Invisible Disabilities Week, proclaimed in 2020 in the state of Massachusetts, reminds us that not all disabilities can be identified by sight alone. Many experience mental health and cognitive issues, life-altering pain, social stigma and other symptoms of non-apparent disabilities like PTSD, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, diabetes, autism, and many others. Over 60 million Americans live with a disability, and an estimated 80%+ of those disabilities are not necessarily apparent to others. Everyone benefits from recognizing this, believing those who are affected, educating ourselves, and providing access and support.
Those with various types of invisible disabilities often benefit from accessibility features and accommodations. Making media accessible to people with disabilities is central to GBH’s mission, and has been for nearly fifty years; GBH pioneered captioning and audio description for broadcast television and feature film, set industry-wide guidelines and best practices, and continues to create resources and develop award-winning technologies to keep pace with the changing media landscape. Notable among these offerings is the free downloadable Caption and Description Editing Tool ( CADET ) developed by GBH’s National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM), and research-based guidelines for writing effective, high-quality image descriptions.
[Image Description: Black stick figures roll, march, dance, and ride across a blue background above the caption “Not all disabilities are visible’” ]
image courtesy of Spoonie Species
