility aids on good days, or ever.

A list of some types of disabilities considered invisible disabilities:

ADHD
Anxiety disorders
Arachnoiditis
Asperger Syndrome
Autism
Bipolar disorder
Brain injuries
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic pain
Circadian rhythm sleep disorders
Coeliac Disease
Crohn's disease
Depression
Diabetes
Epilepsy
Fibromyalgia
Food allergies
Fructose malabsorption
Hereditary Fructose Intolerance
Hyperhidrosis
Hypoglycemia
Inflammatory bowel disease
Interstitial cystitis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Lactose Intolerance
Lactulose Intolerance
Lupus
Lyme Disease
Major depression
Metabolic syndrome
Multiple Sclerosis
Personality disorders
Primary immunodeficiency
Psychiatric disabilities
Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
Repetitive stress injuries
Rheumatoid arthritis
Schizophrenia
Scleroderma
Sjögren's syndrome
Temporomandibular joint disorder
Transverse Myelitis
Ulcerative Colitis.

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