I Am Invisible No More: Together We are Changing the Way the World Sees Disabilities In 1996, the Invisible Disabilities® Association (IDA) began with a mission to validate the millions living in the shadows of “looking good” while feeling anything but. Today, we have reached a monumental milestone: IDA’s 30th Anniversary. For more than three […]
Time is Our Most Precious Commodity: Brian J Esposito Brian Esposito, CEO of Esposito Intellectual Enterprises, is a prominent figure in the worlds of entrepreneurship and technology. His journey, however, is not just one of business success, but also a deeply personal one shaped by his upbringing, health challenges, and a steadfast commitment to helping […]
One Tough Cookie: The Story of Isabella Sementilli Isabella Sementilli‘s life was changed in an instant in the fifth grade when a bully yanked her chair out from under her. The fall left her with a concussion, a fractured tailbone, and neck and back injuries. This incident marked the beginning of what she describes as […]
A Conversation with John O’Leary: Embracing Scars and Finding Awe John O’Leary, a man whose life story is as inspiring as it is challenging, shared his journey and insights on the InVisible InCourage SHOW. From surviving a devastating house fire to becoming a motivational speaker and author, John’s perspective on life, family, and invisible disabilities […]
Hard to believe it is 2025 already. We founded the Invisible Disabilities Association over 29 years ago and so many things have changed since then. I think of 9-11 and the impact felt around the world. Since 1996 we’ve had wars and pandemics and devastating hurricanes and apocalyptic fires and so many other dramatic impacts […]
Oftentimes in order to move forward, we need to look back. The Invisible Disabilities Association was founded in 1996. What was the reason for the founding of IDA? People would see my wife, Sherri get out of our car in an accessible spot and since she was not in a wheelchair, they would yell at […]
Invisible Disabilities Awareness Campaign Gives People Opportunity to be Heard and to Win Great Prizes Invisible Disabilities Association (IDA) and Allsup launch the #IAmInvisibleNoMore Video Campaign and Contest allowing those impacted by invisible disabilities to share their stories to bring awareness and have the opportunity to win prizes. PRESS RELEASE: Parker, CO, February 28, […]
Let’s help the “I am Invisible No More” video go viral! Videos about Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits may never trend, even though about 2.5 million people apply each year. But the Invisible Disabilities Association video Allsup is sponsoring should go viral. View “I Am Invisible No More!” on YouTube to see why. […]
IDA Facebook Frames a Huge Hit During Invisible Disabilities Week IDA Facebook Frames were first introduced for the 2017 Invisible Disabilities Week (IDW) and they are extremely popular. The frames are an overlay on a person’s profile photo. They share a message that the profile belongs to someone who lives with an invisible disability or […]
Invisible Disabilities Week wrap up gave us pause to reflect on how thankful we are to all of our followers, community and hard-working team of volunteers for helping to make this 2017 Invisible Disabilities Week a huge success! As a result, the Invisible Disabilities Association was able to support and spread messages of awareness, education and […]
Mandy Harvey performance of “What a Wonderful World,” which took place during her appearance at the Invisible Disabilities Awards Gala in October 2016, was released in July 2017 on YouTube. It has climbed quickly to close to 20,000 views on the Invisible Disabilities YouTube channel. “What a Wonderful World,” featured on Mandy’s jazz album “Smile,” […]
The Invisible Disabilities Association (IDA) today released the new LIVE performance by Mandy Harvey and Pete Ohlin, “Together.” This special song brings hope to people living with invisible disabilities. The song was created to bring awareness and encouragement to millions who live with illness, pain and injury around the world. Share the video! Download the single, “Together!” A […]
How do you go about defining invisible disability? Is it a specific illness or condition, such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, bipolar disorder, diabetes, a Chiari malformation or syringomyelia? Is it the symptoms of an illness or disability, such as pain or fatigue or neuropathy or brain fog? Why do we even use the phrase? Where […]
“I can’t believe how strong you are!” “I can’t believe how hard you keep fighting!” “You are so courageous!” “You amaze me!” Believe it or not, it is all too common for a person living with a continuing illness or pain to be treated as if they are not positive enough, do not try hard […]
I am sure you have heard of the phrase, “Well at least you have your health.” People use these words as encouragement after a tragedy or loss of a friend or loved one or maybe even for themselves. Yet, what if you don’t have your health? What if life has thrown you a curve ball […]
Imagine a world where people have the time to spend with, learn about, and empathize with people faced with an unforeseen catastrophe. Imagine a world where family and friends would unite to take challenges head on while supporting one another through the hardships of life. The synergistic effect of embracing “we” instead of “I” would […]
But you don’t look sick.” “But you LOOK good.” “It’s all in your head.” “You just want attention.” When most people are sick with the flu or a fever, they become pale and droopy and their hair is in a tussle. Therefore, when we meet someone who tells us he or she is ill […]
Have you ever heard the words, “Well, what do you expect?” when someone learns that a person is living with illness or pain caused by an injury from their job or hobby. Maybe that person’s job was full of risk, such as working in a gold mine as highlighted on the Discovery Channel’s show Gold Rush, […]
Everyone has a story to share – this is what connects us to one another, no matter our family background or where we come from. No matter what you’ve been through in your life, telling your story is the first step to creating meaningful relationships and building a strong support system. People with invisible illnesses […]
For those of you who know me, you know I am a slow and steady marathon maniac. For the past decade, I run a couple of marathons a year trying to someday run a marathon in all 50 states. For me marathoning is a metaphor for my life: committing to audacious adventures and figuring out […]