Peterborough City Hall will be illuminated in white Wednesday evening as part of a national awareness campaign recognizing people living with invisible disabilities.
The lighting on October 21 marks Invisible Disabilities Week, which runs from October 18 to 24, and will be the final stop in a campaign involving 15 landmarks across Ontario, British Columbia and New Brunswick.
Peterborough is participating for the second consecutive year, having also illuminated City Hall in 2025.
The initiative is being organized by Mississauga-based speaker and disability advocate Lauren Pires, who has worked to secure landmark lightings across Canada.
According to Statistics Canada’s 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, approximately eight million Canadians aged 15 and older, representing 27 per cent of that population, live with at least one disability.
Many disabilities, including those involving chronic pain, fatigue and mental health, may not be immediately apparent to others.
Pires was born with Central Core Disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder that significantly affects her physical strength. She says she concealed her disability for more than 30 years. In 2023, she became the first Canadian to receive the Invisible Disabilities Association’s “But You LOOK Good” Inspiration Award.
Pires says illuminating public landmarks helps bring recognition to conditions that often go unnoticed.
“When a city, a municipality or a bridge lights up for something, there is a form of approval and recognition behind it. That gives it a legitimacy beyond just a post online,” she said. “If you’re still hiding your disability and you see city hall lit up for Invisible Disabilities Week, I hope you learn that this week exists and that there is a community around it.”
