Do you consider AS a formal "disability"?

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You really have to think about it in the same light as ADA. Most people think of ADA as a disabilities law, when in fact it is an anti- discriminations law. It is the same with AS we have genetically based different levels of abilities, some which are beneficial and some which create challenges because we are discriminated against by being required to live in a social structure that was developed by and for the majority (NTs).

So yes because we have differential abilities (disabilities) we are protected from discrimination by ADA and other laws and accommodations where appropriate and neccesary should be made.

In the simplest sense NTs from my view are more disabled than we are, the world is just “pre-accommodated” for their disabilities.

bookwormde

I don't think of my AS as being a disability but the anxiety, depression, and not being accepted for who I am is disabling.

Well, where i live, AS and Autism is considered a disability.

That does not mean that you will automagically start receiving disability checks every month - oh no, your working ability will be assessed and you will be given the help you actually need.

While some people may need assistance in the home to make food and clean the house, all i need is an understanding employer that understand that i am different and does not want to be a "teamplayer", as in a person that go out on pubs/bars and drink myself pissed every so often with the others. I prefer to be alone but i can work in a group, i need my own workroom and i need to be given clear working instructions, then i can work without problems.

Everybody is different. Even identical twins.

Amicitia:
I agree with you. I have the same problem. I can work, but society is so eager to have everyone socialized and that only the outgoing social people are the ones who should work. The truth as I see it is that, just like me, a quiet non-social person is more likely to get the most work done and do it a lot better, since they did not have the distractions from the other noisy, bothersome, gossipy workers. One would think that it would be a good thing. But of course everyone go to be all social. If that is the case, they should only allow socializing at break or lunch and not during the work hours, but that never happens. Since I am not a social person, I would just read and/or always eat slow, that way I will have food in my mouth the whole entire time and i would not be able to talk.

FrogGirl:
I agree with that statement as well. The AS does not affect me doing task. The depression and anxiety are the things that prevent me from getting the motivation and confidence to do a job. That is why I go to therapy. Also, I have problems with people around me who think because I have a "label" that I am not capable. As a result, the do not allow me to do thing for myself that I can do and put me in a group home and day agency, that controls me and chooses what I can and can't do, even though they are wrong. This disables me because it does not allow me to learn and/or act on my real capabilities.

Well I think of a disability as just that, a dis-ability. If someone is paralysed they have the dis-ability to walk, stand up, shrug, pick things up, operate switches and open doors. If someone is paralysed they have a disability. If someone has AS they have the dis-ability to communicate properly, maintain a normal posture, stay still for long periods of time, talk fluidly, have friends, get a family and blend in with others. If someone has AS they have a disability. Being paralysed isn't normal in the same way that AS isn't normal, they both result in a disadvantage (or lack of ability) in one way or another so I'd say that AS is a disability.

I consider my sensory problems in some sense debilitating, my lack of comprehension in cues is less debilitating although anxiety-provoking.

It's more of a difference than a disability.

edit

I acknowledge it is a disability. I see it as a differeant way of thinking and how we see the world and view things. Even though I don't feel like I have a disability, I know I do and admit it.

I can say that I would choose to call AS a "Formal Difference." But can it be a disability? YES!! !

I don't wish to get rid of any of my autistic symptoms---it goes with the package of autism I have. And I like being autistic. But as with anyone in this world---there are challenges. Right now I am being challenged by my loudly snoring wife beside me. Last night she was swinging her arms in her sleep and thumped me on the nose---I thought I was going to get a nose bleed. I don't like to be touched when I don't want touched. I like my space. Loud noises bother me. Bright lights bother me. Repetitive things bother me. WAL-MART BOTHERS ME!! ! So yes, there are times it could be considered a disability. I should refine that term disability in that it is a disability when we are placed in the neurotypical world we live in. If we had no problems with the NT world, then we wouldn't have some of the criteria that is needed for autism. I have social issues that becomes a disability in given situations like group work, etc. I cringe when at a meeting they say, "We will now form small task groups." LEAVE ME OUT PLEASE!! ! I got a jury duty paper last month. I put on it I had damage in my right leg from a blood clot so I can't set for long periods of time, and I have Asperger's which would make me unable to give the necessary attention to the court cases.

So WrongPlanet---even though you know me as glider18 the one who sees autism as positives---I must admit---I have plenty of challenges too. I just try to think of happy things to get me around those challenges. Even though my definition of AS is a difference, it is a difference in our way of thinking, but...when forced to live/work/etc. in the NT environment it can be a disability. I mean...I nearly lost my job once because of my social issues.

I see it as everyone has their own challenges so I feel like I normal person and unaffected by my condition.

You can be NT and NT + disbled.
You can be AS and AS + disabled.

In a world of birds you can be a plane, a broken plane or a plane without fuel.

I suppose the best way to say it is this....

AS is a difference.

Society makes it a disability.