Invisible disability

An invisible disability is a disabilitythat is not (always) immediately apparent to casual observers; that is, it is not visible to the naked eye.

Examples

Those with joint problems may not use mobilityaids on good days or at all. Invisible disabilities can also include chronic illnessessuch as renal failureand diabetes. Some people with visual or auditory impairments who do not wear glasses or hearing aids may not be obviously impaired. (Some may wear contacts or have a cochlear implantinstead.) Other examples include Asperger syndrome, brain injuries, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, epilepsy, and repetitive stress injuries.

Psychiatric disabilities

People with psychiatric disabilities make up a large segment of the invisibly-disabled population covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Examples include: People with psychiatric disabilities make up a large segment of the invisibly-disabled population covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Examples include:

• Major depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Clinical depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Schizophrenia
• Personality disorders(when discussing mental impairments)

Dietary disabilities

• Crohn's disease
• Coeliac Disease
• Diabetes
• Fructose malabsorption
• Hypoglycemia
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Metabolic syndrome
• Lactose Intolerance
• Lactulose Intolerance
• Dietary Fructose Intolerance
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Food allegies(the most common are peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat)

Multiple chemical sensitivity

Referred to as an environmental illness, multiple chemical sensitivitycan cause an allergic-type response to synthetic substances such as pesticides, perfumes and detergents. Several cities now issue statements requesting that one limit the use of personal fragrances when attending a public function in order to make public space more accessible to individuals with this disability.

Discrimination

Whereas with a visible disability, people may be too willing to "help" or interfere, those with invisible disabilities must seek out any help or risk going without assistance. However, those with invisible disabilities are often still covered by disability law.

Persons with these kinds of disabilities are often accused of faking or imagining their disabilities. People can also misunderstand and sometimes mistake illness or impairment as something else. For instance, one might feel animosity towards a person who takes a lift/elevator up one floor, by assuming they are lazy, without realising that the person has an unobvious disability which makes it difficult for them to climb stairs (such as a knee problem or lack of depth perception).

See also

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Disability
• Disability etiquette

Reference

• Switzer, Jacqueline Vaughn. Disabled Rights: American Disability Policy and the Fight for Equality. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2003.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible+disability Wikipedia article Invisible disability.