Some disabilities are more obvious than others. Many are immediately apparent, especially if someone relies on a wheelchair or cane. But others — known as “invisible” disabilities — are not. People who live with them face particular challenges in the workplace and in their communities…It is hard to pinpoint the number of Americans with an invisible disability, but it’s estimated there are millions. Their conditions may range from lupus to bipolar disorder or diabetes. The severity of each person’s condition varies, and the fear of stigma means that people often prefer not to talk about their illnesses.
But in employment disability discrimination charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission between 2005 and 2010, the most commonly cited conditions were invisible ones, according to analysis by researchers at Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute.
“You know, it’s that invisible nature of an illness that people don’t understand,” says Wayne Connell, the founder and head of the Invisible Disabilities Association. He started the group after his wife was diagnosed with Lyme disease and multiple sclerosis.
Full story here: https://www.npr.org/2015/03/08/391517412/people-with-invisible-disabilities-fight-for-understanding
The post People With ‘Invisible Disabilities’ Fight For Understanding appeared first on Disability News Blog.
SOURCE: Disability News Blog – Read entire story here.
Related posts:
Young man with "severe mental disabilities" tried to hijack woman’s car – Sunday World
Who knew? Cartoon advises disabled should take tights off before a "bum shuffle"
Social Security: More than Retirement Benefits!
Microsoft empowering people with disabilities via Ability Summit – TWCN Tech News (blog)