Shedding Light on Invisible Disabilities with DAP

The U.S. Department of Education reports that 11 percent of postsecondary education students identify as having a disability. From learning difficulties to physical impairments to mental illness, disabilities are widely distributed and vary in visibility and awareness. Often there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what qualifies as a disability, which dampens response and leaves them under-considered in many areas of campus life. To combat this, Northeastern’s Rho Chapter of Delta Alphi Pi (DAP) is dedicating an entire week of events to shed light on invisible disabilities and start important, destigmatizing conversations about them.

DAP is an international honor society whose main purpose is acknowledging the academic accomplishments of students with disabilities. On Northeastern’s campus, they are additionally dedicated to “raising disability awareness on campus and in Boston-area communities and celebrating and promoting diversity and social justice” and creating a supportive and resourceful community for students with disabilities. Operating as the largest undergraduate and graduate disability-focused organization on campus since they were founded in 2016 by current President John Lambert (COS ’19), they are sponsoring Invisible Disabilities Week between October 22 to October 26 in collaboration with interdisciplinary on-campus organizations.

To combat this, Northeastern’s Rho Chapter of Delta Alphi Pi (DAP) is dedicating an entire week of events to shed light on invisible disabilities and start important, destigmatizing conversations about them.

The Invisible Disabilities Association defines an invisible disability as essentially any “physical, mental, or neurological condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities that is invisible to the onlooker.” Because they aren’t immediately apparent or perceived by the public as a disability, people living with invisible disabilities are often judged and misunderstood for the very real and debilitating challenges that they face. This leads to misinformation, stigma, and inadequate support services for an incredible amount of disorders.

In fact, the common perception of what a disability “should” look like leads many to deny that they know anyone with a disability and prevents them from recognizing that they may have one themselves. Thus, the main goal for the week, stated by DAP secretary KC Hut (COS ’20), is to “spawn a lot of discussion that usually doesn’t happen on this [Northeastern’s] campus” due to the negative connotation that the word “disability” carries. By increasing awareness and understanding of invisible disabilities, students on campus can become more supportive of those around them and potentially more self-aware as well.

[…] people living with invisible disabilities are often judged and misunderstood for the very real and debilitating challenges that they face.

The week of events will begin on Monday, October 22 with Acting Out’s spoken word event, organized to empower students with invisible disabilities and bring their voices to the forefront of this conversation. Their next event is aimed at debunking the major misconception that people with disabilities cannot be successful, thus successful people in the public light cannot have a disability. This becomes further complicated when the disability is invisible because others may not understand or acknowledge the daily difficulties that accompany it. Therefore, DAP’s keynote speaker on Tuesday, October 23 will be Drew Lynch, a comedian and activist who speaks openly about his disability and its impact on both his life and career. To bring awareness to the sheer amount of invisible disabilities that exist and their intersections with culture and identity, an information poster fair with a carnival-like atmosphere will be held on Wednesday, October 24 in collaboration with the College of Science and on-campus groups. A professional panel with a catered dinner will also be held on Thursday, October 25 to bring professionals who have worked with people with disabilities as well as professionals who have invisible disabilities.

Aside from their main events, they will also be tabling Monday through Friday in Curry Crossroads to spread information about invisible disabilities as well as advocate for charities in the community, such as William E Carter School, Samaritans of Boston, Epilepsy Foundation New England, Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and Tunaweza Children’s Centre in Uganda.

If you’re interested in keeping up to date about all the events happening during Invisible Disabilities Week, check out DAP’s Facebook and get on their mailing list by emailing dap.eboard@gmail.com! If you’d like to get involved with Northeastern’s Rho Chapter of Delta Alphi Pi, attend one of their general meetings every other Monday at 6 p.m. in 013 IV or email them to learn about their member requirements and schedule.