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Post by Crystal on Oct 24, 2011 15:13:43 GMT -5
I propose a use of the term "diffabled" to smooth over ruffled feathers and be politically correct while not having to type out too many letters. EDIT: Aw, man! Someone else already made it up before me. And here I thought I was being all smort. :<
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2011 16:10:18 GMT -5
Working on a counter-point, I can see why the word "disability" can be offensive. It describes something honest by law (well, unless there's misdiagnoses), but it automatically labels someone as "not able to do things as well". And to be honest, that's not very inspiring, even with all the "overcoming the odds" stories. Combined with the frustrations of dealing with the disability, whether you know you have it or not... Can't be the best of times. I used to run with a pack of blind kids from the Blind Foundation here. We'd go do activities and stuff together, but eventually I quit hanging out with them because they were all, to a man, whiny brats with a huge entitlement and victim complex. :I I got sick of hearing them complain about their sight problems and bemoan the lack of help and understanding from anyone around them and blah blah blah. The truth is, blind people here in New Zealand get so much help it isn't funny. I can name 4 trusts off the top of my head where you have to have a visual impairment to apply. My first year's tuition fees were paid by one of these trusts, I get half-price taxi rides, I can get free or discounted entry into heaps of recreation activities and the university is compelled by law to assist with my learning in any way I and my disability resource liaison deem necessary. Unhelpful society my ... *grumbles* xD Komori's got the ticket - a disability is the lack of a certain ability or abilities. For people with Asperger's it's communication, social skills and lack of perception of the self with regard to the surrounding world.Sarn, are you saying I don't know who I am? Because I'm pretty sure I do. The DSM-IV has a list of symptoms used to diagnose Asperger's. It might be helpful in understanding some things, perhaps. You've actually misread/misunderstood what I've said. Aspies tend to have difficulty understanding opposing viewpoints, and especially when it comes to themselves. I have an opinion of you that probably differs vastly from the way you see yourself, and that can really create problems sometimes, as those two viewpoints might clash in certain circumstances. It's difficult to explain. You certainly know who you are, but you're lacking a perception of how others feel about you which most people have.
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Post by ♥ Azzie on Oct 24, 2011 20:09:14 GMT -5
I've got a couple of things that are considered disorders/disabilities, and I don't find "disability" a bad term at all. Mainly I think that because I know there are areas that are difficult for me because of those things and I'd rather people understand that and explain things to me than be disappointed/angry with me later for things I don't necessarily know I'm doing or things I think are just normal but actually aren't.
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Post by Tiger on Oct 24, 2011 20:49:58 GMT -5
One of the reasons we diagnose disorders today is to help people, not to pick them out and say "This person's different. Everybody point and laugh!" While some disorders don't cause much trouble, others can pose a lot of challenges for people. One of the unofficial criteria for a disorder is that it causes dysfunction or distress.
Consider students with learning disabilities. Not so long ago, children who didn't read well or learned by methods that weren't really covered in classrooms were just labelled as dumb. Quite a few were actually placed in special education programs. While I understand the stigma that comes with being labeled as having a learning disability, these students are now able to get help and meet their potential. And I imagine that having a name for something, an assurance that it's a funky mix of chemicals in the brain rather than something "wrong with" the person him/herself, can be in its own way empowering.
I think what needs to change isn't so much the labeling; the names of disorders are changed all the time, and all that really does is give people a new word to use (moron -> dumb -> mentally handicapped, and all the synonyms in between). What needs to change is society's attitude toward people with disabilities/disorders, though that's easier said than done.
Er, sorry for the textbook-y sound of this ^^; I'm working with a Soc textbook right now, so that's probably why.
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