Invisible Disabilities Stories

Just because you can't "see" it...

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the word “disability”?  Is it the image of someone using a wheelchair?  Do you see someone who is missing a limb or maybe is using sign language to communicate because they cannot hear?  Do you ever think about someone who has a chronic medical illness or someone who has a mental health diagnosis?  You should - these individuals are people with disabilities, too.  The following National Public Radio (NPR) story features a person with a chronic medical illness, Crohn's Disease.  Maybe you will think of her or the other people like her with invisible disabilities the next time you hear the word “disability.”

People with Invisible Disabilities Fight for Understanding Links to an external site.

Student Case Study

Some of the most prevalent diagnoses facing college students today are psychological disorders. These can range from anxiety disorders to bipolar disorder to post-traumatic stress disorder. These are also invisible disabilities. These diagnoses also carry a significant social stigma with them, which may lead students to choose not to disclose their diagnosis and request the accommodations and services that they need to receive equal access to the learning opportunities and to demonstrate what they have learned.

John is one such student. John enrolled in an online program in business administration, bringing in a large number of transfer credits from the multiple institutions he had attended in the past. John was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was 22 years old. When he was younger, he had been diagnosed with ADHD and had taken medication to help him focus in the classroom. School had never been his “thing,” according to him, but he knew that he had to finish his degree to get the kind of job that would lead him to his goals.  

John had never requested accommodations for his disability. He didn’t see himself as disabled because his diagnosis was psychological and there was nothing physically wrong with him. He had never taken online courses before he enrolled in his current college, but he thought that the modality would work well for him, as he always had difficulty focusing in the classroom and it was hard for him to deal with the other students in the class. He was surprised when he began to struggle with the online courses. He was expecting them to be easy.

One of John’s instructors, Mary, requested a phone appointment with him after John missed his second course discussion and submitted his written assignment for module 1 a week into module 2.  Mary was concerned that John was not keeping up with his work and wanted to talk with him about where he could get help.  When they spoke on the phone for their scheduled appointment, John shared with Mary that he was behind in all of his courses and had not even begun the work for one course. She asked him why he thought that he was so far behind, he shared that he has always struggled with time management and staying on task due to his ADHD and bipolar. Mary knew that he would qualify for accommodations and recommended that John connect with the disability services office, offering to email the staff with a copy to him to get the ball rolling. Mary also asked John if there were any steps that she could take right away to help John to get on track and stay there. John said that he often forgets how much time he has to complete an assignment and thinks he has more time than he does. He asked Mary if there was a way that he could get a reminder that an assignment is due 4-5 days before the deadline. Mary thought it was a great idea that would help all of the students in her course so she agreed to start sending those reminders to the whole class.

Additional Resources

The University of Washington’s federally funded program Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology (DO-IT) provides information, resources, activities and multimedia around common disability issues.  DO-IT endeavors to empower individuals with disabilities as well as provide resources to faculty and staff in post-secondary education to improve the experiences of students with disabilities. The website contains specific information about invisible disabilities, as well as other disability related information.

University of Washington - DO-IT Links to an external site.

Estimated time: 10 minutes