Invisible Disabilities

NEA Advice

Not all disabilities are visible from the outside. These physical, emotional, or neurological conditions—known as invisible disabilities—can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities, and can impact that person’s ability to learn or work. These conditions affect students and educators more than you may think.

By: National Education Association

Published: October 17, 2021

This resource originally appeared on NEA.org

Invisible Disabilities: Take A Closer Look

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Podcast: Educating Students With Disabilities in a Pandemic

April Burch is a paraprofessional currently working in clerical services and co-founder of Cooking Autism, a nonprofit that helps educators offer life skills programs to children with disabilities. As a mother to two sons with special needs herself, she discusses the unique experience of educating students with disabilities during a pandemic.

NEA’s IDEA Cadre: Educators Leading The Way

The NEA’s recently-formed IDEA Cadre are a group of nearly two dozen educators with expertise from various special and general education disciplines from diverse geographic, demographic, professional, and paraprofessional backgrounds. The IDEA Cadre works collaboratively to identify and respond to current and emerging issues through the creation of resources and trainings to support our membership and the students they serve.

The group works in four main areas, called domains, that include elevating the voice of members who are experts in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; creating and providing resources and professional development to NEA members; strengthening and establishing new partnerships with disability organizations; and dispelling the monolithic perceptions of individuals with disabilities. Stay tuned for more updates on the great work our IDEA Cadre is doing here.