SINGAPORE: If you saw someone in the street today living with a disability, would you even know?
For over 80 per cent of Australians living with a disability, the answer is a resounding no. From chronic fatigue and pain to neurological conditions and mental health struggles, invisible disabilities shape daily life in ways the outside world rarely sees. Too often, this hidden reality leads to disbelief, uncomfortable stares, or the exhausting pressure to “mask” and pretend everything is fine.
Invisible Disability Awareness Week is an annual initiative founded by the Invisible Disabilities Association to bridge the gap between appearance and reality. We sat down with three Canberrans who share their lived experiences, the daily barriers they face, and how our community can replace judgement with kindness.
Melissa Hammond – Artist and inclusion advocate
When Melissa Hammond acquired invisible disabilities following a car accident, her world shifted – and so did her art. Today, she uses her creative practice and advocacy to challenge how society visualises disability. Melissa recently presented findings from a public consultation aimed at transforming access and inclusion across the ACT, championing a framework built on Awareness, Recognition, and Training (ART).
Why is it important to highlight this week, and why does greater public understanding matter?
It is important to highlight this week because there is still a gap in how we understand and recognise disability. More than one in five Australians live with disability, yet over 80 per cent of disabilities are invisible.
Many of us grew up associating disability with the wheelchair symbol. While it’s widely recognised, its use has contributed to the misunderstanding that disability is only physical and visible. If that’s how we continue to represent disability, can we blame people for thinking that’s all it looks like?
Greater public awareness can help address this misunderstanding, reducing judgement based on appearance and the barriers people with invisible disabilities face when seekinghelp.
Invisible disabilities aren’t new, but our understanding of what disability looks like needs to evolve. Awareness is the first step, but it must lead to better recognition, understanding and steps towards inclusion in our communities too.
How can the general public help and be more understanding of people with invisible disabilities?
I think the most powerful thing is kindness. Many people with invisible disabilities face discrimination and disbelief because of how they look.
When you see someone who appears able using a disability aid, or someone who seems to need more time or assistance, pause and ask yourself: Do I have all the information? Could this person
have an invisible disability?
Some invisible disabilities fluctuate too, meaning someone who had the capacity to do something yesterday may not be able to do it today. On difficult days, being met with hostility or having to justify your needs can be deeply distressing. Equally, being questioned about your disability because you look happy and well can be hurtful and invalidating.
The more we understand, the less likely we are to judge one another and the more likely we are to respond with empathy. A little curiosity, empathy, willingness to listen and kindness can make a significant difference. We don’t need to know everything about another person’s circumstances to treat them with respect. Sometimes, the most important first step is simply being willing to listen.
What does a more accessible and inclusive community in Canberra look like to you?
Put simply, a community without barriers.
There are times when I feel most disabled not by my own day-to-day experience, but by the rigid structures, lack of flexibility and negative assumptions I encounter when trying to participate in the community.
An inclusive Canberra is one where people can participate in work, community activities and everyday life in different ways, on any given day, without having to explain or defend their needs. It’s about being able to show up as you are, rather than having to fit into structures that weren’t designed with you in mind.
James Dunn
Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Ambassador and Podcast Host
As the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Ambassador for Australia and New Zealand, James Dunn is on a mission to turn empathy into everyday action. Hosting The Sunflower Conversations podcast, he creates spaces for honest dialogue about non-visible conditions, helping businesses, transport networks, and everyday people recognise the quiet signal that someone might need a little extra time, space, or understanding.
Why is it important to highlight this week and why does greater public understanding matter?
On average, more than one in every five people in our workplace, place of study, extended family, friendship group and the general community will have a disability that impacts their ability to participate in daily life. And because those experiences aren’t always obvious, people can face misunderstanding, judgement or barriers when they ask for support.
It’s often not a person’s disability that prevents them from participating fully in life, it’s the barriers we create in our environments, systems and attitudes
Greater understanding helps replace assumptions and judgement with empathy. It reminds us that everyone’s needs are different, and that a small act of patience or flexibility can make it much easier for someone to take part in everyday life.
How can the general public help/be more understanding of those with invisible disabilities?
I think there are both cultural and practical elements to this. We need to continue working on creating a culture of trust rather than proof. A culture where we assume people have positive intentions.
The best place to start is by not making assumptions about what someone can or can’t do based on how they look. Like the old saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’.
I had an experience last year when I drove into a carpark at a busy location and I was driving into a disabled parking spot. I had my disability permit on the windscreen but before I had even finished parking the car, a guy was shouting out to me. I wound down the window to hear what he was saying and he shouted “You can’t park there, that’s for people with disabilities”. I was still seated in the car and took the permit off the windscreen and held it up so he could see it. He looked puzzled and then walked off.
This was someone who had made an assumption that because I could drive a car, and was not elderly, I would not be disabled. I am sure he meant well and just wanted to make sure the spot was available for someone who was disabled, but it highlights a key perception challenge for people with a hidden disability.
Like a lot of people with disability, I usually don’t want to have to tell people I have a disability and that I need to sit down for fear of them potentially questioning whether I am telling the truth and thinking I am just trying to get a fast track through the airport or one of few seats on a train or bus.
Listen when someone explains what they need, and respect that they may not want to share personal details. If you’re unsure whether help would be useful, ask politely and accept their answer.
Be patient if someone needs more time, communicate clearly, and make room for different ways of participating. If you see someone using a Sunflower lanyard or another awareness tool, remember it can be a quiet signal that they may have a non-visible disability and could appreciate extra time, understanding or assistance. It’s an invitation to be considerate, not a request to ask for someone’s diagnosis.
What does a more accessible and inclusive community in Canberra look like to you?
To me, it’s a Canberra where people are supported to participate in all aspects of life without having to prove why they need additional support. This includes accessible public spaces and transport, clear and inclusive communication, and environments and events that consider different sensory, mobility and communication needs.
It also means staff and community members who respond with patience and respect, and systems that offer flexibility when people need it. Inclusion is built through both good design and everyday interactions: listening to people with lived experience, removing barriers where we can, and making sure everyone feels they belong.
Jenny Edwards – Business leader, advocate and builder
A well-known figure in Canberra’s business and sustainability space, Jenny Edwards brings the raw, relatable perspective of someone balancing professional life with multiple hidden conditions. After years of masking her symptoms, Jenny is now stepping forward to dismantle the pressure to “look fine” – advocating for a city where practical inclusion replaces quiet suffering.
Why is it important to highlight this week and why does greater public understanding matter?
So many people in our community have hidden disabilities – 17 per cent is the best and I think quite conservative estimate we have for Australia from the ABS and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower organisation. I suspect it is much higher as I know many people, like me, still don’t identify as disabled in the census. I didn’t in the very recent one.
This in itself illustrates a problem. Due to well entrenched cultural stereotypes, fear of social scepticism, and a self-imposed pressure to “look normal”, be grateful and not “whinge”, we tend to mask our issues and pretend all is well.
How can the general public help/be more understanding of those with invisible disabilities?
Be like Ted Lasso: curious, not judgemental; and be kind. Be aware that so many people in our community have invisible issues and that getting through the day is probably taking much more energy than it would appear. Look out for the sunflower.
Physical appearances can be very deceiving. I have used my height (I’m 180cm), relative physical fitness and positive nature to help mask my physical issues, and the cognitive fatigue that comes with that masking. With hindsight, being more open would have been more helpful to not only me, but others. Now it’s time to correct course and remove the mask.
What does a more accessible and inclusive community in Canberra look like to you?
A kinder and more curious Canberra. One where people recognise the sunflower as readily as they do the wheelchair emoji.