Why do Neurotypicals consider Aspies Disabled?

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I don't know... If folks tried to empathize more with autistic people and people with aspergers and adapt to them, would it be a disability then?
I sometimes wonder, why is it a big deal to not be social? I don't like being social. I'm a bit awkward. I stim and would rather read than go to parties, I just don't see what the fuss is.
More later when I'm more coherent.

Most NT's are uneducated about Asperger's. They hear that it is on the autism spectrum, so they immediatley think of stereotypical images such as Rainman. They simply don't know any better unless they have reason to such as a friend or family member with AS. It's no different then people believing that all people with MD are Jerry's kids in wheelchairs. They just don't know any better.

My son is an Aspie and my husband is probably as well. I really don't know whether I have AS or not. I know that I tend to avoid social situations and love to stay home whenever possible. I still may very well be NT, so I will say that NT's are on a spectrum too. Not all NT's love to socialize, and not all NT's are quick to judge someone who is different. Some NT's are much more rational than emotional, and nearly all of the psychological disorders that can affect Aspies (anxiety, OCD, depression, etc.) can affect NT's too. Whether or not AS is a disability has to do with the individual. If you face significant struggles throughout your daily life, then you are likely disabled and there is nothing wrong with that. No one should ever feel shame about having a disability.

We're socially awkward, we tend to offend people and don't mean to. We have difficulty reading between the lines and detecting sarcasm and jokes. Change is hard for us. Don't forget the sensory issues, that can effect you. It has kept some aspies from having jobs.

That's why.

Many of us ARE disabled. Probably "most".

As in, 88% of us can't get a job.

"Disabled" is not a bad word. Don't be afraid of it.

Disability means, simply, that society is structured in a way that requires abilities we do not have. It is a neutral thing.

Better question: Why are some Aspies in such deep denial about autism being a disability at all?

And, Why are some neurotypicals so reticent to hire/educate/include/etc. disabled people?

Well, for what it's worth, most NTs don't consider AS to be a disability.

It tends to be limited to professionals and parents of those with AS who consider it to be a "serious disability".

For most NTs, if the condition isn't physical (including sensory) or intellectual, it isn't a disability.

That can be good or bad, depending on whether you get "You are disabled; therefore I will pity you and assume you are incapable of doing so much as blinking without assistance" or "You are not disabled; therefore you are obviously not trying hard enough or doing this deliberately; therefore you are a loser and/or a jerk".

The fact that most of us are disabled doesn't change just because many NTs assume that if they can't see it, it isn't a disability.

(BTW, I would consider an Aspie "nondisabled" if he does not need any outside assistance to do everything the average NT can do. Again, this would be mostly adults and those on the borderline of diagnosis.)

My biggest disabiilty is me being a triangle trying to fit into a square society. It just isn't going to happen. The majority always rules, so the minority has to suffer with whatever the majority sets the "norm". IF all of the NT dissappeared off of this earth, and only those with Aspergers were left, there would probably still be some kind of pecking order, in which the highest functioning people would be at the top.

There are NT parents of autistic children who adamantly reject any idea that Aspies are disabled. Unlike their children who are "really autistic".

because of the weak electric feild that surrounds their brains, known as the stupid feild

You raise an interesting thought. What if everyone in the world was an aspie? For all of the grief NT's are given on this foum (some of it deserved) what kind of world would we have if everyone had AS? The rigidity, the sensory issues, the black/white right/wrong kind of mindset? I can hardly wrap my mind around what it would be like.

Would it be an orderly, structured, peaceful kind of world or would it be one filled with chaos and angst because every aspie had a different idea of what "right" or "correct" was? "No, no no you're doing it all wrong!! ! That's not how you screw in a lightbulb!! !" : )

I dunno. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Aspies do incorporate some potentially disabling traits. For instance - when my head becomes so overwhelmed that I find it impossible to do anything of any value during the day... that can be disabling.

Still - I don't like how it's classified as a disability, for that word is very antagonizing to us.

I would prefer "potentially troublesome, but not necessarily" but that would be quite a mouthful.

People forget - there are countless qualities in aspies that are to be taken into account... and many things we can do that non aspies often can't do, so it works both ways, even if it feels like we're being oppressed at times.

I don't think AS as a whole is a disability, but certain traits can be very disabling. I am definitely disabled by my sensory issues and lack of social understanding. I really don't understand why so many aspies have a problem with the idea that AS can be disabling, because it clearly can. Actually, in one definition of the word "disablility" I've seen, technically everyone has one.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disability

"anything that disables or puts one at a disadvantage"

Who doesn't have traits that put them at a disadvantage?