National Invisible Disabilities week

By Erin Tucker

October 16 through October 22 of this year is National Invisible Disabilities Awareness Week. Invisible disabilities are chronic illnesses that may not be visible or are less visible and include physical as well as mental health conditions. Estimates are that 25% of Americans live with a visible or an invisible disability.

Invisible diseases can include many conditions. Below are some common ones:

• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Asthma
• Autism
• Chronic pain
• Diabetes 
• Dyslexia and other learning disabilities
• Endometriosis
• Fibromyalgia
• Hepatitis C
• HIV/AIDS
• Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• Long COVID
• Mental illness such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, and depression
• Migraines
• Multiple sclerosis
• Psoriatic arthritis 
• Rheumatoid arthritis 
• And more

 
Although invisible disabilities can be as disabling or more so than obvious ones, because invisible disabilities are just that . . . unseen, people who live with them often don't receive the empathy or accommodation that those with visible conditions are accorded.  

​Human nature is such that people tend to disbelieve and distrust something they can't see. Unfortunately that only serves to increase the sense of isolation and invisibility of the person who is living with an invisible disability, adding an additional layer of stress to a health-challenged life. 

As a result, workers who have invisible disabilities can sometimes be subjected to more workplace discrimination, bullying and lack of accommodation. 

At Tucker Law, we've seen those situations. If this has happened to you, We're here to help.

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