Invisibility, hypervisibility, relational visibility, and collective adaptation: inuit experiences of disability

Disability is increasingly understood as a socially and culturally situated experience shaped by relationships, environments, and systems of recognition. However, limited research has examined how disability is perceived and experienced within Inuit communities. This paper draws on a secondary qualitative analysis of interviews with 126 Nunavummiut across 12 communities in Nunavut, conducted as part of a community-led study by Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society. Guided by Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and the Piliriqatigiinniq Research Model, the analysis explores how disability becomes visible, recognized, and responded to within Inuit social contexts. Findings reveal that disability is not experienced as a fixed or visible category but emerges through four dynamics: (1) invisibility as social and structural absence, (2) hypervisibility as exposure, (3) relational visibility through belonging and contribution, and (4) collective adaptation as shared responsibility. These dynamics show how disability shifts between institutional systems of diagnosis and relational community contexts of participation. The study highlights a central tension between structural invisibility, reinforced by limited services and colonial systems of classification, and relational inclusion, enacted through kinship networks and collective care practices. Findings challenge deficit-based models and support culturally grounded, community approaches to policy and service delivery. The study contributes to discussions of disability as culturally and relationally shaped.