A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
The gendered costs of masking : lived experiences of a woman with invisible disabilities; 
Authors: Casteleijn-Osorno, Regina
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Disability and Society
ISSN: 0968-7599
eISSN: 1360-0508
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2026.2677508
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2026.2677508
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/526483577
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Invisible disabilities often remain unrecognised until they disrupt normative expectations, placing women in a paradox where inclusion depends on performing normativity. This autoethnography examines the psycho-emotional costs of identity management as a neurodivergent mother, caregiver, and scholar. Guided by intersectional feminist disability frameworks, I analyse personal journals and reflections to foreground the lived realities of invisible disability. The analysis reveals four themes: Masking and Conformity; When Masking Fails; The Gendered Burden of Resilience; and The Sunflower Lanyard as a Scarlet Letter. Findings show that social participation for neurodivergent women is predicated on suppressing disability traits to meet gendered expectations. Furthermore, the study explores how tools like the Sunflower lanyard can fail without institutional training, potentially functioning as a marker of othering rather than a tool for relational care. This research advances scholarship by highlighting the precarious nature of conditional inclusion.
Keywords:
autoethnography, feminist disability studies[endif], gendered masking[endif], invisible disabilities, psycho-emotional disablism
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |