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Is ADHD a Disability? (Patreon)

Published:
2022-09-02 17:11:56
Imported:
2023-02

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Is ADHD a Disability? #shorts #adhd

Transcription: Coming soon!

Comments

Cavy

This feels like splitting hairs honestly, and my immediate reaction is that it plays into the hands of the people who don't want to consider ADHD a disability and don't want to accommodate us, the people who fill barnes and noble with books talking about how adhd is just a mindset, or it's a superpower, or some other nonsense. Of every disability I'm aware of, I can't think of another that has so many people telling the public that it isn't real, and from what I have seen, without any backlash. I hear people talk all the time about how it's made up, just laziness, a conspiracy by big pharma to medicate all the kids to sell more drugs, or any number of other things. I understand you explained that, to paraphrase, "a disability can really be seen as something for which society does not provide adequate accommodation," but I think it's important for us to consider the way we discuss our disorder. It's also important to remember that for a lot of us, there isn't even a theoretical world in which we could exist where we did not need at least medication in order to live our best lives. What does that say about ADHD? We have a fundamental difference in how our brains work that is often going to be antithetical to our goals on a daily basis and across the span of our lives. It is important for that to be understood and accepted in order to help us achieve better acceptance and accommodation in the world. I'll end this rant by saying that I still support you. Your channel has helped me a lot, and I hope you continue to make videos. I just felt like I had to get this off my chest, as the "questioning if ADHD is a disability" I see so often is something that really bothers me. Again, I really respect you, so I hope you don't take this personally. Have a good day.

How to ADHD
>>90869259

May I ask what parts of the video made you feel like it was playing into the hands of others? Because we aren't questioning it, we're answering the question that we get frequently. That yes, it is a disability, it's covered by US disability law. At the same time, ADHD is very much a spectrum and so despite being a covered disability, that doesn't mean everyone is disabled by it. It's common that people are, but there are outliers. So understanding how that maybe didn't get across would be super helpful for us. :) 🧡 Harley, Community Manager

Cavy
>>90869259

Perhaps the question could be rephrased to be something like "what makes ADHD a disability?" One of the points I was trying to make was that people often play the game of "just asking questions" when they intend to cast doubt on the validity of ADHD as a diagnosis and/or something that is disabling in one way or another. One issue is that people don't watch everything they see, so the title itself comes across as something along the lines of what we often see by those types I mentioned. The second thing that bothered me a bit was that it seemed not entirely clear that ADHD is being presented as something beyond other ways in which people differ from one another. Our capacities in certain areas, how we think, and how we respond to various things are inherently different from those of the majority of people due to mostly-immutable neurological differences. Respectfully, it felt somewhat minimizing of the complexity of our differences from neurotypicals, and the degree to which things would need to change to truly put many of us (I will concede it is certainly a spectrum so it doesn't apply to all of us) on equal footing with them. I, and many others of us, have had the experience that when given some singular accommodation we are expected to then be able to function as though we did not have ADHD. The glasses metaphor was one that I could see being viewed in a way that makes accommodation for us seem simpler than it often is. I also want to apologize for how I feel this is coming off. I feel like I'm being difficult right now, so I just want to say this could just be me feeling defensive (and picking apart something meant to be helpful) as someone who has had a lot of challenges to get to where I am and has almost never felt understood for my experience as a person with ADHD. Obviously this is a very personal experience for a lot of us, so I want you to know I really respect the work you are doing. You are doing something good.

How to ADHD
>>90869259

Thank you for taking the time to detail out and share your perspective, you aren't being difficult at all. You've been very respectful, in fact! 🧡 I'm wondering if part of it may be due to the fact it's short form, so there isn't a lot of time to tackle nuances or debunk possible misinterpretations of what we mean. But I also understand that even with the context of how we've always been on the channel, if someone has had a particular set of negative experiences surrounding the topic, how it might sound as demeaning due to their life experiences making it a negative connection for them. Frequently the people we get asking "is ADHD a disability" are from our community -- those with ADHD, who don't know if disability is something they can reach for as a term. And to basically ensure that people understand that... it is a covered-by-US-law-at-least disability. But just looking at it from the social model... it's a disability. And the way it's worded is based on how it's been posed to us by members within (and without) the community. So I hope this extra context helps a bit? I definitely understand how metaphors don't always land as well. You are free to share your own metaphors! We in fact, encourage it! Because there may be others who interpreted things exactly like you did... but if someone posts a metaphor that better works for them, then they may understand what we're meaning. <3 Due to it being impossible to make intentions clear to every single person (due to different life experiences, different perceptions of life, and more), this is where we really do rely on our community to express how they view things from their perspective. Much like you've done! What metaphors would you use? Because that's one of the best ways to help spread understanding -- but re-iterating it in different ways so that different brains can process it appropriately. 😊 And we also love learning new metaphors. 👀 Love. It. So I definitely want to encourage you to always speak up when something doesn't click with you, and if you need help understanding the premise, feel free to ask! If you got the premise but didn't really connect with an example or metaphor, feel free to share examples or metaphors that click for you! Because in turn that will help others who parse things similarly to better grasp the video because someone else restated it in a way that works better for them. 😊 🐻 Harley

Anonymous

ADHD is a disability, especially with work or school but you can advocate for those pieces. Now doesn't mean teachers or work will adjust their classroom or workplace for it. Because they assume medicine or no medicine is suppose to fix things.

Anonymous
>>90869259

I do think that the short form necessitates a loss of nuance, which may not be ideal in such a complex topic as "is ADHD a disability". I did not have an issue with the tone of the video as a whole, but admittedly the glasses metaphor didn't land well with me either. Most people who wear glasses were never "disabled" in the first place (by the legal/medical definition of "substantial impairments to life activities"), so equating severe ADHD with poor vision feels a bit trivializing. Also, glasses aren't really an "accommodation" because they don't require action on the part of anyone but the wearer. Finally, true disability accommodations do not remove the underlying challenge in the way that glasses do. Wheelchair ramps and reading adjuncts for dyslexia are vital, but they don't make the person not-disabled. Love the channel, love the overall message and goal of education. Just that one little piece that didn't sit well.

Rob O
>>90869259

Without glasses: I would need a large monitor for work, attending plays or movies would be far, far less enjoyable. I would not be legally able drive a motor vehicle. If I had to choose between life without ADHD meds and or life without my glasses, I would choose glasses every, single, time. The point is that my myopia would be considered a disability that required accommodation if not for readily available vision care. ADHD can be like that as well. I was undiagnosed until my 50's and have a successful career as computer programmer. Some clinicians would state that I do not have a disorder because I'm not functioning below average capacity.

How to ADHD
>>90869259

Bah, enter keys. Always hit them too soon. I definitely understand the concern and thought process, and appreciate the feedback. I do ask, however, that we refrain from saying other disabilities aren't disabilities. Just like with ADHD and medication, people with glasses wildly vary in their needs and deficiencies. Some can probably struggle through life decently without glasses, while others will be completely disabled without them. 🧡 It can make others feel judged and like maybe they shouldn't have their glasses if it's not a "disability". So am happy to hear feedback, just ask that we don't accidentally in turn, dismiss other disabilities and struggles. 🧡 - Harley, Community Manager

Cavy
>>90869259

Harley, thanks for your reply. I'm sorry it's been so long and I didn't reply to you. I've been moving to a new state and have been very busy with that. Anyway, I appreciated knowing that the question came from people with ADHD. Something I often see from people whose agenda is to spread doubt or false beliefs about a real and important issue is to "just ask questions" about whether something is true. To be clear, I never believed this is what was happening in the video, as I know Jessica and the team wouldn't do that, but posing it as a question brought that to mind. Perhaps that's helpful in understanding where I'm coming from. In terms of an analogy I don't really have one of my own that I go to. If something comes to mind I'll let you know. I'm always looking for good ways to talk about what ADHD is like because it is so much more complicated than people usually think, and really tough to describe in a way that translates for neurotypical people. I don't think I would really be able to put myself in the mind of a person with ADHD if I didn't have it. It's just such a strange mind and body experience. People think that our minds are reflected by our actions, but for me, and I think for many of us, it isn't. You can have that inner voice screaming for you to do something all day while you go about your day doing anything but that. The nature of the discomfort that we experience and the paralysis we often feel when we want to do something "productive" are such hard experiences to put into words. I describe it to people sometimes as being like I'm cursed by some magic that separates my actions, intentions, and desires, and medication can sometimes give me better ability to be in charge of the actions I take. The feeling of knowing that there exists a state in which my mind can do the things I want but having no control over when that is or how long it will last, the near-inability to get things done ahead of when I need to, always teetering on the verge of disaster, hoping that nothing unexpected happens because *by my nature* I can't leave space for the unexpected when doing necessary work. All this despite the fact that I know extremely well that I should make time for the unexpected and get things done early, and have likely had that knowledge weighing on me the entire time from when I was assigned the work to when it is complete. I even sometimes have a hard time believing that my mind and body can be so disconnected. Anyway I guess I got off topic there. I struggle to describe it in few words because I don't know that I even totally understand it yet. Thank you for your help.

Anonymous
>>90869259

My apologies for being insensitive. I was taking a narrow view based on me and my family's experience wearing glasses for annoying but not disabling vision impairment. Certainly there are people who would be disabled without vision correction, and their struggles are just as valid as someone with disabling ADHD. That aside, it's still a good message regardless of the specific metaphor used.

How to ADHD
>>90869259

Cavy: Ohhhhh! I love that "cursed magic" analogy! Yeah, it's hard to find the right words to articulate especially since there are so many facets of which to articulate. Faraday: Apology accepted. 🧡 It happens, I'm sure most (if not all) of us have done that before and may do it again in our lifetimes. I deeply appreciate your understanding!! 😊