Invisible Disabilities/Disorders, and How You Can Help

Long story short, a friend of a friend started a new challenge online to raise awareness about Invisible Disabilities and Disorders, succinctly described as:

"...disabilities that are not immediately apparent ...[and] can hinder a person's efforts to go to school, work, socialize, and more."

 Invisible Disabilities and Disorders range from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, to nervous system and autoimmune disorders such as Epilepsy and Lupus. They are health issues that may not be physically obvious but affect a person's quality of life just the same; they lead some to stare, puzzled, and say "But you look fine!" or, "Just get over it!". With the research and resources that we have now, however, we've learned that it's not as simple as just wanting to be better.

The premise of the Invisible Disability/Disorder Challenge is simple: make a donation to an organization geared towards treating and supporting individuals with an invisible disease or disorder, and/or make a video of yourself singing or playing a song. Challenge others to do the same. 

Knowing that the idea of Invisible Disabilities/Disorders is somewhat new for a lot of the public, I've compiled a small list of suggestions that you're free to use or point people to in your own videos! (*Note that these are U.S. based organizations).

Invisible Disabilities Association - http://invisibledisabilities.org/

 

Mental Health

Alzheimer's Association - http://www.alz.org/
Anxiety Disorders Foundation - http://www.anxietydisordersfoundation.org/
Autism Speaks - http://www.autismspeaks.org/
Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation - http://www.myasdf.org/site/
California Maternal Mental Health Collaborative - http://www.camaternalmentalhealth.org/
Family Support Foundation for Mental Illness - http://fsfmi.org/
National Alliance on Mental Health - http://www.nami.org/
National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health - http://www.mmhcoalition.com/
National Eating Disorders Association - http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Postpartum Progress Inc. - http://postpartumprogress.org/
PTSD Foundation of America - http://ptsdusa.org/
Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America - http://www.sardaa.org/

 

Nervous System and Autoimmune

Epilepsy Foundation of America - http://www.epilepsy.com/
Guillain-Barre Syndrome/CIDP Foundation - http://www.gbs-cidp.org/
Lupus Foundation of America - http://www.lupus.org/
National Multiple Sclerosis Society - http://www.nationalmssociety.org/

 

Chronic Pain

National Fibromyalgia Association - http://www.fmaware.org/

If you have suggestions for additions to the list, shoot me a comment!

I don't think the challenge has official hashtags yet, so for now, I suggest #IDChallenge and #InvisibleNoMore. Have fun, everyone!