Hidden Disabilities Week

This week is Hidden Disabilities Week, a yearly awareness event that highlights disabilities that can be hidden to people but are very real and life-altering to the person who is living with them, day in and day out. 

Some of the common hidden disabilities are within the neurodivergent category, such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and Tourette's. These can cause issues for people of all ages and there are more people who experience these disabilities than you would think.

Here are some estimated numbers from around the world:

• Autism: 700,000 people

• ADHD: 2.5 million people

• Dyslexia: 6.3 million people

• Tourette's: 300,000 people

Anxiety

Part of the associated side effects of these conditions is anxiety. When you have a hidden disability you may also experience anxiety as you worry about what other people think of you, or spend most of your time masking. This anxiety can peak in social situations and be especially challenging to navigate for children.

We recently found a great brand called Comfa, who appeared on tv show, Dragons Den. Comfa makes t-shirts that include fidget tools which is ideal for children that have a hidden disability that benefits from a discreet fidget tool.  

Comfa  https://nevergrey.shop/brands/comfa

Sound sensitivity

Several people I know who have hidden disabilities, myself included, really struggle to follow conversations against competing sounds that come from multiple sources - for example when multiple people are talking at the same time. It just becomes overwhelming and impossible to filter out other noise as I try to focus on one person’s words.

At Never Grey, we were thrilled to feature Loop Earplugs. They have really helped! I use them all the time and have recommended them to colleagues and friends. Here is a review I wrote with more information about their product and how they might work for you.

Loop Earplugs  https://nevergrey.shop/brands/Loop_ear_plugs

Articificial Intelligence

AI is a gamer changer in many ways and it offers great opportunities to help people with non apparent disabilities.

People with brain conditions such as strokes or brain bleeds or a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can experience significant side effects, both temporarily and in the long term. Things that your brain could normally do before, without effort, becomes a barrier to functioning day-to-day. 

An example of this would be following meetings at work. Being able to remember simple tasks or follow discussions can be impossible to manage.

New wearable tech which incorporates AI takes it up a level. Services such as Plaud which applies AI to record meetings, transcribe them and summarise minutes, so you can have a written record of meetings at your fingertips. Their starter plan includes up to 300 mins per month so you can recording those random conversations in lifts or when passing a colleague you will never forget the tasks you commit to delivering on or following up.

Plaud is also perfect for assisting users with low vision or hearing impairments.

https://nevergrey.shop/brands/plaud

Assistive technology and adaptive clothing expands beyond physical disabilities as we move towards a more inclusive, considerate society. These new brands are taking the next step and filling the gap, so instead of struggling, people with hidden disabilities have options to purchase products and services that support them.