19 votes

Topic deleted by author

6 comments

  1. joplin
    Link
    My spouse has a condition that sometimes makes her need a wheelchair and sometimes doesn't. She has a state-issued placard for disabled parking. She usually won't use it because she believes that...

    My spouse has a condition that sometimes makes her need a wheelchair and sometimes doesn't. She has a state-issued placard for disabled parking. She usually won't use it because she believes that a) there's someone who needs that spot more than her, and b) she doesn't want to deal with irate people who think that because she can sometimes walk and is not in her 70s, that she cheated the system to get the placard. It's a fucked up world out there.

    18 votes
  2. [2]
    Grendel
    Link
    I was diagnosed with Bipolar II this year, which I learned qualifies as a disibility here in the US. When applying for jobs I also struggle with how to answer that question. While it can...

    I was diagnosed with Bipolar II this year, which I learned qualifies as a disibility here in the US. When applying for jobs I also struggle with how to answer that question. While it can definitely effect my work, I'm not sure there's really any accommodatios that would help.

    Also, people can be pretty judgemental about bipolar. They assume you are crazy and unstable. So yeah I get what the author is saying about this

    14 votes
    1. Toric
      Link Parent
      I have yet to get a job (or even an interview) where I checked 'yes' (autistic.)

      I have yet to get a job (or even an interview) where I checked 'yes' (autistic.)

      3 votes
  3. [3]
    eladnarra
    Link
    I knew I was disabled for a long time, although I wasn't super open about it. It was unavoidable - I had to drop out of school because of my illness, and when I started college I could only take...

    I knew I was disabled for a long time, although I wasn't super open about it. It was unavoidable - I had to drop out of school because of my illness, and when I started college I could only take classes part time with accommodations. When you're getting disability accommodations from the Disability Student Services... the label comes naturally. Inevitably.

    More recently I've embraced being disabled and the community I've found online through that identity. There's an amazing well of political and social activism in the disability community, although it's often ignored by history books and contemporary social justice movements. It feels... powerful, to be connected to that and be a small part of disability justice going forward. Plus it's so helpful to find people with similar experiences to commiserate with and learn from.

    I don't choose "yes" on forms, though. I don't do it when applying for health insurance through the US marketplace, because I know that what they're really asking is "are you disabled enough in easily definable ways to pass the byzantine bureaucratic standards for benefits and healthcare," which I am not. I don't do it when applying for a job, because there's no way to actually tell if I didn't get an interview because I checked that box and it subconsciously changed their opinion of my resume, or if I just wasn't a good fit. Unfortunately I do I have to disclose during the interview, because my accommodations (part time and flexible hours) tend to require discussion before a job offer is made, but at least at that point I've gotten in the door.

    Coming from the chronic illness section of the disability community, the thing I want most is for the medical profession to give up its systemic ableism. Yes, the opinions and judgement of the general public hurt me, but I suffered so much when I first fell ill because doctors who saw me didn't recognize that I was disabled and and didn't help me live with it. They were too busy running tests and coming up empty to recognize that I'd benefit from a wheelchair or a shower stool, two aids that I only started using in the past couple of years (after over a decade of being ill). I never had anything against wheelchairs or shower stools - I just didn't realize they could ever help me, because until I joined the disability community no one ever told me.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      unknown user
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Yep, this mirrors my experiences in school to a T. Had leaves of absence where I dropped all of my classes, all sorts of exam deferrals and class "Not Completes". All sorts of accommodations to...

      It was unavoidable - I had to drop out of school because of my illness, and when I started college I could only take classes part time with accommodations. When you're getting disability accommodations from the Disability Student Services... the label comes naturally. Inevitably.

      Yep, this mirrors my experiences in school to a T. Had leaves of absence where I dropped all of my classes, all sorts of exam deferrals and class "Not Completes". All sorts of accommodations to placate teachers when I said I couldn't do something according to the rigid structure imposed on me. A degree that should have taken 4-5 years took 8 in my case. :v

      I don't do it when applying for health insurance through the US marketplace, because I know that what they're really asking is "are you disabled enough in easily definable ways to pass the byzantine bureaucratic standards for benefits and healthcare," which I am not.

      Ditto, except in my case it's eligibility for disability assistance in Canada. When in school, the stress I was under was greater, so circumstances pushed me to apply for a "permanent disability" designation via my provincial student loan provider (which gave me additional grants). I was under so much duress that I was already visiting psychiatrists and psychologists, so the paperwork was easier to cobble together then. You would think that if I was disabled then, I would still be disabled now, right? But, now that I've graduated, I probably wouldn't be able apply for student loan disability repayment assistance or the disability tax credit (at least not anymore). I don't have a family doctor, and I haven't seen mental health professionals in years, so it's much harder to jump through hoops these days.

      But I mean, the whole reason I'm stable enough to function from day to day (without assistance from mental health workers) is because I substantially sculpt my life around my disability. Because I've put in the work to not have constant mental breakdowns and pass as neurotypical, I'm no longer seen as impaired enough to receive assistance. The act of appearing as a functional person masks all of the underlying effort it takes to get to that point in the first place. I know if I dismantled the safety nets I've gradually built for myself, I'd look "disabled enough" all over again. It's like that catch-22 with medication... "I feel great! I must not need it anymore, because I am clearly Better Now." No no, you feel great because it's working, which means you still have the underlying need. The recovery mentality in health services puts such a pressure to change yourself to fit societal expectations for normalcy. But the moment you're RecoveredTM, you're as good as dead to supports.

      I don't do it when applying for a job, because there's no way to actually tell if I didn't get an interview because I checked that box and it subconsciously changed their opinion of my resume, or if I just wasn't a good fit. Unfortunately I do I have to disclose during the interview, because my accommodations (part time and flexible hours) tend to require discussion before a job offer is made, but at least at that point I've gotten in the door.

      Yep, this is exactly the mindset I have when job hunting, down to the exact accommodation needs. I work 20hr/week on contract (losing out on some of the security and benefits that would come with a full-time position) because I don't think I could keep up otherwise.

      4 votes
      1. eladnarra
        Link Parent
        Yeah, I feel you on all of that! Especially how you describe not seeming disabled enough for support because you've sculpted your life around it. It's a bit different, but when I'm managing my...

        Yeah, I feel you on all of that! Especially how you describe not seeming disabled enough for support because you've sculpted your life around it.

        It's a bit different, but when I'm managing my chronic illness I feel... Okay. Not amazing, somewhat housebound, but not bedridden. So I'm sure to a lot of people (and the government) I seem relatively abled. But if I went for long walks every day, or worked more than 20 hours a week, or got stressed, or just had some bad luck, I'd soon be stuck on my couch feeling horrible. I limit myself so I don't hit the limits my body enforces... Which unfortunately could make it look like I'm faking. But I just don't like feeling horrible! :D

        4 votes