Pretty Social Reject

False Binaries & Disabled Being

Disability is a popular topic while the world is still wracked by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which previously healthy and able-bodied individuals now grapple with post-infectious chronic conditions that have drastic effects on their lives. In social media spaces where disability and chronic illness are discussed, I continue to encounter a multitude of posts that revolve around whether one "counts" as physically disabled or is "disabled enough" to use certain resources that might improve their health and functioning in everyday life. These social media users typically cite physical symptoms that limit or entirely prevent many of their activities and responsibilities but have been led to believe that these limitations aren't significant due to misconceptions surrounding what qualifies a person as disabled. While this self-doubt may not seem like much on its surface, it comes from and exposes a pattern of ableism and medical neglect that occurs on both a systemic and individual level.