Being honest about Asperger's without being a hypocrite

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I think what I've been trying to say in a couple of other postings is that I want to be honest about my situation- "owning" being an Aspie and using the diagnosis,when I get it, as something tangible- making the condition "real" as a means of being proactive and improving things for myself- I do ok despite being untreated, but things would be a lot better with that along with the bipolar disorder and ADHD I also have being treated. A lot of things I manage to do, I want to be able to do better, and things that right now are challenging, I'm hoping to finally be able to pursue as far as I know I can go. And while I don't have some of the stereotypical Asperger's problems to the extent others might have, I can admit it would be a good thing to see how I can improve in those areas- social skills, dealing with sensory issues, and executive functioning.

However, I don't want to look like a hypocrite- I've never had any hangups or prejudices against people with other disabilities. I've just gotten so frustrated over the years because it seems like there's always been someone trying to foist an intellectual disability classification on people who have either purely physical disabilities or who might have a learning disability.

In the process of researching Asperger's and seeing if I have it, I've seen a lot of material that seems to try to connect traits and behaviors of low functioning people to Asperger's, or else it's "profiles" of Aspies that I can't relate to- I know I'm not like the "profile", nor are the other Apsies I've met. I want to be honest about my condition, especially when the diagnosis comes through once I get tested, but I don't want to look like a hypocrite when I accept Asperger's as another disability I need to deal with while avoiding the other things some people might try to attach to it, if that makes sense. I do identify as an Aspie, but, and no disrespect to people who are low functioning, I refuse to let anyone see me as mentally challenged merely because I'm a geek and process things differently.

I hope I'm not being harsh.

The problem is that normal people put things in categories so they can understand better. It is a lie when they say they treat everyone as individuals. They can't. Too much information to process. But, because we are so different from each other we resist categorization.

For instance, the first categorization is usually gender. You meet someone and decide what gender they are. People get offended when you call a guy a girl, or vice versa.

It is a judgement call on whether you should use a label or not. You may want to ask here for a 2nd opinion. Sometime you need to. For instance, people typically can't get disability payments from the government without getting a label. Getting a label for government assistance and refusing to use it when applying for government assistance is stupid.

Indeed. I think a lot of the hostility people with disabilities in general encounter is at least in part the result of "normal" people having their preconceived notions challenged when a disabled person is simply being themselves and not adhering to the stereotypes.

I'm already receiving assistance for my physical disability, so I'm not really thinking about that in connection to an Asperger's diagnosis. My main concern is getting the assessment and avoiding having to accept any "mentally challenged" classification that might come up as sort of a condition of getting the Asperger's diagnosis. I have some experience with risking qualification for disability help in the past because I was willing to identify as having a physical disability when I was first using a wheelchair but refusing to allow the qualifications for assistance (job and housing help) be based on being labeled as mentally impaired. Not a legal thing, just a social thing being pushed by those in charge of a vocational program and the independent living group I was working with at the time.