“If anyone on my team were really disabled, I would know… right?”

If your disability compliance training treats disability as an unlikely or highly apparent occurrence, it’s missing the mark.

That’s because about 80% of disabilities are non-apparent. This includes chronic pain, diabetes, depression, dyslexia, and forms of neurodivergence like ADHD and Autism.

If your training skips over these, it may:

❌ Inadvertently “gatekeep” disability: By only focusing on what is visible, you imply that non-apparent struggles aren’t “real” enough for support.

❌ Alienate your top talent: You risk distancing the very people the training is meant to support, leaving them feeling unseen and undervalued.

❌ Leave managers unequipped: Without the tools to support the majority of the disabled workforce, leaders are left guessing how to handle fluctuating needs or neurodiverse communication styles.

How can we do better?

Stop training for a narrow version of disability and start training for the reality of your workforce.