disability benefits, and the excuse of "weeding out the fakes"
Its hard for disabled people to get disability benefits, no doubt, and were always told its to “weed out the liars who pretend to be disabled”
All theyre saying, is that they want disabled people to pay the price for abled people who lie to get something they dont need.
Now, when i first heard that excuse i wasnt taken aback by it,
I mean, abled people? Feeling entitled to something specifically meant for disabled people? To the point where disabled people cant get it anymore? That just sounds like another day that ends in “y”.
But i am frustrated with this constant excuse, and why am i?
Because the answer to weeding out the liars isnt to make it ten times as hard to get disability benefits, its to teach abled people that those benefits ARE NOT THEIRS, if one person needs a drink and the other person is stealing drinks, the answer isnt to make it near impossible to get drinks, its to stop the person stealing drinks. Its to teach that person not to steal. And yes, there will always be thieves, you cant stop them all, but these are the LIVES of disabled people that youre messing with, not giving them what they need can KILL them.
*opinion here* Id rather have one or two abled people be ableist and take what isnt theirs, ya know, like they do with our parking spots and elevators and bathrooms, than have it be ten times harder than it already is for disabled to fucking live. Between the time a disabled person gets denied for benefits and the next time they can apply and appeal and possibly get approved(or most likely denied again), their meds, doctors appointments, mobility aids, therapy appointments and general medical problems can increase and cause mental, physical and financial stress that couldve been avoided if they were not denied in the first place.
If youre worried about the “fakers” the answer is not to assume all disabled people are liars and run the risk of making their lives harder and them sicker.
Its to teach abled people to not treat disability as a money grab, its to teach abled people to not take what isnt theirs,
Adding to the ableism isnt gonna make ableism go away
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