What do you think of when you hear the word “disability?” Perhaps you think of a person who is blind, deaf, or uses a wheelchair. All of these are visible disabilities, obvious to the average observer. But there are many other disabilities that aren’t as often recognized because they’re not as recognizable—so unrecognizable, in fact, that they are commonly described as “invisible disabilities.” In the October installment in our IMAGE Wellness Series of events, we focused the spotlight on these disabilities and the people who have them. To do this, we were joined by a panel of three of our own team members: Chris Nusbaum, Bridges Project Coordinator and Social Support Specialist; Stephanie Schwartz, Deputy Director of the IMAGE Center; and Crystal Brockington, Program Director of our Out and About Program. As an aside, this was our first opportunity to flip the script on Chris, turning him from a planner and moderator to a guest panelist.
Why are Invisible Disabilities Important?
If disabilities like the ones are panelists have are invisible, why was it so important for us to have an event spotlighting them? Our panelists shared that it is precisely their invisibility that made this event important. Each shared stories where they faced discrimination because their invisible disability wasn’t recognized, or where they didn’t receive the accommodations they needed. Each of them also shared the impact events like these (and the disabilities themselves) have on their daily life and work—factors that they rarely discuss publicly.
Later in the conversation, the dialogue among the panelists became more philosophical as they grappled with the daily balancing act of living life “normally” and managing one’s own disability while also advocating for accommodations when necessary, which may require the disabled person to disclosure information that they don’t want to disclose. This unplanned departure from the prepared questions turned out to be one of the most interesting parts of the event for panelists and audience alike, as the panelists dealt together with different approaches to a difficult issue.
No matter how experienced you are around people with disabilities, we encourage you to check out the recording of this event. It will make clear in a new way the variety of opportunities and challengies faced by people with all kinds of disabilities, which are truly unique to each person. Check out the video and the transcript on our YouTube channel.