October marks the 10th anniversary of Invisible Disabilities Week, which this year takes place from October 15-21, 2023. The Invisible Disabilities Association (IDA) has selected Mississauga’s Lauren Pires as the first-ever Canadian recipient of the “But You LOOK Good” Inspiration Award, with the 16th annual awards ceremony and fundraiser taking place virtually on Saturday, October 21.

Past winners of the Inspiration Award include 5-time Emmy award winner and Grammy nominee Wayne Brady (2017), and former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid (2016)

“I was really nervous about people finding out and seeing me differently.”

— Lauren Pires

An estimated 3.8 million adult Canadians reported being limited in their daily activities due to a disability in 2012, representing 13.7% of the adult population. One in five said they don’t use an assistive device, making a large number of these disabilities invisible.

Lauren says “When I first heard I'd be the winner of the IDA's Inspiration Award, I was floored. I started sharing about my rare muscle disorder a year ago, but for 30+ years hid it as much as I could. I was really nervous about people finding out and seeing me differently.
I was so focused on that fear, it didn't occur to me some would see it and feel the same. When I finally did share it online, I got all kinds of supportive comments from people with disabilities and their families who could relate to my story, which has been incredibly heartwarming.”

Lauren was selected for the Inspiration Award based upon her passion, vulnerability and willingness to publicly share her inspiring story of living with an invisible disability. Born with Central Core Disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder, Lauren has about 33% strength of the average person. After hiding it as much as she could for 30+ years, she only publicly shared her journey a year ago upon entering Speaker Slam, North America’s largest inspirational speaking competition. Lauren is currently preparing for Speaker Slam’s Grand Slam Inspirational Speaking Finals, among the competition’s best speakers of the year, taking place in Toronto in November.

In addition to being the first-ever Canadian recipient of an Invisible Disabilities Association award, Lauren is also the first and only Canadian ambassador for the nonprofit, which is based in Colorado. In the lead up to Invisible DIsabilities Week and the awards ceremony, Lauren is running a fundraiser and amplifying the voices of others with invisible disabilities, by committing to sharing their stories and her own on her social media.

By sharing her story, it could inspire others and contribute to the dialogue around disabilities and diversity.