Do you have an invisible illness or disability?

Published: 1 May 2018

IHW is organising an awareness-raising event for staff and students in May 2019, and needs colleagues who live with an invisible health condition or disability to contribute to its delivery.

‌Around 70% of disabled people live with conditions that are largely or wholly invisible to the outside world, and/or that they are reluctant to disclose for fear of stigma, misconceptions or discrimination, particularly in the workplace. Some examples are:

Mental health conditions
Extreme fatigue
Sensory impairment
Diabetes
Neurodevelopmental disorders
Epilepsy 

IHW is organising an awareness-raising event for staff and students in May 2019, and needs colleagues who live - and work - with an invisible health condition or disability to contribute to its delivery, by delivering a short lightning talk as part of a "lived experience" section. The broad aims would be:

  • to ensure that staff are well informed about the nature of invisible disabilities/illnesses and their potential impact in the workplace
  • to increase awareness of how best to support affected colleagues, both formally and informally
  • to increase empathy and reduce stigma
  • to enhance the wellbeing of staff with invisible disabilities, by creating a culture of acceptance and understanding

This event will take place on Thursday 23 May 2019 (10am to 1.30am) in the Gannochy Seminar Room, Wolfson Medical School Building. Registration will open in October/November 2018.

If you are interested in joining our planning group or contributing to this event, please email ihwadmin@glasgow.ac.uk (or, if you prefer, contact IHW's Jane Goodfellow jane.goodfellow@glasgow.ac.uk to discuss in confidence).

First published: 1 May 2018

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