Identify and support employees with invisible disabilities

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace have become concerns in today’s organisational practices. Time and again, diversity and inclusion focus on what can be seen, particularly in terms of race, gender, age, religion, and physical ability. However, some of the barriers employees faces are invisible. When employers think of employees with disabilities, they picture what is visible which includes presence of mobility aids like wheelchairs and tricycles or other assistive devices like crutches. But disability doesn’t always “shout” or “announce itself”; disability can be invisible.

An invisible disability is a permanent condition that significantly impairs normal activities of daily living and is not immediately apparent to others except under unusual circumstances or by disclosure from the persons with invisible disabilities or other outside sources. Examples of invisible disabilities include those associated with neurodiversity, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, epilepsy, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dysgraphia, among others.

Invisible disabilities present challenges in how individuals perform in the workplace, education, and social environments. In workplaces, employees with invisible disabilities often face unique challenges that go unaddressed. One major challenge for persons with invisible disabilities is the disclosure decision: Whether to disclose their condition at work, and if so, when, how, and to whom.

Many factors shape disclosure decisions. One of the factors is organisational culture. Employees with invisible disabilities are much more likely to disclose when their workplace culture is inclusive. When employees with invisible disabilities feel accepted for who they are and are comfortable asking for accommodations, they are more likely to disclose their conditions, become more productive, and engage more fully in their work. Organisations therefore have an obligation to make workplaces that are better for everyone, specifically, the development of disability-inclusive strategies and organisational changes that support improvement of employees with invisible disabilities.

Additionally, anticipated reactions from employers and colleagues when disclosing one's condition influence whether employees with invisible disabilities choose to disclose. Often, people are categorised as either persons with disabilities or persons without disabilities based on visible traits. Those with invisible disabilities are frequently met with distrust because of the perception from employers or colleagues that “they do not look like persons with disabilities” or that they are pretending or exploiting their condition to gain desirable accommodations.

They question the legitimacy of their invisible disability. The fear of facing these kinds of reactions generally deters employees with invisible disabilities from disclosing. To overcome such barriers, employers might offer disability mainstreaming training and educational workshops for all staff. Such training has been shown to enhance understanding of all types of disabilities in general and invisible disabilities in particular and foster a more empathetic and supportive culture, thereby significantly reducing stereotyping and prejudice. With such training, individuals with invisible disabilities may feel more motivated to disclose their condition, as they become aware of reduced prejudices and the accommodations available to them.

Mr Godana is a disability and social protection specialist