My Nonprofit Reviews

My name is Katiya Xiong and I am the founder of DEEP Coalition, a global movement on empathy. I am more than happy to share my honest thoughts on Invisible Disabilities Association (IDA), an amazing nonprofit that was created to debunk myths around people living with disabilities. The impact that IDA does for individuals, families, businesses, and communities is no different than shedding light on the truths that should have been taught to us early on whether it be at home, school, or work. In the many years of my support of IDA's mission, I say with great pride and love that the organization's efforts are necessary to creating meaningful change for a better world. How is IDA special or why IDA? Because the organization has a vision of the future that will help those 'who are able' to better support, understand, and embrace those who are living with invisible disabilities: ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. My first introduction to IDA was about a decade ago when I had the pleasure of recruiting the nonprofit's founder, Wayne Connell, to speak at our annual summit; to this day, I can still remember some of the takeaway lines from our audience of 500, "I have always imagined disability to be a physical condition. It never occurred to me that maybe what my naked eyes are telling me can be so wrong. We need a better identification system than the wheelchair symbol to better represent all disabilities." As someone who continues to follow IDA's social activities from nearby and afar, I can attest to the need for this nonprofit's deep work and how important the ID Card programs and educational events are needed across cultures and regions. My final words are, "Choose IDA and everyone wins."