Access to Good Jobs for All: Supporting Employees with Invisible Disabilities
This year’s theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), "Access to Good Jobs for All," highlights the importance of creating equitable workplaces for employees across the spectrum of ability. For many, this means addressing the needs of those with invisible disabilities—conditions that are not immediately apparent but can deeply affect an individual's ability to thrive at work.
Approximately 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have a disability, but many go unreported, particularly invisible disabilities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61 million adults live with some form of disability. However, many employees choose not to disclose their condition due to fear of stigma or discrimination, leaving the actual number of employees with invisible disabilities underreported. For instance, while 30% of employees report having a disability, a significant portion of this group is navigating non-apparent conditions such as anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, which often remain hidden from their colleagues and employers .
Invisible Disabilities and Marginalized Groups
Invisible disabilities do not affect all employees equally. Marginalized communities, including Black women, Indigenous people, and other racial minorities, often face additional barriers in both the healthcare system and the workplace. Research shows that Black women and other people of color are disproportionately misdiagnosed with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and autism due to racial biases in the healthcare system . This lack of proper diagnosis leaves many in these groups without the support they need, leading to higher levels of burnout and disengagement in professional environments.
For example, studies show that Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression than their white counterparts, despite exhibiting similar symptoms. Moreover, marginalized employees are also navigating workplace environments that weren't historically designed for them, compounding the stress they experience as they try to succeed in roles that may feel unwelcoming.
How the Nervous System Plays a Role
Many invisible disabilities—such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and PTSD—are tied directly to a dysregulated nervous system. But what does this mean? When individuals face chronic stress, their bodies enter a heightened state of 'fight, flight, freeze, or fawn,' known as nervous system dysregulation. This state makes it difficult to manage stressors and engage productively at work. For employees with invisible disabilities, this state of chronic stress is often more easily triggered.
Conditions like anxiety and depression are more than just mental health diagnoses—they are tied to stress states rooted in the body’s response to chronic, unresolved stress. Employees with invisible disabilities, already navigating workplace stress, may experience more frequent dysregulation, making it difficult to concentrate, engage, and communicate effectively. Their nervous systems are often working overtime, further limiting their capacity for higher-level tasks and long-term engagement.
Applying Solutions in the Workplace
To address these challenges, workplaces need to adopt proactive strategies that support nervous system health. Here are three actionable ways businesses can support employees, particularly those with invisible disabilities:
Nervous System Regulation Toolkits: Providing employees with daily, accessible tools to regulate their nervous systems is critical. This could include offering apps like NEUROFIT that guide employees through simple body-based practices such as breathwork, grounding, or mindful movement. These activities, when done regularly, can reduce stress and help manage invisible disability symptoms.
Manager Education and Awareness: Educate managers on how to identify signs of stress and dysregulation in their team members, such as irritability, fatigue, or reduced engagement. Provide them with training on how to approach conversations about mental health and invisible disabilities without stigmatizing employees.
Normalizing Stress Management Conversations: Foster an environment where stress management and self-regulation are common workplace discussions. By making these topics part of everyday conversations, employees can feel safer sharing their needs and challenges without fear of judgment.
The "Curb Effect" of Prioritizing Nervous System Health
Investing in nervous system regulation benefits everyone, not just those with invisible disabilities. This approach, similar to the "curb effect"—where curb cuts for wheelchairs also benefit parents with strollers and delivery workers—ensures that all employees can better manage stress, build resilience, and remain engaged. By focusing on nervous system health, businesses can reduce burnout, decrease turnover, and create a healthier, more productive work environment for all employees, regardless of their background or abilities.
Why a Body-Based Approach is Necessary
It’s important to recognize that 80% of stress signals originate in the body, not the brain. While many workplace wellness programs offer workshops or access to meditation apps, these interventions primarily target mental stress. For employees with invisible disabilities, however, it’s vital to integrate body-based practices that allow them to discharge stress and trauma from the body, where it’s stored. This holistic approach addresses the root cause of many invisible disabilities, increasing employees’ overall health and capacity to manage workplace demands.
Research has shown that nervous system regulation can significantly decrease symptoms of conditions like anxiety and depression. For example, studies on Heart Rate Variability (HRV) indicate that consistent body-based interventions can lead to a 20% reduction in anxiety symptoms within six months . Similarly, tools that help regulate the nervous system can ease the burden of chronic pain, fatigue, and cognitive challenges that often accompany invisible disabilities.
Taking a Reactive and Proactive Approach to Nervous System Health
At Harmonna, we emphasize both reactive and proactive approaches to nervous system health through the use of the NEUROFIT™ app. Employees can reactively use it to discharge stress and trauma in real-time when they notice signs of dysregulation. Additionally, proactive daily practices help employees build resilience and increase their capacity to manage future stressors, leading to long-term well-being and productivity.
Conclusion
By prioritizing nervous system regulation and body-based practices, companies can create safer, more inclusive workplaces that benefit everyone, including those with invisible disabilities. It’s time to go beyond compliance and build a culture of well-being that addresses the body as much as the mind.
Sources
Invisible Disabilities Association, https://invisibledisabilities.org/
"Prevalence of Disability in the United States," CDC, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/
"Black Women and Misdiagnosis in Healthcare," Healthline, https://www.healthline.com/
"The Role of Allostatic Load in Stress and Health," NIH, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
“Heart Rate Variability and Stress Reduction,” Journal of Behavioral Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
"Nervous System Regulation and Mental Health Outcomes," Frontiers in Neuroscience, https://www.frontiersin.org/