In coordination with our Campus, we aim to foster a culture of positive regard, to create a culture of inclusivity by dismantling stereotypes of invisible disabilities through the promotion of self-advocacy, support, resources, and training, To liaise with campus stakeholders by providing proactive disability management support to individuals impacted by invisible disabilities in the Workplace. Providing appropriate and compassionate responses regarding disclosures of invisible disabilities, which align with goals of integrity, inclusion, and community belonging.
What are Invisible Disabilities?
An “invisible,” “non-visible,” “hidden,” “non-apparent,” or "unseen" disability is any physical, mental, or emotional impairment that goes largely unnoticed. An invisible disability can include, but is not limited to: cognitive impairment and brain injury; the autism spectrum; chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia; d/Deaf and/or hard of hearing; blindness and/or low vision; anxiety, depression, PTSD, and many more. We understand the body as always changing, so disability and chronic illness may be unstable or periodic throughout one’s life.
*invisibledisabilityproject.org
Educational Components
Support for Supervisors and Managers
Managers play a pivotal role in supporting employees with invisible disabilities. The guide below will highlight ways to support both the department and individuals as it relates to invisible disabilities in the workplace.
Creating a supportive environment:
As a leader, you have an opportunity to create an inclusive environment that can allow staff with invisible disabilities to get the help they need to be successful.
- Awareness:
- Promote National Disability Employment Awareness Month to your team as a way to acknowledge the issue and invite discussion.
- Resources:
- Share information to your team about Be Well at Work’s Disability Management and Employee Assistance programs.
- Communication:
- Use inclusive language to create a safe environment for all. Examples are People first language and avoiding the use of labels.
- Education:
- Familiarize yourself with the reasonable accommodation process.
- Learn more about invisible disabilities.
- Explore Ask JAN to learn more about job accommodations.
Supporting individuals:
Disclosing an invisible disability can be a challenging topic for many employees. Feelings of shame, embarrassment and fear of discrimination can be common. As a manager, your words and actions are hugely important in assisting your staff.
- Utilize active listening skills during meetings. Validation and empathy demonstrate care and compassion, while summarizing, asking clarifying questions and paraphrasing demonstrate understanding.
- Allow the employee to share what they are comfortable with, rather than asking personal health related questions.
- Explore what support the employee needs from you to be able to succeed in their role.
- Focus on referring the employee to supportive resources like Disability Management and Employee Assistance.
- Follow-up regularly with the employee to ensure they have the needed support.
- Seek management consultation for yourself with appropriate resources Employee Assistance and/or Disability Management.
Guidelines for Language
- Disability-Inclusive Language Guidelines - These guidelines have been prepared by the United Nations Office at Geneva as part of efforts to implement the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy, launched in 2019. It is aimed at removing barriers and engaging persons with disabilities in all spheres of work and life in order to achieve sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion.
Video Resources (Informational)
Campus Resources
Be Well at Work Disability Management
Disability Management assists with overcoming identified disability-related obstacles and challenges encountered in the workplace. This assistance may include referral to campus and community resources; assistance with garnering needed documentation; transferable skills identification; support toward self-advocacy and identification of tools and/or training that may facilitate success in an individual's own job or title. Additionally, we partner with EAP and other campus units to ensure proactive and collaborative support is available and accessible to our clients.
Be Well at Work Employee Assistance
UC Berkeley's Employee Assistance counselors are a diverse group of licensed mental health professionals trained and experienced in dealing with a wide variety of work-related and behavioral health issues. They are knowledgeable about invisible disabilities and the challenges that those experience with them. Employee Assistance counselors can provide a confidential setting to discuss the unique challenges one might face with an invisible disability and offer possible solutions, resources, and appropriate referrals to support one’s needs.
Disability Access and Compliance (DAC)
Campus Access Services is responsible for facilitating accommodations and services for non-course activities on the UC Berkeley campus. This includes CART/ASL requests, access information resources, and mobility accommodations for people with qualifying disability needs.
DAC manages requests for Effective communications accommodations, including Real-Time Captioning, Sign Language Interpreting, and alternative formatting for print materials. This page features a request form and guide on how to request CART/ASL requests for deaf/hard of hearing community members.
This page also features a guide on how to report an access barrier. Barriers reported here can include physical and electronic access barriers wherever they are encountered across campus.
Berkeley Staff Ombuds Office
The Staff Ombuds Office provides a confidential place for staff to discuss and clarify concerns, identify options, and discover problem-solving strategies to constructively navigate and overcome workplace disputes and problems.