Self identifying as disabled

[GCautist]

There’s a slight furore in Scottish politics I was reading about on Twitter last night, where it was stated in an SNP doc that a potential candidate who self identified as disabled or BAME would be placed at the top of the list for list votes to ensure better representation in parliament.

On the surface having diverse representation is much needed but there’s been a lot of issue with the term ‘self identify as disabled’.

IMO there’s a difference between declaring you have a disability and self identifying as having a disability and it’s the wording rather the policy itself that is problematic.

Aibu to think you can’t identify into being disabled in the same way you can’t identify out of being disabled?

Can we please discuss this issue without it turning into a rant about independence (for or against) or how awful you personally believe Nicola Sturgeon is?

Agree with @DahliaMacNamara

YABU because you seem to have missed quite a lot of the debate which led to the current situation whereby you can indeed identify as disabled or not.

Thus is because the fact of having a 'qualifying' condition does not necessarily mean that your life is impacted to such a level that you see yourself as disabled in any typical usage of the world, and you do not claim any disability benefits to require carers.

There is a difference between the existence of the condition and how one chooses to live with it. You can have DDA qualifying condition and 'identify your way out of it'

It's a difference which might not matter to the able-bodied. But it's incredibly important

IMO there’s a difference between declaring you have a disability and self identifying as having a disability and it’s the wording rather the policy itself that is problematic.

''declaring you have a disability'' is a much better way to word it, I've never been comfortable with 'self identifying'.

The term ‘identify as’ is what is so subjective and this term has caused so many problems.

If I say I identify as a tree, it would be no ones place to tell me that’s not true. Such is the subjective nature of the term.

I think there are instances where this may be beneficial to people that perhaps haven’t been able to get a diagnosis, take for example Autism. They may meet the criteria in most areas, but not enough to get an actual diagnosis.

I can also see it being completely taken advantage of by others who will manipulate the term and use it to fit their own agenda.

As soon as I hear that someone "identifies" as something or other my scepticism fires up - men claiming to be women, healthy people claiming to be disabled.

I'd say that if you're not theoretically capable of bringing a case under disability discrimination then you're not disabled.

I'm disabled. I had to go through hoops for PIP. I'm not saying there can't be grey areas, but we need clarity and allowing people to "identify" encourages liars.

Of course you can't self- identify as disabled for the purpose as stated. You may think you have got a disability. Is that the same as actually having a disability. It wont do for blue badges and benefit allowances for disability so it shouldn't be allowed in this case.

You can have a disability, but not identify as disabled.

I rarely identify as disabled because my condition doesn't typically adversely affect my life these days (due to being managed well).

I am BAME, but I don't always identify as BAME as I can pass for white in some circles.

I think it's a case of you can opt-out, but you can't opt-in, if you know what I mean.

@PrawnofthePatriarchy

As soon as I hear that someone "identifies" as something or other my scepticism fires up - men claiming to be women, healthy people claiming to be disabled.

I'd say that if you're not theoretically capable of bringing a case under disability discrimination then you're not disabled.

I'm disabled. I had to go through hoops for PIP. I'm not saying there can't be grey areas, but we need clarity and allowing people to "identify" encourages liars.

Completely agree with this

My son had epilepsy for years but did not identify as disabled as his meds 100% controlled it. (He outgrew it.)

He has dyspraxia and does see this increasingly as a disability as it really gives him problems with the focus, organisation and writing etc needed to get top grades in his GCSEs (compared to his actual ability and IQ).

I too have realised, in my forties, that I am dyspraxic but have never seen myself as disabled (just as clumsy and disorganised). I have probably had to put more effort into things to succeed but I have done well in life really. I wouldn’t compare my mild struggles to someone who was blind or in a wheelchair anyway.

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel

And yet this has come out of a meeting about the trans issue within the party (I read that somewhere earlier but can't remember where now or I'd link it).

But that doesn't mean it's not a real issue, or that it's a cover for anything.

It is a real, well known debate that has been going on for a very long time.

Also, you know, to someone reasonably unbiased, it would seem quite natural to discuss different issues of discrimination and representation in the same meeting and from the same context, wouldn't it?

@AubergineDream yes i totally see what you mean - I have MS and sometimes I will tick disabled on a form if I’m asked and sometimes not.
I have a disability but don’t always feel disabled iyswim

Plenty of job applications ask if you consider yourself to have a disability, I don't think this is particularly out of the ordinary..

This is an appalling ableist thread, with seemingly no understanding of why the ‘identify as’ language is do very important

I think I’m most pissed off because OP appears to be telling me I must identify as disabled (because apparently it’s not possibly to identify myself out of it)

It would unwind so much progress If we had to be constrained by a diagnosis

I guess it depends how you define ‘identifying as’? I think it’s not always clear cut. As others have said, getting a certain diagnosis or a referral to even get that diagnosis can be a long winded process - but it doesn’t mean people who are waiting for that aren’t disabled.

When I was in a psychotherapy group years ago, there was a lady with ME. Back then it was considered psychological. She was being counselled out of it (poor woman). She’d have had to self diagnose herself as disabled as no one would have believed her 😞

The whole concept of disability is very much based on self identification. Disabled activists would say that a person is not disabled in themselves, it is society that is disabling them by failing to accommodate their needs. Eg a wheelchair user is only disabled because many places are inaccessible, a deaf person is not disabled when they talk to a person in sign language. And some people who have what appear to be serious disabilities, eg no arms, do not consider themselves disabled because they do things differently but not to them in a lesser way.

Self diagnosing is all the rage now.

Seems to be very common for people self diagnosing a range of mental health conditions for them or their children.

Also common with mask wearers, all you need to do is get an exemption lanyard off eBay, and no one can say a thing.

Obviously some people have genuine conditions, but let's be realistic here, a lot of people are just trying it on, safe in the knowledge that not many people will be brave enough to call them on their BS.

The Equality Act 2010 specifies what it means to be legally disabled.

I am not sure what you mean really OP. How would you be identified as disabled in any other way than saying "Yes, I meet those legal criteria and am therefore legally disabled?"

I am not sure there is another way any more? Local authorities used to maintained a register, hence people referring to being "registered disabled." but I don't think that has been the case for decades now.

Maybe it is different in Scotland though?

I am disabled because I can't walk anymore
needing a wheelchair is a disability'

try living in our world needing a bloody wheelchair
the idea of self IDing disabled is sickening

I think Mental Illness is different......it is a disabling illness but my mother who has battled with 2 mental illness all her life would not want to be termed Disabled. She wanted to be part of the normal world and it would have caused her more pain and anxiety.

You don't get a letter from the doctor that says "you are a disabled person now"
But that's sort of what a diagnosis is surely? You deal with issues and people are sympathetic but it's only when you have a diagnosis that doors open. Also I'd have assumed by self identify they just mean come forward as. Nothing to do with trans issues

It took me years to realise that technically, I should probably have been ticking all those boxes to say I have a disability. But it's one that hasn't impacted my "external" life in any way since I left school (it was a problem at school at time as I was unable to do certain things that other students could. But even then, it was mild - I couldn't take part in gymnastics, for example, but could still take part in athletics or tennis).

I've always ticked the "no disability" box on the basis that my disability does not require any change in how other people behave around me / work environments etc and therefore I did not see it as relevant when I was asked. Interestingly, the only time it DID impact me at work was when on an offsite there was a team building exercise that I could not do. But to be quite honest, this was 15 years ago when "team building" routinely involved asking people to do ridiculous/embarassing/unpleasant things so my discomfort with it wasn't that different to many other people's.

So to my mind, disability is relevant if it impacts you in a material way. Whether that's mental health, physical issues, illness etc.

What nonsense, they need to be clear about what constitutes a disability not just say 'decide for yourself'. My lo has aspergers and dyspraxia, he doesn't qualify for any kind of disability allowance so does that mean he's not disabled enough? Aspergers is however considered a disability under the DDA and Equality act so does that mean it is 'enough' of a disability? He wouldn't describe himself as disabled though so does that mean he wouldn't qualify. It's all total woke BS.