In today’s work environment there is a growing discourse of mental and physical illness. At the same time those commonly facing long-term or lifetime illness, commonly known as disabled, are not often seen. Whether it is on the parking lot sign or a different bathroom, the common symbol for disabled is a wheelchair. People often think of a disabled person as someone who looks different – whether it is the wheelchair, the cane, a person with black glasses because s/he is blind, it is commonly assumed that a disability is something you can see. Concordia University defines an invisible disability as “medical conditions like chronic pain and diabetes, or mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder” – something you cannot see.
On June 10 BBC defined neurodiversity as “a word used to describe the different thinking styles that affect how people communicate with the world around them. It is an umbrella term – a word that sums up lots of different things. It includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette’s.” The Government of Canada says the same that neurodiversity is “Neurodivergent describes people whose brains function outside what is considered “typical””.
Although neurodiversity is often shown through a “disability” like autism or dyslexia – associated with the brain, it can include all invisible disabilities including mental health conditions and physical conditions like diabetes. These are persons that are “differently abled”.
Many think that someone with mental illness like depression and anxiety are constantly in a single state – always frowning, always having panic attacks; it is different in each. In addition to causing conditions like sleep problems in some, it has been shown that mental illness can be treated with therapies like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, psychotherapy or medication. The treatment plan is different for each person. Most who have experienced a mental health issue say they hide it, especially among those who stigmatise it. A person with a mental illness who is in the process of being treated, but hides the illness and the treatment is differently abled, can be classified as neurodivergent.
A neurodivergent person is someone whose brain is not “typical”, is constantly working outside the box. While someone with autism may have other problems “normal brain development and leaving individuals with communication problems, difficulty social interactions and a tendency to repeat behaviour patterns”. Diagnosed on a spectrum, someone with autism may see the normal, feel out of place, and try to act normal while dealing with the health issues they have including cognitive skills. A person with mental illness can be the same – see that s/he is not acting normally and often thinks outside the box of how to hide it from the general public knowing there is stigma – act ‘normally’. The differently abled person with a mental illness might also have to think outside the box to continue interacting with people while facing difficulty.
Depending on the global location, a differently abled with a physical invisible illness can face hardships like driving, going to parties, buying groceries, or living alone. Being differently abled forces them to think outside the box; to do the normal in society, to survive, forces the person to find ways to do things like making sure not living alone and able to get groceries. At the same time differently abled persons must be able to obtain the finances to pay for rent to ensure there is a place to live and to pay for the groceries.
According to Statistics Canada the unemployment rate of those who are differently abled was “higher (7.6%) compared with those without disability (4.6%)” in 2023. In addition “employees with a disability earned $31.95 an hour on average compared with $33.86 for employees without disabilities” in 2023. This includes all who declare they have a disability, visible or invisible, all who are differently abled.
In Canada the government has put in some steps to help the differently abled escape poverty and enter financial security like the Canada Disability Benefit Act and the Accessible Canada Act. At the same time some organisations have seen the opportunity of having someone who thinks out of the box in daily life on the team. Built In, a job search website, suggests that neurodiversity can be an assistance; it can help with creative problem solving (finding people who naturally think out-of-the-box 24/7), higher levels of engagement in the workplace (someone who was likely bullied for being different finds a place of belonging), and an untapped talent pool – hiring someone that has been overlooked one’s own life for being differently abled but has strengths. The differently abled can also assist the workplace showing places where it could become more accessible and weaknesses. CBC writes that “Neurodiverse people have long been unfairly accused of laziness or procrastination, but in reality they just have an atypical way of thinking — and it benefits both employees and the employer if neurodiversity can be accommodated”
In the world today, with hybrid and remote working an opportunity growing someone who is differently abled can be a highly valuable strength, a strength that has been overlooked for years.
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