But exactly what is a handicap?
This topic is near and dear to me. I have a son who is medically and legally disabled and I can tell you that they are two different definitions. People who run around saying that too many people are abusing disabled status within the system are obviously ignorant of how the system works. It is
incredibly difficult to get disabled status with the government. The number of hoops you have to jump through and the number of times you will get denied and have to appeal is astounding. A lot of people have to be basically dying or severely maimed to get disabled status in any meaningful period of time. I was shocked when I moved to Canada... it's even harder to get status up here. It took us over a year and 3 appeals to restore my son's disabled status, which he had from early adolescence in the U.S.
There is also a difference between disabled
status and disabled
benefits. There are people with disabilities who aren't always dysfunctional. For example, people with MS can go through periods where they cannot function at all for indefinite periods of time, and during those periods they would receive benefits. Yet during their remission periods they are productive members of society, but are still considered disabled
in status because their condition could strike again at any time. But maybe during remission they don't receive benefits because their income doesn't qualify them.
You're disabled if you have a physical or mental condition that prevents you from functioning at normal levels. Functionality is defined many different ways, medically. It's also subjective in some cases. One person with autism may be able to hold a job and do all the "normal" things society expects, yet they are still functioning at a cognitively different level from the rest of society. Another autistic person may need a constant caregiver. The same is true across many conditions. Some people have way higher pain tolerance than others. Some people feel a lot more mental anguish over the health status than others. There are many factors. One person with migraines might look at another and say, "Why are you on welfare? I have migraines and I go to work! You should too." But maybe the other person is knocked flat by the pain. It's hard to equivocate. Maybe that person with a 70 IQ has zero social skills but they just happen to have a functional skill that lets them keep a job, yet they need a live in care giver for other things. Who's to judge?
You could have doctors agree that you are disabled but without proper agency to go through the government rigmarole, you may never get that acknowledgment from the government. Also? Most government disability benefits are a pittance. Once again the idea that people abusing welfare are somehow living it up is really mythological.
It's sad to the see the ableists come into debates and talk about what a drain on the system the disabled are, as if they are medically qualified to judge. I can understand people who have a grudge against those who are lazy and don't work, and just want to milk welfare, but we should not be turning veterans and disabled people into political pariahs so we can create talking points. It's not fair. They are one aspect of our society who deserve extra compassion, and I guarantee that abusers of the system are rare. Most really need it.
