Intersectional Invisibility refers to an individuals experience as a member of two stigmatized groups and the challenge that they face with identification and acceptance within either group fully.

Gettysburg College

Women with disabilities identify with at least two identities that are typically stereotyped, which leads to a lack of acceptance and identitfication with either group, known as "intersectional invisibility". These identitites also often lead to experiences of microaggressions and other forms of descriminization. 

Stigmatized identities of women with disabilities

Purdie-Vaughns, V., & Eibach, R. P. (2008). Intersectional invisibility: The distinctive advantages and disadvantages of multiple subordinate-group identities. Sex Roles, 59(5–6), 377–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9424-4

Reference: Intersectional Invisibility

Intersectional Invisibility Reference

Olkin, R., Perez, K. A., & Steele, J. (2019). The experiences of microaggressions against women with visible and invisible disabilities. Journal of Social Issues, 75(3), 757–785. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12342

Reference: The experience of Microaggressions against women With visible and invisible disabilites

Intersectional Invisibility

Microaggreesion refers to commonplace verbal, behavioral, or environmental events, or educational, financial, political, and policy systems that convey hostile, negative, or derogatory insults toward persons of marginalized status, directly because of that status.

Microaggressions

The most common stigmas and microaggressions women with disabilities face is that they are not able to be providers of help to others, to be asexual, and to be seen as incompetent. These stigmas typically lead to women concealing disabilities to avoid these stereotypes. 

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