Marli Blog: Not Every Disability is Visible 🌻

Sunday, November 8, 2026

Blog: Not Every Disability is Visible 🌻

By Marli Grunsell 💗

What is an invisible disability? 🤔

To me, an invisible disability is like any other disability, but without physical features that make it immediately obvious to other people.

You might look at someone and not realise they have a disability at all. But that doesn’t mean their disability doesn’t affect them.

There can be lots of things going on that other people can’t see. Someone might find certain places, situations or everyday activities harder. They might need extra time, support, patience or understanding. 💕

Sometimes people might say, “But you don’t look like you have a disability.”

The thing is, disability doesn’t have a certain look.

That’s why things like the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower can be helpful. Wearing a sunflower lanyard or badge can quietly let other people know that you have a non-visible disability and might need a little more understanding or support. 🌻

For me, invisible disability is a reminder that you can’t always tell what someone is dealing with just by looking at them.

Is it a good or bad thing that not every disability is visible? ⚖️

There are definitely positives and negatives to having an invisible disability.

A positive is that I can choose whether I tell someone about my disability. If I don’t tell them, they might never notice. Sometimes I like having that choice because I don’t always want people to see my disability before they see me.

But there’s another side to it.

If people can’t see it, they don’t always understand it.

Sometimes I want to hide my disability because I worry that people might judge me or make fun of me because of it.

But if I do tell people, there is always the chance they won’t believe me. They might think, “Yeah right, you just want attention.”

That can be frustrating because sometimes I actually need people to know.

If I can’t do something, I don’t want people thinking I’m just being lazy. There might be a real reason why something is harder for me.

And sometimes people need to know about my disability so I can get the support or adjustments I need.

So that’s the tricky part about having an invisible disability:

Sometimes you want to hide it. 🙈

Sometimes you need people to see it. 💗

How does my invisible disability affect me? 🧠

I have an invisible disability. I have a brain injury and hearing loss, but you probably wouldn’t know that just by looking at me.

Sometimes when I tell people about my disability, they don’t believe me. People who don’t know much about disability might think you’re lying or just looking for attention.

When people make assumptions about what I can do, sometimes my thoughts are “Oh, here we go again.”

Because you can’t see my disability, people might assume I can take on more responsibility or learn something with very little training. What they don’t see is the extra effort my brain might be putting in.

My brain injury can cause fatigue. Too much noise, concentrating for a long time or having my eyes focus on something for too long can make me tired, bored or irritated.

Sometimes small adjustments make a big difference. At school, information in dot points instead of huge paragraphs can be easier for me. If there is lots going on, moving to a quieter space like the library can help. 📚

Noise-cancelling headphones can also help with noise and overstimulation. For some people with an invisible disability, something like travelling independently on a train might be impossible without them. 🎧

But then people might see a teenager wearing headphones and think they’re being rude.

That’s the problem with invisible disability. People can see what you’re doing, but they can’t always see the reason why you’re doing it.

Sometimes I wish it was visible – and sometimes I don't 💭

This is where invisible disability gets a bit complicated.

Sometimes I wish my disability was visible when I want it to be, because then people might understand that I need support without me having to explain myself.

But sometimes I wish it was completely invisible, because I don't want questions about my disability all the time.

Being asked questions can make me feel judged. It can also be draining having to explain myself over and over again.

Communication can make a big difference 🗣️

I recently got new hearing aids that I can control using my phone. 📱

My teachers didn't know this.

So when they saw me using my phone, they thought I was just on my phone when I shouldn't be. What they couldn't see was that I was actually adjusting my hearing aids so I could hear better.

Once people know what is happening, something that might have looked like the wrong thing suddenly makes sense.

But there is another side to this too.

People with invisible disabilities shouldn't have to explain everything about their disability just to be treated with understanding.

Sometimes people might not communicate what they need. Sometimes they might not want to. And sometimes explaining it again and again can be exhausting.

We could all be a little more open-minded before assuming we know why someone is doing something. 💕

Instead of thinking:

“Why are they doing that?”

Maybe think:

“Is there a reason they might need to do that?”

And instead of questioning whether someone really needs support, we can ask:

“What can I do to help?” 🤝

This is one reason the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower 🌻 can be helpful.

The sunflower is a simple way for someone to voluntarily show that they have a non-visible disability and may need some extra time, understanding or support - without having to explain their whole story. www.hdsunflower.com.au

For me, that's a pretty important message.

Believe people. Be kind. Ask how you can help instead of making assumptions. 💗

Because...

Just because it isn't visible, doesn't mean it's not there. 🌻

🩷👇🩷 Want to learn more? Check out the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower below to learn more about invisible disabilities or order your own Sunflower lanyard or badge.

🌻 www.hdsunflower.com.au

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