Understanding and Coaching to Invisible Disabilities for Career Success

Presenters: Cindy Edwards, M.A., ACC, BBC and Annie Montemayor, M.A.

Often people think the term disability only refers to people using a wheelchair or walker, but in reality 74% of Americans who live with a severe disability don’t use such devices. Invisible disabilities are not immediately apparent, “masked” to an observer, and can:

• sometimes or always limit daily activities
• range from mild to severe
• vary from person to person

Invisible disabilities provide some unique workplace and career challenges to navigate. Join us for a discussion on some of the most common invisible disabilities, gain insights on cues associated with invisible disabilities, and learn how you can better serve your clients by asking the right question, learning when to refer, and understanding disclosure rights and options.

Cindy Edwards, Owner of Find Your Fit™ LLC., offers Coaching and Training services for individuals and groups. Cindy has been an active participant in both career development and training and development communities in the Twin Cities for over 15 years. She is an active member of ATD-GTC, MCDA, and NCDA. She holds an M.A. in Human Resource Development from the University of St. Thomas, is an AAC -ADHD Certified Coach, a certified in Brain Based Coach from the Neuroleadership Institute, and a NCDA FCD (GCDF) Instructor Certified practitioner.  

Annie Montemayor is a career counselor at Capella University and a member of the MCDA board. As a member of the  MCDA diversity and inclusion committee, she works to expand the organization’s scope of equity and inclusion work and its education offered for practitioners. She is particularly interested in the topic of working with clients with disabilities. Increasing numbers of individuals with disabilities are entering college and the workforce, creating a need for increased training and attention on how to best support these individuals in their education and career goals. She has a master’s in Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Kansas.