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Do you identify as disabled?
No 39%  39%  [ 43 ]
Yes, because I'm on the Spectrum 37%  37%  [ 41 ]
Yes, for reasons other than being on the Spectrum 24%  24%  [ 27 ]
Total votes : 111

SteelMaiden
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17 Sep 2014, 12:55 pm

I classify as disabled:
I have Autism that requires me 2-3 times weekly support (and full-time support at university, even during lunchtime, university = meltdowns every day)
I have a government-funded taxi service to and from uni because I cannot travel on public transport at all in rush hour
I find it very hard to go out on my own, and cannot use public transport alone (unless it is a near-empty bus or a near-empty train (not the Underground)) as I have severe meltdowns often
When I am not being supported I just stay at home all day typically
I have neurological problems (visual processing disorder, severe migraines, mild ataxia and tics)
I find it hard to do simple things like crossing a road with several cars on it, following a recipe, getting to a new place, going to a bank or post office etc (high IQ (doesnotequal) super capable in all areas)
I have severe sensory issues and difficulty communicating
I also have schizophrenia and OCD, which can get very severe in times of stress. I have been sectioned something like 8-10 times (I forget the exact number), 5 of those times while trying to end my life in Wimbledon Common, thinking that if I were to die I would save the world from disaster.

I am on two different disability benefits.

I have been told that I am quite severely disabled. Not sure what that means exactly.


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I am a partially verbal classic autistic. I am a pharmacology student with full time support.


harrycontests
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19 Sep 2014, 10:39 pm

I never felt disabled, and to a point I still don't. However, after SSDI was suggested to me and reading the Social Security "Red Book" about their programs and how they define disability I realized the criteria fit me more than I would ever have been willing to concede. That was an eye-opener for me, and one that I didn't really take well. But it was the real turning point, I guess, when I finally admitted that yes, there really is something wrong with me. I've suffered long enough. I've tried to deal with it by myself most of my life but at age 45 it is time to take some of the pressure off and be able to live like a real person. My disabilities (yes, plural) include but are not limited to my Asperger's. The most crippling is my co-occuring (I hear that's the new term we're supposed to use) condition depression.



mrspotatohead
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20 Sep 2014, 11:11 am

Yes, by my chronic pain when combined with my ASD and generalized anxiety disorder; if I did not have the chronic pain condition, I would be able to cope and find reasonably stable employment eventually, though I did have many problems due to social issues and anxiety attacks even before the chronic pain.



Deb1970
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20 Sep 2014, 8:03 pm

When I was younger I was on disability because I was not able to care for myself. After years of therapy and being thought how to do things on my own I was able to be independent. I'm no longer on disability and have worked at the same job for fourteen years. I live alone in my own home and pay my bills and do my own lawn care. At age twenty I was not able to do this.


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mel113
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22 Sep 2014, 12:28 am

I'm not ddisabled....I'm just inconvenienced!



antarticanrepublic
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23 Sep 2014, 1:24 am

Not really.
I can still talk to people without any substantial discomfort & can maintain relationships with others.
However I have a really bad case of ADHD & it's a bit of a hindrance when it comes to academics.


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AQ:27/50
AS: 109 of 200
NT: 121 of 200
Both neurodiverse and neurotypical traits
EIQ:105
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EQ: 31/80


mr_bigmouth_502
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15 Dec 2014, 7:33 pm

I have executive functioning deficits and slow mental processing, and sensory issues as well. If it weren't for these things, along with my various co-mobids (ADHD, anxiety, OCD, depression), I wouldn't consider my autism to be a disability. There are plenty of people on the autism spectrum who do just fine on their own, who don't have "special needs".



little_blue_jay
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15 Dec 2014, 7:41 pm

Yes, in varying percentages of disability depending on whether I'm feeling super POTSy or not.


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Diagnosed "Asperger's to a moderate degree" April 7, 2015.
Aspie score 145 of 200
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AQ score: 47
RAADS-R score: 196


Kiprobalhato
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15 Dec 2014, 7:52 pm

perhaps not disabled, but "differently abled".

i find it hard to connect with most of those at my school, but then again i'm not going to waste my time trying to form bonds with people whom i'm never going to see again in 6 months so it's whatever. eh. next year.

yes, i go get shutdowns sometimes (not really meltdowns) but once they're over, they're over.

i don't have 100% independent living experience but at my age that's probably a good thing :lol:


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הייתי צוללת עכשיו למים
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וזה הכל אהובי, זה הכל.


Shelldor2015
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15 Dec 2014, 8:40 pm

Yes and no. I am disabled in the sense of my mental conditions (Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, OCD, ADHD, and ASD) because I cannot function in public like NT's do. I also do not consider myself disabled in the sense that I can function physically somewhat average, but limited due to my asthma. I am on disability due to the mix of my mental conditions.


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Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 171 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 49 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)
AQ 46

"If there is a 50-50 chance something will go wrong, 9 times out of 10 it will" Paul Harvey


nick007
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15 Dec 2014, 9:14 pm

Disabled because I have physical disabilities in addition to AS & I'm on Social Security Disability because of everything.


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King_oni
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16 Dec 2014, 4:55 am

Nope... differently abled, very much so. Disabled, no, not so much.

But I just don't see myself like that, I would argue that it's other people that see me as disabled. Society has a bunch of arbitrary rules that most people (but not all) can work with, and by that definition I'd be the odd one out and therefore not qualified, not able and in that way disabled. It's society imposing a label on me, and many of us that makes us feel we're disabled.

For legal intents and purposes when it comes to employment I'm disabled. I'm disabled because I cannot work within the rigid structure that employment has set up. Yet I don't consider myself to be unable to work, I'm just not able to work within those structures. And with that I'm differently abled.

Yes, I have a few issues that make it a bit harder in life. I can't drive a car for instance. Is that a disability? Well, only in a society where everyone is expected to drive. But I'm perfectly able to go where I need to either on foot or public transport.

I'm not as socially awkward as many on the spectrum, but all things considered I'm a bit of an acquired taste I guess. My personality and perhaps just the entire "me" doesn't go over well with everyone. By now I've seen what types of crowds work for me, and those are, in general, also the same crowds that are already getting weird looks by society as a whole; artists, musicians, people into alternative lifestyles. I never expect myself to go over well with the regular type of work and workforce anyway, so there's that in terms of how, while I'm to some extent quite social, still don't connect to most people. And that by itself might be a problem in itself; it's not even my AS that makes me weird; I just have interests, perspectives, a philosophy on life, that makes most people cringe and wonder if I'm made out of the stuff of nightmares, lol. And as I said; that to me, has nothing to do with AS, but has to do with personal interest, and perhaps to some extent upbringing.



Edna3362
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16 Dec 2014, 8:28 am

I see myself being a trouble maker magnet due to body language. Unlike before, I don't have any anxiety that would 'disable' me in any way. I simply have trust issues afterwards, and sick of being involved with people, EVEN I get the body languages right.
Routines? Comfortable. But breaking it wont frustrate me, which I managed much better as I got older. But the downside is, I end up being less organized on schedules overtime.
The sensory issues? I can manage. XD I can have sensory overload, but not enough to make me sick or disoriented, or otherwise. Just losing focus and frustration, the typical reaction (and excuse). I somewhat managed quickly as well, probably because I live somewhere where almost everywhere I go is loud, and I ended up being dragged into parties.
And meltdowns? They won't know. And they don't HAVE to know. Overtime, duration turns shorter. I simply need a few minute break, then I'm fine. And no, I don't go home and cry about it afterwards.

But emotions... Simple vigilance over people, but not enough to classified as paranoid. It's the only thing I have to manage. But yet, this won't disable me enough, on the workforce at least. And I've seen many NTs that are far worse than me to be honest. And no, I never took any meds regarding to this.

Overall, I don't considered myself as disabled. But in legal terms, I ended up that way.

But if allergies is considered as disabling, then I do. :lol: My allergy is more disabling than being an aspie alone.


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BeggingTurtle
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16 Dec 2014, 10:32 pm

I don't explicitly say that I am disabled, but it is obvious that I am not normal and a few of comorbidities are noticeable, even to a bystander.

I will identify with it if I can trust the person.


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felinesaresuperior
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17 Dec 2014, 1:16 am

andrethemoogle wrote:
Yes, due to my panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, depression and a host of other things.


those are the real problems, all the comobridities that go with asperger, not the syndrome itself.


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felinesaresuperior
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17 Dec 2014, 1:18 am

sometimes i do, and sometimes i dont. cant make up my mind. i dont really care about having asperger, but the insomnia an stomach aches and general anxiety and depression are annoying as hell, as is the society here who dont accept people who are different. my inability to be around people is affecting my relationship with my family members, and that really sucks.

other than those things, i couldnt care less. it's no problem.


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Blogging about childhood and adulthood with Asperger and my own personl experience with rage attacks, shutdowns, social phobias etc. https://aspergerlifeblog.wordpress.com/