The Inclusion Bites Podcast

Beyond Sight

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Navigating Hidden Disabilities: Life Beyond Sight

Hannah Cohen unpacks the realities of hidden disabilities, navigating lived experience, resilience, and practical inclusion, while empowering leaders and teams to foster conscious inclusion and deeper understanding within organisations and society.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood invites Hannah Cohen to share her lived experience and expert perspective on hidden disabilities, focusing particularly on visual impairment. Hannah articulates the nuanced realities of navigating a world largely constructed for those without such challenges. Together, Joanne and Hannah discuss societal perceptions and misunderstandings of blindness, the impact of accessibility technology, and the often-invisible barriers faced by individuals with disabilities. Their candid conversation spotlights the importance of conscious inclusion, highlighting real-life examples from Hannah’s day-to-day life to illustrate the persistent need for genuine empathy and practical support.

Hannah is a visually impaired inclusion coach, leveraging both her professional background as a solicitor and her personal journey following significant vision loss. She supports teams, leaders, and individuals through workshops and coaching, focusing on the authentic understanding of hidden disabilities. Hannah’s work is dedicated to empowering others and dismantling misconceptions, particularly around visual impairment. Her insights are shaped not just by her professional training, but also by her experience as a parent and sole carer, and by her resilience in adapting to changing circumstances. Through this episode, listeners gain a valuable understanding of the spectrum of sight loss, self-advocacy, and the emotional complexity of living with a hidden disability, informed by Hannah’s engaging, compassionate approach.

Joanne and Hannah explore the challenges of adjusting to new realities—such as learning to work with inaccessible technology, rethinking everyday independence, and advocating for support in social and business environments. They delve into the necessity of conscious inclusion in society and the workplace, drawing parallels to broader themes of neurodiversity and physical disability. The episode concludes with practical reflections, reminding listeners that fostering inclusion is not about meeting minimum standards, but about creating communities where everyone is seen, heard, and valued.

A key takeaway from this episode is the transformative impact of honest dialogue, self-advocacy, and intentional inclusion. Listeners are encouraged to reconsider their assumptions, adopt a mindset open to empathy and action, and to engage with the Inclusion Bites Podcast community as part of driving meaningful cultural change.

 
Published: 19.02.2026
Recorded: 06.10.2025
Duration: 0:57:39
 
Shownotes:
  • AI Extracts and Interpretations
  • The Inclusion Bites Podcast #197: Beyond Sight
    — app.castmagic.io
  • Other Links
  • SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts
    — seechangehappen.co.uk
  • Inclusion Bites Podcast on YouTube
    Clips and Timestamps

    Viral Topic: The Power of Inclusion

    “Remember, everyone not only belongs, but thrives. You’re not alone.”
    — Hannah Cohen [00:00:26 → 00:00:30]

    Embracing Neurodiversity: “Well, I’ve got friends who are neurodiverse, neurospicy, sometimes whatever language they use to describe themselves. And some of them will start every sentence with my adhd, you know, sort of. It’s almost like they’re everything. It revolves around their ADHD or their autistic traits or whatever it may be. And there are other people who are arguably undiagnosed, but exhibit the characteristics of someone with ADHD or autism, ausd, and they just get on with life. And it’s different, isn’t it? People have told me I’ve got a level of neurodiversity. I don’t. I don’t need to be diagnosed.”

    — Hannah Cohen [00:28:40 → 00:29:25]

    Viral Topic: The Hidden Struggles of Accessibility

    “Until you’ve spent a day or two or a lot, a lot longer with these people, you don’t realise how inconvenient the world is for them.”
    — Hannah Cohen [00:35:50 → 00:35:58]

    Travel Frustrations Go Viral: “We are not going to be happy if we miss our train and my mum cannot run, okay? And I know you don’t want to hold the train up, so what are we going to do here?”

    — Hannah Cohen [00:37:32 → 00:37:40]

    Viral Topic: Accessibility in Dining

    Quote: “when you think about accessibility, popping a chilli or popping something on a bit of food, you’ve got a lot of responsibility there to say to the people as you put it down, be careful, this is hot, the plate’s hot, the pan’s Hot. And there’s a chilli on top. And I think we have to audio describe for our restaurant goers as well.”
    — Hannah Cohen [00:47:02 → 00:47:22]

    Hidden Gaps in Disability Support: “And this is the crazy thing about the Equality act is that a disability is only class of disability if it persists for over a year. So the fact that my wife’s had a total knee replacement, she’s not entitled to any support, blue badge or anything like that because it’s a transient condition and not more than a year.”

    — Hannah Cohen [00:50:51 → 00:51:14]

    Bureaucratic Barriers to Support: “Well, he’s not broken enough, you know, he’s. He’s recovered. It’s like, yeah, but if you don’t help him, he’ll fall over and he’ll be back in hospital and he’ll be back where we started. Well, we’re not set up for that.”

    — Hannah Cohen [00:52:11 → 00:52:22]

    Viral Topic: Autonomy and Disability

    “I would rather drag myself on my knuckles through the terminal on the floor than have you push me in a wheelchair because that will make me disabled. You’ve taken away my autonomy, you’ve taken away my advocacy. You basically said, I am disabled. I am.”
    — Hannah Cohen [00:52:49 → 00:53:29]

    Viral Topic: Accessibility Failures at Major Events: “On the first day, she turned up and said the entrance wasn’t accessible.”

    — Hannah Cohen [00:54:03 → 00:54:07]

    Viral Topic: Amplifying Voices for Inclusion: “Let’s amplify the voices that matter.”

    — Hannah Cohen [00:57:03 → 00:57:06]

    Definition of Terms Used
    What is Central Vision Loss?
    • Definition: Central vision loss refers to the deterioration or absence of sight in the central part of the visual field, making tasks such as reading, recognising faces, or viewing fine detail extremely challenging, while peripheral vision often remains intact.
    • Relevance: This condition is significant in discussions of visual impairment, especially where accessibility and independence are concerned, as it alters the way an individual interacts with technology, navigates environments, and undertakes daily activities.
    • Examples: A person with central vision loss may struggle to read computer screens or printed documents, relying on screen readers and audio cues instead.
    • Related Terms: Peripheral Vision, Registered Blind, Optic Nerve Failure, Low Vision
    • Common Misconceptions: Many assume that blindness means total loss of sight, whereas central vision loss allows some peripheral awareness; people may perceive those with the condition as seeing nothing at all, which is inaccurate.
      • What are Hidden Disabilities?
      • Definition: Hidden disabilities are physical, mental, sensory, or cognitive impairments that are not immediately visible or apparent to others, often requiring individuals to self-advocate or disclose their needs in social or workplace settings.
      • Relevance: Opening the conversation on hidden disabilities is crucial for fostering inclusion, as it helps address the unseen barriers people face, and reminds employers and colleagues that accommodations may be required even if impairments are not visible.
      • Examples: Conditions such as visual impairment, hearing loss, neurodiversity, or chronic illness which do not manifest in obvious physical traits or behaviours.
      • Related Terms: Invisible Disability, Neurodiversity, Access to Work, Reasonable Adjustment
      • Common Misconceptions: Hidden disabilities are often mistaken for laziness, lack of effort, or simply overlooked; people may wrongly believe that if someone doesn’t “look” disabled, they do not need support.
        • What is Access to Work?
        • Definition: Access to Work is a UK government-funded scheme which offers practical and financial support to enable disabled people, including those with hidden disabilities, to remain in or return to employment, by funding workplace adaptations, specialist equipment, or support workers.
        • Relevance: The scheme is essential for addressing workplace barriers, providing resources that smaller firms often cannot afford, and ensuring disabled individuals are not excluded from employment opportunities.
        • Examples: Provision of screen-reading software, specialist seating, or funding for travel to work for someone whose condition affects mobility or sight.
        • Related Terms: Equality Act 2010, Reasonable Adjustments, Disability Confident, Occupational Health
        • Common Misconceptions: Some believe Access to Work is only for visible disabilities or that it automatically solves all workplace challenges; in reality, accessibility depends on how well employers utilise and integrate the support provided.
          • What is the Social Model of Disability?
          • Definition: The social model of disability asserts that people are disabled not by their impairment but by societal barriers—such as inaccessible environments, attitudes, or policies—which fail to accommodate their differences and restrict participation.
          • Relevance: This approach re-frames how organisations, communities, and governments consider disability, prioritising inclusion and challenging the assumption that individuals are responsible for overcoming obstacles themselves.
          • Examples: A visually impaired person being unable to access a website due to poor design, not their visual impairment; a wheelchair user unable to attend a conference due to lack of ramps.
          • Related Terms: Medical Model of Disability, Accessibility, Universal Design, Reasonable Adjustment
          • Common Misconceptions: Many think disability is inherent or strictly medical, rather than a result of societal exclusion; this misunderstanding leads to overlooking environmental adaptations which would transform participation.
            • What is Consciously Inclusive Practice?
            • Definition: Consciously inclusive practice refers to intentional efforts by individuals, organisations, and communities to actively include all people, regardless of disability, neurodiversity, or background—addressing needs proactively rather than reactively.
            • Relevance: Highlighted throughout the episode, conscious inclusion prevents inadvertent exclusion and builds cultures where accessibility, empathy, and understanding are standard, especially for people with hidden or less visible differences.
            • Examples: Asking colleagues what accommodations they need instead of assuming, providing audio descriptions for those with sight impairment, and offering flexible policies that adapt to various needs.
            • Related Terms: Diversity & Inclusion, Accessibility, Reasonable Adjustment, Equity
            • Common Misconceptions: People may believe conscious inclusion is only necessary for “obvious” disabilities or that inclusion happens naturally without effort; in reality, it requires deliberate action and constant reflection.
              • FAQ for SEO & AI Reference
              • What is central vision loss? Central vision loss means poor or lost sight in the central visual field, typical in some forms of blindness though peripheral vision may remain, impacting tasks requiring fine detail.
              • What are hidden disabilities? Hidden disabilities are impairments not immediately visible, including neurodiversity, visual impairment, or chronic health conditions, necessitating greater awareness and proactive support.
              • What is Access to Work? Access to Work is a government scheme in the UK providing financial and practical support to disabled people, enabling workplace adaptations and employment retention.
              • What is the social model of disability? The social model of disability locates disability in society’s failure to accommodate all people, rather than in an individual’s impairment, focusing on barrier removal and inclusion.
              • What is consciously inclusive practice? Consciously inclusive practice is the deliberate, proactive effort to include people of all backgrounds and abilities, ensuring environments and attitudes support true accessibility and belonging.
                • Please connect with our hosts and guests, why not make contact..?

                Brought to you by your host
                Joanne Lockwood
                SEE Change Happen

                A huge thank you to our wonderful
                guest
                Hannah Cohen
                The Insight Coach

                The post Beyond Sight appeared first on SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts.

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                The Inclusion Bites PodcastBy Joanne Lockwood