Thursday, May 15th marked the 14th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.3 billion people — 16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 people — experience a disability (World Health Organization, 2023). In the U.S., an estimated 10% of the population lives with an invisible disability (Tillotson et al., 2023). That number is likely higher, considering how many people living with invisible disabilities choose not to report, disclose, or even identify as having one.

What Are Invisible Disabilities?

The Invisible Disabilities Association defines an invisible disability as “a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside, yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities” (Global Accessibility Awareness Day, n.d.).

A wide range of conditions can fall into this category, with symptoms such as chronic pain, debilitating fatigue, anxiety, sensory sensitivities, mental illness, and cognitive challenges. These conditions often lack visually identifiable indicators, making them difficult for others to recognize or understand.

Students with invisible disabilities are often underrepresented in data and underserved in education settings. Many don’t receive formal diagnoses, choose not to disclose, or avoid requesting accommodations. Some have become adept at self-accommodating, developing their own coping mechanisms, or masking their symptoms to navigate daily life, including their learning experiences.

A Personal Story

I didn’t fully realize that my child might benefit from accommodations for invisible disabilities until she reached middle school. I suspect remote learning during COVID, coupled with strong academic performance, delayed this recognition. When in-person classes resumed, her environment transformed from quiet and predictable to crowded, loud, and overstimulating.

Alongside typical middle school pressures came the added stress of reintegrating into a bustling school after long-term isolation. Eventually, I discovered that she was not spending her lunch period in the cafeteria with her peers. Instead, she would either skip lunch or eat quickly before asking for a pass to go to the music room or the library.

I am deeply grateful to the teachers and staff who made it possible for her to spend her lunch period in quieter spaces. I knew she had some sensory sensitivities in addition to anxiety, but I had not realized how uncomfortable, even painful, it was for her to eat lunch in the noisy, chaotic cafeteria. This self-accommodation was successful because the school provided flexibility in their learning space during the lunch periods. When a learning environment provides flexibility, students are better able to adjust to their unique needs.

Lunch isn’t just about food. It’s an important social moment in the middle of the school day. I found myself wondering:

• Did her friends understand her absence?
• Would she continue to be included in social activities?
• Could her coping strategy unintentionally isolate her?

Invisible Disabilities in the Classroom

Lunch isn’t the only space where anxiety and sensory processing challenges have an impact. Invisible disabilities can affect how learners process information, retain knowledge, and communicate with instructors and peers. This is just as true in online or digital learning environments as it is in physical classrooms. A student might:

• Struggle to screen out distractions;
• Lack the stamina for a full course load;
• Find it difficult to interact with teachers and classmates;
• Experience test anxiety or sensory overload during assessments (DO-IT, n.d.).

While these challenges are not unique to face-to-face environments, it is also important to consider how they show up — and sometimes shift — in online learning environments. Students with invisible disabilities may experience both benefits and new challenges in digital learning spaces. For example, online courses can reduce sensory overload, offer a flexible schedule, and create a buffer from the social anxiety of face-to-face classes. Simultaneously, online learning may come with an increase in visual and digital distractions, like open browser tabs, constant notifications, and competing demands at home. A 2022 study from Kent State University found that students tend to multitask more frequently in online courses than in face-to-face classes (Lepp, 2022). These distractions can disproportionately affect learners with ADHD, anxiety, or executive function challenges. Additionally, research has linked distractions to lower academic performance (Langreo, 2023). For learners with cognitive processing challenges or mental health conditions, maintaining their focus on environments with numerous distractions requires increased cognitive effort, potentially increasing stress and reducing learning effectiveness. 

In one of my child’s classes, a peer’s habitual pencil tapping, possibly a stim or a coping mechanism of their own, made it hard for her to focus, especially during assessments. The sound triggered sensory overload, adding another layer of difficulty to her learning experience.

We asked our child if she wanted to talk to her teachers about wearing noise-dampening earplugs during tests, but she declined. She was not ready to disclose her challenges. The fear of the stigma and unwanted attention outweighed the potential benefits from formal accommodations. This stigma may increase as the learner becomes more aware of social pressures.

This is not uncommon.

In her 2022 literature review, Exploring the Hardships and Stigma Students With Invisible Disabilities Face, researcher Kristin Perry (University of Maryland) writes:

When students with invisible disabilities are not being identified, are not disclosing their conditions, and are not finding resources, their academic performances and their ability to be accepted socially will continue to be jeopardized (Perry, 2022).

This underscores the importance of creating learning environments, both in-person and online, where students feel safe, seen, and supported. When we normalize flexibility and demonstrate understanding toward the different ways students experience learning, we work to reduce the stigma that often prevents students from disclosing —or even needing to disclose — their challenges. Recognizing invisible disabilities is not just about providing accommodations; it is about creating a culture of empathy where all students can thrive.

Why Humanized Learning Environments Matter

My child is far from alone in choosing not to disclose their invisible disabilities. For many students, the cost of disclosure—social or emotional—is too high.

That’s why flexibility and empathy in learning environments are essential. These approaches don’t just benefit students with formal diagnoses. They create inclusive spaces that support everyone, especially those who may be struggling silently.

When we humanize learning, we:

• Recognize each student as a whole person;
• Acknowledge diverse needs, backgrounds, and abilities;
• Reduce stigma around difference; and
• Foster belonging and connection.

As we observe Global Accessibility Awareness Day, we remember that accessibility isn’t only about ramps and captions, it’s also about understanding the experiences we can’t see. And making space for everyone to thrive.

References

DO-IT. (n.d.). Invisible disabilities and postsecondary education. University of Washington. https://www.washington.edu/doit/invisible-disabilities-and-postsecondary-education

Global Accessibility Awareness Day. (n.d.). Accessibility.Day. https://accessibility.day/

Invisible Disabilities Association. (n.d.). What is an invisible disability? https://invisibledisabilities.org/what-is-an-invisible-disability/

Langreo, L. (2023, December 8). Digital Distractions in Class Linked to Lower Academic Performance. EducationWeek. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/digital-distractions-in-class-linked-to-lower-academic-performance/2023/12

Lepp, A., (2022, December 9). Off Task During Online Learning: Kent State Study Finds Student Multitasking Increases in Online Courses Compared to Face-To-Face Courses. https://www.kent.edu/kent/news/kent-state-study-finds-student-multitasking-increases-online-courses

Nagesh, S., Philip, S., Mathias, K. (2020, December 3). People with invisible disability look like me, look like any of us. International Health Policies. https://www.internationalhealthpolicies.org/featured-article/people-with-invisible-disability-look-like-me-look-like-any-of-us/

Perry, K. (2022). Exploring the hardships and stigma students with invisible disabilities face. Interpolations: A Journal of Undergraduate Research. University of Maryland. https://english.umd.edu/research-innovation/journals/interpolations/fall-2022/exploring-hardships-and-stigma-students

Tillotson, J., Laker, B., Pereira, V., Bhatnagar, K., (2023, April 4). How to make workplaces more inclusive for people with invisible disabilities. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/04/how-to-make-workplaces-more-inclusive-for-people-with-invisible-disabilities

World Health Organization. (2023, March 7). Disability and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health

Katie Fife Schuster is the Director of Member Relations for the Online Learning Consortium, where she leads efforts to strengthen engagement across the organization’s member community. Katie plays a central role in shaping member-focused strategies and fostering meaningful connections that support professional growth and collaboration. Her commitment to building strong communities and delivering value to members continues to advance OLC’s mission and support the broader field of digital learning.