Do you consider yourself disabled?

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The idea that disability must always be obvious and severe and restrict you from doing anything meaningful is a pretty hurtful myth. People can have a real disability and it might be completely invisible. It's this sort of thinking that leads people to conclude that either you can't be impaired, your challenges can't be real, and you must be lazy and misbehaving; or else that you are completely incapable and unable to do anything for yourself, and have no potential to contribute anything meaningful other than an "inspirational" story that features you miraculously doing things that normal people can do.

I don't like that. Disability can be mild, and can be invisible, and I prefer to say that I am disabled even though I have many talents, because my impairments are also real, and I want it known that it's not just the people with severe disabilities who deserve help and inclusion in society.

I'm disabled not only by AS, but multiple other health issues.

I do not consider myself, or AS in general to be disabled or a disability. There is nothing functionally impaired with the way I live, not really. I just require different accommodations from an NT. For instance, NTs require more time than I do to study "things" (academic topics, etc), and I require more time to study people. Same limitation, different context. That is one thing that irritates me about Asperger's being called a "disorder" and "sydrome". Those of us with AS are not impaired or damaged or in need of excessive assistance, we just need a little understanding, and different assistance from the rest of the world.

As a straight-A student and a praised employee at work, I would find it unfair that I be classified as disabled.

*Takes a deep breath*

Yes, I am disabled.

I got an official Asperger diagnosis a few days ago, I had to push the idea to a few professionals before they embraced it and actually evaluated me for AS. I'm looking forward to beeing able to call me disabled. I'm faceing an evaluation in a few months where they will determine how much disabled I am (if I can function in a 20%/50%/70% job) and that will be a relief to finally get it on paper. However disabled they like to call me, I will embrace it, because it has been a struggle to dig to the bottom of the mind that is me, and find a diagnosis.

Well, I've read the whole thread, but I had an opinion right at the start. I chose 'other'. I don't consider myself disabled in general, but after reading the posts I do consider myself mildly disabled and also 'differently abled' (just like anyone else), although the scatter of my abilities is certainly something unusual to the NT world.

I wouldn't swap my place with someone with a more visible disability like a missing arm or being half-blind, though.

However, the dx implies disability in clinical terms only, to get government support is another thing.

i am very disabled. i think it is called low-functioning autism?

Yes, I am disabled.

I don't consider myself disabled, per se. I can hold down a job, I can function independently. I do, however, have my set of challenges that comes from having AS and psychosis.

uhh I don't even know anymore...I mean it's clear to me I can't really function in this society, and that I'm a bit mental but I don't know if I consider it disabled. Though before I probably have said I do consider myself disabled because of it.

I would consider my anxiety the biggest disability I have. Autism is considered a disability, technically, here. At least for the financial benefits from it. I also consider the trauma that causes the anxiety, and my hypersensitivities to be a disability. I can't do things like walk up escalators, or stares where I can see the floor, normally.

I don't think allergies can be considered a disability, but I've had a sinus infection for half a year now and it's really screwing me up more than anything I have experienced lately.