The stigma around being on disability

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I was on r/aspergers recently and saw a post someone made describing their frequent and severe panic attacks when at work. This person mentioned they had tried all other alternatives available that don't involve working with people, but they did not work out due to bullying and now his resume has contacts that won't necessarily give him a good reference (due to having panic disorder + bullying seen as 'drama'). He was inquiring if it would be good to try to get on disability, since he could not cope with his panic attacks always being brought on in the workplace. I noticed that one comment response was given Reddit gold:

"It's just my opinion but anyone who is capable
of working should work (or live off of their savings/investments.) It's not fair for others who have to have their hard earned money taken away so you can have your basic needs met."

So, basically, this commenter was saying that he just has to keep "trying harder" and put up with dibilitating panic attacks, it's part of life so just deal with it? This really frustrates me. People are on disability for severe panic disorders, and they have tried everything, so that is their safety net to fall back on! What else would disability be good for? People like this make me so mad, they always like to imply that those with severe mental health issues can't go on disability and should be shamed for it!

I don't know a lot about it, but there's a candidate for president in 2020, Andrew Yang, bringing up the issue of universal basic income (UBI). From what I understand, the argument is that so much work is being automated that the idea that people have to work harder for people to get a guaranteed income is behind the times.

Ghost: I dunno what country you're in or the reddit poster w/the disability for that matter, but yes this is unfortunately a common f**ked-up attitude here in the States, especially among men (though I'm sure there are plenty of women and other genders who share the view). I mean at some basic level, I understand the reasoning. But that should be something that everyone on the spectrum or anyone else w/a disability (or anyone who knows someone who has one, which I would guess is at least a third to half of the country, maybe more) should understand is utter ableist nonsense. And leads to the systemic discrimination that we and other disabled people face (in most cases somewhere) every damn day. Especially in the current Trump era, where we have a national government actively trying to reduce, if not destroy the welfare state for people w/disabilities. See what they're trying to do to Food Stamps or make it harder for people to get SSI by spying on their social media activities, for example.

Unfortunately there are, I would guess, tens of millions of Americans who don't give two craps about us or the poor, the homeless and alot of other vulnerable populations in this country, all of which are growing by the day as inequality and poverty here continue to get worse every year. I was replying to another thread I think a week or two ago that brought up the issue of the stigma around being on disability (and I concede it's not a uniquely American phenomenon, it exists everywhere in some form), and I basically said f**k the stigma! I say this as someone who can't work and is having to wait a long ass time till my SSI appeal even gets a hearing. Getting on food stamps, medicaid and cash assistance (FS and CA don't last me more than 2/3 of the month, so I have to get help from a friend to cover the rest of my rather basic monthly expenses, including food) is no piece of cake either. I have a friend in college atm who didn't qualify for Food Stamps b/c of some ridiculous clerical error at the local welfare office, even after they assured her that she would qualify. She now has to go through a convoluted appeals process herself to try to get on and has to rely on her mom's fixed income to eat for now.

Then there are alot of f****d up states that have mandatory drug testing to qualify for food stamps, or work requirements to get that or medicaid. I'm not thrilled that I can't work, nor that I'm not in grad school atm b/c of difficulties related to my disability that have hurt my academic performance. There's no glory in saying "I'm not in school or work for now". But pathetically, as I said, there are alot of people in this country that think we're mooching off the system or some such ableist bs when we actually are trying simply to get a little money so we don't go homeless, starve or develop some serious illness (or worse). Fortunately most of the country doesn't think this way. so we may have time as well as public opinion on our side. But the way power is structured in this country atm, we have a long series of battles ahead to both change alot of people's attitudes through education and whatnot, and to see more progressive changes in policy.

I agree with this completely; those who can work should work. However, the keyword is can. To me the guy you were talking about doesn't sound like he can work, at least not at the moment. But personally, if the problem was panic attacks, I would suggest therapy instead of completely giving up... I mean in some cases those types of problems can be cured, right? A break from work until he can work again would be better than going on a disability permanently... then again, I don't know how disability benefits work in America. Is it possible to get them for a while and then get back to working once you're in a better condition? If so then I understand the idea of trying to get disability benefits. Of course, if he already tried therapy with zero results then that's understandable, too.

I can also understand people who don't like it when others live on disability/other benefits; often they fear that people who wouldn't actually need them will get them. This does happen; while majority of those who use benefits to live use them 'cause they have no choice, there are some rotten apples who use them 'cause it's easier for them than working, even though they could work. C'mon, why wouldn't people be mad at those and be cautious about the possibility? But of course, those who really need the support should get it. The societies should be more open about the reasons why certain kinds of benefits are admitted; that would make it easier for people to accept what the taxes they pay are being used on and why.

By the way, this is one reason I like to think of autism as a medical condition. There's someone trained to know the difference saying you can't work, or need such-and-such accommodations.

Then again not everyone can access healthcare in the US. Maybe if we had universal healthcare.

I used to go to ASD support groups where it felt like the majority of the people in the room with me were living on government assistance and I’d silently be thinking, “Oh, c’mon now, you can work.”

Then a few years later I hit burnout and found myself on SSDI. I’ve internalized it so much that I hate myself sometimes for not working because I know that I was able to do it before so why can’t I do it again? A lot of the disincentive to even try is the way it would affect my ability to access the health care services I need (which I tried to access when I was working but could not get).

Like, I don’t know, maybe if we had a better healthcare system in the US I would have been able to get the services I needed (and knew I needed) and could have prevented the burnout.

I did an adequate job of presenting as “normal” that people didn’t realize how stressful and depressing my life was. Well, until my brain decided it had enough and stopped letting me do basic tasks like reading.

Dan and Wrybread: You both said it, universal health care. What normal rich countries have and some poor ones like Cuba too.

The problem is: there is a difference between disabled people that can work to a certain level, but the willingness of the employers to accept them. They often want to "accept" them, if there is a substantial wage subsidy. If that has been realised, this is the final station. Even if the person wants to advance (and objectively is able to do so), this is often not possible because the company doesn't offer that, and if it would, it would cost more money to the company.

This is the flaw of the Dutch Participation Act. An employer gets a subsidy, if the person has a disability. It doesn't matter what disability that is, and it doesn't matter what work he does. I for example have autism. I don't face problems doing my work, and my boss is pleased and wants to keep me. But the higher boss and the employer wants money because of my disability. This is only fair if there are costs because of my autism. There aren't. Accoring to the Participation Act, they don't even have to be. My disability = lower salary cost = lazy employer. The autism diagnosis is a disadvantage, while it should not.

Because my current employer refuses any abilities to advance, but only uses me to lower the salary costs, I will pay myself, to advance, even is that a few thousands euros. I don't care. I try to leave if my employer, thinks I am more disabled than I actually am. It is even possible that my employer says: "You have a nice diploma. Good for you," knowing that that diploma doesn't care him one bit. In that case I try to get a job elsewhere. Of course with adequate help, not with BS like: "You are autistic, you can't."