Mental health and disability: Prioritizing inclusion and self-care
As a person with ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety, I know firsthand how disability can affect mental health. It wasn’t until recently, however, that I discovered how deep the connection between my mental well-being and my neurodivergence went.
I’m Hannah (she/her), a marketing coach and consultant. For most of my working life, I feared my disability would prevent me from taking on higher-paid roles with more responsibility, and the efforts I made to conceal my disability had a significant impact on my mental health.
Knowing what I know now, I see what a loss of potential that was, not only for myself, but also for the companies with which I worked.
Why is it important that mental health conditions are recognized as disabilities under the Accessible BC Act?
As a society, we’ve often overlooked the influence that our minds and brains have on the way we interact with the world. For many of us whose brains are wired differently, we’ve become all too familiar with our divergent behaviours being labelled as a personal failing. Mental illness, addiction, and neurological differences are examples of invisible disabilities that haven’t always been fully acknowledged in our common understanding of disability.
Thanks to a recent shift in our understanding, however, mental illness is now recognized as part of a continuum of conditions that make up disability.
Definition: The Accessible BC Act defines disability as, “an inability to participate fully and equally in society as a result of the interaction of an impairment and a barrier,” and the term impairment, “includes a physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive impairment, whether permanent, temporary or episodic.”
Accessibility looks different for people with mental health disabilities than it does for those with physical disabilities. With legal protection now in place, we can work towards dismantling the barriers that have excluded people who think, feel, and experience the world differently.
What is the relationship between mental and physical health and how can this affect people with disabilities?
In their 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, Statistics Canada reported an increase of approximately 1.8 million people with a disability in Canada compared to their 2017 survey. The largest portion of this increase in disability rate was due to an increase in mental health disabilities in youth and working-age adults.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, people living with a serious mental illness are at a higher risk of experiencing chronic physical conditions. On the other hand, those with chronic physical health conditions are twice as likely to experience depression and anxiety compared to the general population.
For instance, individuals with mobility impairments may face depression due to social isolation, while those with neurological conditions might experience anxiety from stigma and misunderstanding.
For a person with a disability, navigating barriers in accessing services, financial insecurity, and social isolation can have an emotional and psychosocial impact. It can also put an increased strain on interpersonal relationships. As a person’s mental health declines, physical health and daily functioning are affected, then the cycle repeats and problems become amplified.
I have experienced this snowball effect of challenges. Fears that my ADHD and dyslexia would cause me to make errors prevented me from taking on more responsibility at work. When I did take on more responsibility, the added stress had a ripple effect throughout my life. As my anxiety increased, my ability to perform at work decreased, and my physical health suffered.
Why it’s important to acknowledge our need for self-care
For those of us with disabilities, self-care is a way to reach or maintain a baseline so we can face the demands of daily life. From battling stereotypes to inaccessible software and environments, we have the right to be proud of our perseverance, and to admit that it all can be exhausting at times.
I’m fortunate to be self-employed and, therefore, have the ability to build a work schedule around my needs. I’ve been able to build in space to take breaks on “bad” days and curate a client list of allies who not only accept and embrace my neurodivergence, but also value it.
Not everyone has this luxury. People with disabilities have the best understanding of their self-care capacity and needs, and how to respond to those needs. When wellness and self-care become a part of an organization’s work culture, people with disabilities can work effectively, and everybody wins.
Creating inclusive workplaces with a focus on wellness and self-care
Navigating accessibility barriers in the workplace takes a physical and an emotional toll. Attitudes and misconceptions can be some of the most challenging barriers to address.
Organizational leaders can begin to foster more inclusive spaces by first examining any conscious or unconscious biases they have towards mental health disabilities. It helps to see beyond disability in terms of accommodations and focus on understanding how different parts of disability inclusion are interconnected.
To remove barriers proactively, for the broadest group of stakeholders possible, embracing a systemic approach is essential. Organizations can ensure mental health and well-being are clearly acknowledged within their accessibility initiatives and provide awareness training for their staff members, hosted by professionals with lived experience of disability and a deep knowledge of accessibility.
Organizations can also be supportive of their teams’ mental well-being by being intentional about promoting connection and self-care, which benefits everyone. From encouraging team members to take breaks, being open to flexible work schedules, and providing a safe space for team members to express their needs, workplaces can create an inclusive environment that prioritizes mental health.
There’s a wealth of untapped potential within the disabled community. A skilled and resourceful workforce is out there and ready to make great contributions to organizations that have made efforts to create truly accessible and welcoming workplaces.
To learn how your organization can tap into the full potential of your team, contact us.
Hannah McCormick (she/her) is a marketing coach and consultant passionate about empowering women and neurodivergent entrepreneurs to thrive in the digital landscape. With ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety, Hannah has learned to love her non-neurotypical ways of thinking. Her clients value her creative approaches to problem-solving and her ability to voice complex ideas in simple ways. As one of four siblings with disabilities, and with a partner and two children who are also neurodivergent, accessibility has become a crucial and fascinating part of her life and work.