Aspergers & Disability

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Is Aspergers a disability?

Short answer: Yes
Longer answer: It's defined as a developmental disorder. Generally there are characteristics of it that can be disability/disadvantages in one way or another. It's generally recognized as meriting additional resources in school (at least in the US), so they recognize it as a disability in that regard (which is not always the case) as well.

Autism spectrum disorder is also one of the criteria for disability in the US. The description distinguishes between children and adults with autism. I got mainstreamed in school from the start a long time ago and I did well scholastically, but it would have been very helpful to have had some help with social interaction and social anxiety. There's a description at: https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/condi ... -2-53.html

Yes, but it's not bad.

If that makes enough sense.

There is no simple answer as there are many definitions of what it means to have a ‘disability’
This is set by different laws, policies and regulations. Therefore it depends.

If you want my opinion I think Asperger’s is a disability. Asperger’s carries many impairments that are long term and have adverse effect on one’s daily lives leaving us at a disadvantage.

At work I recently had to do an anonymous employee survey. Most of the questions on it were to do things like rate how well I trust my manager, rate how well I understand the company vision, rate how likely I would be to recommend the company as an employer to others, recommend how likely I would be to recommend the company's products to others, etc..

But there were also questions in there about myself - how long I'd been with the company etc.. One of the questions was whether I consider myself to have a disability. The last time I'd done a survey like this was before my diagnosis, so I'd always said "No" to that question.

This time, I hesitated on that question, and eventually answered "Prefer not to say". But I think I probably should have said "Yes". The job has changed over the last few years, and I am not doing as well as I used to be doing. I do think that this is at least partly related to changes in the job not being as compatible with ASD (much more multitasking etc.).

Am I just chicken for not being willing to say "Yes" to that question?

Aspergers/Autism is Disabled cuz of mental health?

As far as I know it is for the simple fact that many of us aren't cut out to actually work for a living.

I call it a disability, or disorder. I hate when some Aspies get offended by it and want it to be called a 'difference'. I believe 'disorder' is the right word because it says so in the name: Autism Spectrum Disorder.

It's a developmental disorder. Some people call it a disability some don't. It depends how you define disability. For me, it's not.

Yes, autism / Aspergers is a disability. However, it is also just a different brain type. But since autistic people are in the minority, we are a disability because we struggle to fit in with the majority and live in an NT society. However, if everyone was autistic except a few NTs, then being neurotypical would be the disability. Really, disability is a social construct, but that doesn't make it any less real.