Disability & Stigma: Seeing What’s Not Seen
Part 2 of a 4-part series exploring overlooked aspects of disability in design.
When we think about disability, most people picture something visible — a white cane, a wheelchair, a guide dog. But many disabilities are invisible, and this often shapes how stigma shows up in everyday life.
A man in a grey suit walks down outdoor steps holding a white cane in one hand and a grey umbrella in the other. He is wearing sunglasses, and the background shows greenery with trees and bushes.
What counts as an “invisible” disability?
Invisible disabilities include chronic illnesses, mental health conditions, sensory impairments, learning differences, and more. They aren’t immediately obvious to others, but they impact how someone moves through the world. The challenge is that because you “can’t see it,” people often assume the disability isn’t real, or that support isn’t needed.
Stigma in design and research
Our UX researcher Laura Wissiak has written about how stigma plays out in technology and design. Too often, there’s an assumption that only certain people are the “authentic” users of accessibility tools. But lived experience is complex — someone may be partially sighted, anxious in crowded spaces, or have fluctuating energy levels. Each of these experiences is valid, yet they are frequently overlooked when products are tested or built.
Everyday barriers
Take the example of an anxious traveler who can’t reschedule a flight. The airline system may not have been designed with mental health in mind, and staff might not recognize that anxiety is a disability at all. The result? A system that adds stress instead of reducing it. These “invisible” barriers show up across daily life — in healthcare, workplaces, education, and digital tools.
Moving forward
Stigma thrives when needs are dismissed or misunderstood. Breaking it starts with awareness: recognizing that disability doesn’t always have a physical marker. For designers, it means asking harder questions about who is left out of the picture.
Which invisible barriers do you think designers most often miss? We’d love to hear from you. Share them with us so we can help broaden the conversation.
