Disability Awareness Month: Not All Disabilities Are Visible

From 20th November to 20th December, we recognise Disability Awareness Month - a time to amplify the voices, experiences, and strengths of people living with disabilities. As a Black woman with hidden disabilities, I choose to speak openly, not because I am seeking sympathy, but because visibility and understanding matter.

I live with fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and an underactive thyroid, among other conditions. These illnesses deeply affect my mobility, my energy, and my daily routines. I experience extreme fatigue, widespread pain, and limitations that are not immediately obvious to the outside world. When you look at me, you might not see what I carry. But that’s exactly why awareness is so important.

Not All Disabilities Can Be Seen

There is a harmful misconception that disability must be visible to be valid. This misunderstanding leads to judgement, stigma, and sometimes even harassment. It happens in car parks, when someone with a Blue Badge is questioned because they “don’t look disabled.” It happens in public spaces, when people with hidden conditions are stared at or confronted for using disabled toilets.

This behaviour is not only wrong - it’s damaging. Hidden disabilities are real. They affect millions of people. And none of us should have to prove or explain our pain to be treated with basic dignity.

There Is No Shame in Disability

I am not ashamed of who I am. My disabilities do not diminish me; they are part of my story, but not the whole of it. I choose to embrace my abilities—my resilience, my determination, my courage. Those are the qualities that shape me.

There is no shame in having a disability, whether visible or invisible. Shame comes from a society that fails to understand or accommodate us—not from our conditions. And this is exactly why we must speak up, stand together, and support one another.

Becoming a Disability Champion

Awareness is the first step, but action must follow. Being a disability champion means:

• Challenging assumptions about what disability “looks like.”

• Supporting friends, colleagues, and community members with disabilities.

• Offering kindness instead of judgement.

• Celebrating abilities, not focusing on limitations.

• Advocating for accessibility, equity, and compassion.

Disability is part of human diversity. It deserves the same respect and representation as any other aspect of identity.

As we observe Disability Awareness Month, let’s commit to creating a world where everyone - visible disability or hidden disability - feels seen, supported, and empowered. Let’s shift the narrative from shame to strength, from stigma to solidarity.

Because our disabilities do not define our worth - but how we support one another

Lady Omolola Oyewusi

Disability Awareness Month.pdf

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