To wonder why cancer is classed as a disability?

[Whatwhy]

My eldest and I were filling in forms for disability for Uni. We then found a paragraph that said if you had cancer for more than a year you could claim disability allowance even if now in remission/clear.

My eldest had cancer for over a year and won't be given the all clear for 10 years but is medically fit. I know people who have had skin cancer and had the treatment and are now clear, and the same with breast cancer.

I don't understand how having had cancer is now a disability - I understand in the past that Cancer was a death sentence and no one survived but now people are being cured.

I also don't get why its a disability once you've had it for a year, in our case for 18 months and particularly the first 10months that's when they were disabled not the last 8 months.

AIBU to think that Cancer is not a disability? It is an illness. The same way something like meningitis is an illness. It can cause disability in some cases but is not a disability.

I would class my dm as disabled now, she had Breast cancer 4 years ago, the treatment (chemo and rxt) has left her with NO stamina, she struggles to walk for more than 15mins and has no energy, needs to sleep every afternoon.

We as a family make allowances for her but she's not legally/technically disabled.

She is in her 70's (I don't want to alarm people having similar treatment)

Asthma and epilepsy are both disabilities under the Equality Act 2010 as well.

Why is it so hard just to educate yourself rather than post stuff which is upsetting to many?

Are you talking about Disabled Students Allowance? That's totally separate to disability benefits.

Under the Equality Act Cancer, MS and HIV are considered a disability from the day of diagnosis rather than having to comply with the have lasted/expected to last a minimum of 12 months that applies for every other condition.

Being charitable and assuming you are genuine. Both cancer itself and the after effects can be disabling.

Having to spend a lot of time travelling to appointments. Incurring lots of costs going to appointments.
Feeling too unwell to work due to chemo. Having many opportunistic infections due to chemo making work impossible. Not being able to risk going to work due to neutropenia. There's a very few crude answers

More posts since I post

I am a long time poster just a serial name changer.

the whole conversation/ thread came about as my own child had not thought of them as having a disability from the cancer and was shocked/surprised at the paragraph.

They do have a disability hence why we were looking at the form but nothing whatsoever to do with the cancer.

It is one of only three conditions that are specified as disabilities in the Equality Act 2010 (the others are multiple sclerosis and HIV). This is so that people with those conditions don't have to go through the rigmarole of the usual tests to demonstrate they have a disability.

People with disabilities such as cancer or MS or even HIV may need to have time off for check ups or additional medical appointments even when their condition is in remission or going through a period with no symptoms. The law gives protection to those people from day one of diagnosis which for the university may mean automatic extensions for deadlines for students in remission who may need to travel long distances for check ups back to their home hospital or The Royal Marsden etc depending on the nature of their condition.

Disabled students allowance not DLA.

serial name changer

How unsurprising.

If you have cancer for less than a year, you may be eligible (you would need to fill out the rest of the form to allow an assessment to be made) but if you have had it for longer than a year, you are automatocally entitled to DLA. I assume this is based on the statistical likely hood of long term disability in those with cancer for more than a year compared to those with cancer for less than a year.

, Cancer can be a very dibilitating illness, it's affects can lead to a person being disabled. treatment can be punishing and excruciating, meaning the perso cannot lead a normal life or go to work.

If you have ever tried to get extensions at university there is an awful lot of proof required to get an extension granted. By asking up front I would assume they wouldn't be asking for loads of proof later.

Seem a good idea to me :)

If we're bringing benefits into this, you need to do some reading around how sickness benefits are awarded, or at least take on board what more knowledgeable people are telling you. Your assumptions are completely wrong.

I am entitled to ZERO sickness related benefits. That is because I don't have symptoms that negatively affect me enough to qualify for sickness benefits. As it should be.

Cancer is treated the same as every single other condition and disease when it comes to getting sickness benefits (PiP and ESA) - the 'name' of the condition you have entitles you to nothing. It's how the symptoms impact on daily living.

The only way that cancer is treated differently is that people undergoing intravenous chemotherapy for a certain amount of time are automatically eligible to go into the support group of ESA. That means they don't have to attend medicals or appointments with the Jobcentre; it's accepted that they are ill enough to be unable to undertaken any form of work-related activity. There is a time limit on it and they will be reassessed. Even then, receiving anything is conditional upon the amount of National Insurance contributions they've paid in the past, or their partner's income.

See the from day one part makes sense as because as I said from our experience the cost, stress, hardship etc is all while the treatment is going on, not necessarily a year after the event.

I am not saying that others don't have it over a year, 2 or more years.

It was the fact it was cancer over a year.

Surley you understand the concept that everyone who has cancer is different? They aren't all "ok" a year after diagnosis and the vast majority will not be.

I just thank god we live in a country which helps people who have a life changing illness.

Just to reiterate I'm not talking about benefits such as DLA/PIP etc I'm talking about student disability.

I have not looked at DLA/PIP.

Bake off I get that all are different but that is why I am surprised that the assumption is that cancer is a disability not that there are disabilities from cancer.

Of course cancer causes disabilities, often people will say someone died of cancer when they actually died of a side effect of the treatment for the cancer such as infection or damage to the body from treatment. I had nearly two years of treatment, I don't claim any disability but I am certainly not the healthy fit 30 odd year old I was at the beginning of treatment. If I was going to uni there is no way I would cope as well as before cancer, infact I just wouldn't manage it now. I am actually far more annoyed by people claiming disability & who have parking permits who are disabled from abusing their own bodies with food & fags over the years.

Regardless of the benefits you're talking about you're still stating that you don't think cancer either having or in remission is disabling when it is to some people. I'd say it is to most actually.

You're definitely talking about Disabled Students' Allowance, then?

I thought it was up to the individual college/uni how they awarded it. The fact they're saying 'cancer over a year' is probably to weed out those students who are likely to have side-effects and show they consider them eligible to apply.

Like anything, your DC won't be awarded anything automatically just because they had cancer for longer than a year. Just because they're eligible to apply doesn't mean they're entitled to receive anything unless they can show they are suffering from long term side-effects.

When I studied with the OU, I was eligible to apply for DSA, but I didn't qualify for anything because I have no side-effects or additional needs from having had cancer. None that would affect studying anyway.

You're reading far too much into this 'you've had cancer for more than a year' line on the form.

I dont think the OP is being goady, I think she's coming across as unsympathetic. OP, correct me if I'm wrong but I took it to mean that you were more wondering why someone who had officially had cancer for say 8 months and been left with a disability would be ineligible for assistance when someone who had treatment for two years, regardless of resulting disability, would be eligible. That's a valid thing to question. The timescale shouldn't be the determination, should it? That's the point I think the OPS is clumsily trying to make, not that cancer shouldn't be classed as a disability.

That makes sense OldBloodCalls I thought it was Central I hadn't realised it was dealt with my each individual institution.

And it was the line - and I took it at face value which is what was puzzling me.

Tidy dancer that's it exactly.

yabu simply for your goady faux surprise title and for putting this in aibu

And sorry to come across as unsympathetic.