Hi, I’m Georgia, a second-year history student living with an invisible disability. 

I’m campaigning for change to raise awareness of hidden disabilities. Through increased education and understanding I hope to bring a voice to students living with disabilities that are so often left forgotten or unacknowledged. 

As of December 2021, 22% of people in the UK were recorded as living with a disability. Of those, 70% are estimated to be hidden. Despite this, awareness of invisible disabilities remains inadequate. To change this:

- I will push the university towards ensuring fundamental understanding of all types of disabilities is intertwined with its core values. 

- I will campaign for greater training and guidance on the types, impacts and effects of living with invisible disabilities to be provided by UEA, filling the ever-present gap.

- I will endeavour for compassion to replace resentment and for adaptations to replace barriers, levelling the social and academic playing field of university. 

As someone who has battled the challenges of an invisible disability inside and outside of the university environment, I hope to use my experiences of the failures and misconceptions within society to strive for change. Although our challenges cannot be seen, their lack of visibility doesn’t make them any easier to navigate. Invisible disabilities are no less deserving of consideration and understanding simply because they are not immediately identifiable upon first appearance. I see you - and will work so that others do too.

It’s time to realise - there’s more than meets the eye.