Advocacy
At Invisible Illnesses Inc, we’re committed to a future where people of all abilities have access to meaningful employment opportunities.
But we want to do more.
We want to spark a broader movement for change. By engaging the wider community, we aim to shift perceptions and inspire action. We advocate for the incredible potential of people living with invisible illnesses, and through our business networks, we encourage employers to recognise and harness this talent within their own organisations.
By creating inclusive workplaces, we can gather momentum for our movement for change.
With each positive change in mindset about what a person living with invisible illness can achieve, we hope our movement will permeate through business culture towards a more inclusive society.
At Invisible Illnesses, we lead this advocacy by example. To provide employment opportunities for people living with an invisible illness, we are constantly looking to grow our offering, to offer wider support, more work sampling, more work experience options and further employment opportunities within our own organisation.
We plan to double the availability of our programs by 2025, offering more participants the opportunity to grow their skills, access employment opportunities and lead an independent and fulfilling life.
By 2024 we aim to implement our Empowerment to Employment program enabling us to identify clients’ needs and begin building their life-skills and confidence in preparation for their transition to employment.
One of the other aims for 2024 is advocating the awareness of Assistance Dogs and how important they are to many of us for different reasons.
Partnering with businesses that embrace our philosophy and intention is key to enhancing our offering and furthering our vision.
If you believe in our movement for change, join us. You can make a difference in many ways: volunteer, donate, shop with us, work with us or do business with us.
Time to Change the Disability Symbol
What comes to mind when you think of the word disability?
A wheelchair? A guide dog? Maybe a walking frame?
❝ You do not have to look disabled to be disabled. ❞
A University of Sydney study shows that up to 90% of the 4.4 million Australians living with a disability have an invisible disability. The overwhelming majority of us are living with conditions you can’t see.
And yet…
🛑 We’re questioned when we use accessible toilets
🛑 We’re judged when we park in ACROD bays
🛑 We’re accused of faking it, “milking the system” or just being lazy
We shouldn’t have to justify our conditions to strangers just to pee in peace or walk a shorter distance when we’re in pain.
💭So, what’s the issue?
The current International Symbol of Access (ISA)
(the stick figure in a wheelchair) was created way back in 1968. It’s instantly recognisable, yes… but it only represents a fraction of our disability community.
It’s time we reimagined it.
It’s time we made it inclusive.
It’s time the symbol represented us all.
We’re not asking to throw it out. Just to update it respectfully, so it still serves its purpose and reflects the reality of disability in 2025 and beyond.
👉
🚩 The Problem
While physical injuries may heal quickly, many workers continue to suffer long-term psychological impacts such as anxiety, PTSD, depression, and stigma. The claims process itself can cause further harm.
Yet, workers’ compensation policies often:
-
Prioritise physical recovery
-
Cut support after physical healing
-
Make it harder to claim for mental health
-
Provide limited access to treatment
-
Ignore psychological injuries that follow physical ones
🔍 The Evidence
-
Psychological injuries are among the most costly and slowest to heal.
-
Mental health claims are twice as likely to be denied or disputed.
-
Poorly managed claims increase the risk of long-term unemployment and re-injury.
💡 What Needs to Change
We’re urging policymakers and insurers to:
✅ Recognise mental health as a primary injury
✅ Extend recovery timelines for mental health claims
✅ Improve access to early, trauma-informed treatment
✅ Acknowledge psychological injuries caused by physical trauma
👣 Why This Matters
Too many people with invisible illnesses have had their mental health dismissed in the claims process. Recovery is more than physical, it's emotional and social.
🤝 Join Us
We’re seeking:
-
Support from professionals, unions, and MPs
-
Media coverage and public backing
-
Partners to help reform the system
✊ Mental health is not secondary. It’s central.
Mental Health in Workers’ Compensation
We are calling for an urgent reform to the way mental health is assessed and supported in Australia’s workers’ compensation system.
Currently, workers’ compensation legislation and insurance practices tend to focus predominantly on physical injuries, with psychological impacts considered secondary, incidental, or temporary.
Yet in many cases, the mental health toll of a workplace injury lasts far longer and cuts far deeper than the injury itself. Workers are falling through the cracks, and the system must adapt.
Change in Our Education System
It’s 2025 and still, too many young people with Autism, ADHD, anxiety, trauma, chronic fatigue, dyslexia, and other invisible conditions are being let down by a system that wasn’t built with them in mind.
We believe it’s time to reimagine education, not just for some, but for all.
At Invisible Illnesses Inc., we hear it every day:
“The school didn’t understand my child.”
“My daughter was labelled lazy instead of supported.”
“My son was punished for having a meltdown.”
🚨 The Problem
Australia’s education system still follows a one-size-fits-all approach. Students who don’t fit the mould (including those with Autism, ADHD, trauma, and chronic illness) are often:
-
Misunderstood or misdiagnosed
-
Punished for symptoms they can’t control
-
Excluded from activities
-
Left behind by inflexible teaching
-
Shamed for needing “too much help”
At the same time, many teachers are undertrained and under-resourced, doing their best in a system that doesn't support them either.
🧩 It’s not about “fixing” the child. It’s about fixing the system around them.
💡 What Needs to Change
We need a nationwide shift to an inclusive, trauma-informed, strength-based education model that supports neurodiverse and invisibly disabled students from day one.
Our Key Recommendations:
-
Mandatory training for all educators on neurodiversity & invisible illness
-
Early identification & intervention — no more “wait until they fail”
-
Flexible, strength-based teaching using UDL principles
-
Wellbeing in the curriculum — prioritising mental health and regulation
-
Family voice & lived experience embedded in policy and practice
📚 “I’m Still Learning” – Our Contribution
We’re creating “I’m Still Learning”, a school program featuring InvisiTales, an animated series teaching empathy and inclusion through animal characters with invisible conditions.
But we can’t do it alone. We need policy, funding, and leadership that reflects today’s classrooms.
🗣️ A Call to Decision Makers
To education departments, school leaders, and policymakers:
The future of education is inclusive. The time to act is now.
We urge you to:
✅ Work with people with lived experience
✅ Review policies through an inclusion-first lens
✅ Fund holistic supports and reduce red tape
✅ Champion kids who’ve been overlooked for too long
Let’s build a system where no child is punished for being different and every teacher is empowered to support them.
💬 Join the Movement
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, policymaker or advocate, your voice matters. Contact us to collaborate, support, or bring our program to your school:
Help us create an education system that sees all learners.
InvisiTales
Animated animal adventures with big-hearted messages
Our program is brought to life through a playful animated series called InvisiTales, where each animal character has a unique invisible condition, such as:
🦉 Ollie the Owl with Autism
🐿️ Skippy the Squirrel with ADHD
🐘 Ellie the Elephant with Dyslexia
🐢 Tilly the Turtle with Chronic Fatigue
🦓 Zara the Zebra with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Each episode and lesson helps students:
✔ Understand what it’s like to live with an invisible illness
✔ Explore how these conditions can affect learning, behaviour and friendships
✔ Learn the power of kindness, inclusion and asking “Are you okay?”
We’ll be creating teacher toolkits, parent handouts, and class resources to go along with each animal’s story — so kids can connect, reflect, and discuss in a fun and meaningful way.
🎓 What We’ll Cover
Our age-appropriate sessions (tailored for K–Year 12) will explore:
🌟 Neurodiversity – understanding Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia & more
🌟 Empathy Building – learning through stories and animal characters
🌟 Invisible Illness Awareness – fatigue, chronic pain, and mental health
🌟 Kindness & Acceptance – how to be a better friend and ally
🌟 Strength-Based Learning – showing kids their difference is a superpower!
👩🏫 But That’s Not All…
We know change doesn't stop in the classroom, so we’re going beyond the blackboard:
👨👩👧👦 For Parents
We’ll host info sessions and send home easy-to-understand materials that help parents:
Recognise the signs of invisible conditions
Advocate for their children
Connect with local supports
🧑🏫 For Teachers
We’re working with educators to build: Inclusive teaching strategies, Strength-based learning supports, Practical classroom tools for neurodivergent and chronically ill kids.
Together, we want to help schools create environments where these children thrive instead of struggle, because every child deserves the chance to feel seen, heard, and believed.
Want to Be Part of InvisiTales?
I’m Still Learning!
Our School Education Program
Not all differences can be seen, but they can be understood.
At Invisible Illnesses Inc., we believe kids are never too young to learn about diversity, inclusion, and kindness.
That’s why we’re developing “I’m Still Learning” an educational program created by people with lived experience for schools, teachers, and families.
It’s all about helping young people understand that just because someone looks okay, doesn’t mean they don’t face real challenges and that different doesn’t mean less.
Describe your image
Our Supporters
Together, we inspire hope and facilitate healing, guiding individuals from struggle to strength. Let our collective stories serve as a beacon of hope, illuminating the path for others, and demonstrating the remarkable capacity for hope and healing within the unseen.
Describe your image
