Are we disabled?

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Simple question, should autism be labelled a disability or not?

It already is.

Sorry I should have been clearer.

The question is "should it be?"

It is a disability because the world is not friendly toward autistics.

Should the world be friendly and understanding and accepting, than it would cease to be a disability and we would cease to need so much support just to survive.

Of course

As others have said, is this question asking if we personally think autism is a disability or if society does? The answer to the latter is quite obviously yes.

Yes, autism is a disability.

But disability is not something to be ashamed of. It does not imply uselessness or inferiority. It does not have to be severe or obvious, and it does not have to divide us from the rest of the world.

I really couldn't answer your poll. It depends on the severity of the Autism whether it's a disability or not. HFA is probably just being different, LFA is probably a disability.

The way I see it, if all humans were paralytic, none would survive. But if all humans had high-functioning autism, we'd not only survive but we'd thrive well enough. So no, it's not a disability, any more than being black or a woman in past centuries was. I think some aspies call it a disability because they confuse disability with discrimination. One thing is what our abilities are, another is society's (the majority's) attitude towards us. The day we see it as unfair discrimination rather than a disability will be the day society starts respecting us.

It isn't a disability.
It is a euability.

We're better than neurotypicals... but there are more of them, so they get to wave their overgeneralised, socially dependent idiocy around while we're trapped having to play by their stupid, poorly conceived rules.

You need an option for "sometimes".

Generally speaking I consider it a difference, like a difference in skin colour, and not a disability...BUT of course sometimes it can be a disability, someone who is severely autistic may not be able to talk and may experience regular pain due to sensory issues making autism for them a disability. There are examples such as myself; six years ago I'd not have considered myself disabled due to my autism, but now I do because my autism has become bad enough to leave me disabled. And then there are cases where it is only a disability because of the world we live in - in an NT world many of us are 'disabled' because although we can function we may not function how we're 'supposed' to.

Outside of the NT run society and difficulties surrounding that, many of us- no, perhaps I should only speak for myself... , I, personally, have cognitive impairments in addition to social problems. So the answer for me is yes.

Sensory Processing, and other aspects of the condition are most certainly a disability regardless of social environment.

I believe autism is a disability, and yes, I am disabled. Doesn't mean I am not very-abled at many things; but being disabled at some big, important things affects me a great deal.

Yes because it is a disability. It causes impairments. If someone doesn't see their own autism as a disability, they either have it mild or live in a environment with open minded people such understanding family and co workers and people or have their own business or they learned to adapt so well with it.

Anyone who has ever had a meltdown knows that it's a disability, regardless of whether the people around you are supportive and understanding. Especially if a meltdown happens at work. No matter how supportive and understanding your colleagues are, you can't do your job when you are crying and banging your head against the wall because a baby was crying on the ride to work and you dropped a box of pencils and it made an unexpected loud noise that sent you over the edge.

If you've never had a meltdown, if you don't have sensory issues that cause you pain and distress, if you don't have body awareness issues that make you clumsy, then you probably don't have any form of autism, high- or low-functioning.

People in wheelchairs have climbed Mt. Everest. Disability does not have to stop you from living a full or even independent life. But if you really believe it's not a disability and that you'd be perfectly fine if only people were more understanding, you are probably on the wrong forum.