Would i be classified as a disabled person?

louweez23
louweez23 Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
edited January 2019 in Everyday life
I'm here because I'm sure there are other people who must be in the same position as me.  I actually don't know whether I would be classified as disabled or not.  I don't think of myself as disabled even though I'm in pain constantly and have difficulty performing some everyday tasks. I've been like this for years and have learned to live with it, so I just see myself as normal. 

I was diagnosed with bulging discs in my spine in 2015 both in the cervical spine and lumbar spine but recently I've been for an MRI and it's got worse so now I have spinal stenosis. I used to be very fit and went to the Gym 3 times per week but I've been told not to run nor lift weights anymore, so I don't. I've also got bilateral Carpal Tunnel syndrome so my hands spend a lot of time feeling numb. 

The only person who helps me is my husband and he performs tasks for me like lifting heavy boxes or opening jars or anything I can no longer do for myself, but other than that I don't get any assistance from anyone so I don't know if I'm disabled or not. How does one find out these type of things? 

Comments

  • AnkyieSpon
    AnkyieSpon Online Community Member Posts: 138 Empowering
    Hi @louweez23, welcome to the community.
    I understand up until recently I considered myself as having disabilities and not being disabled. I guess I am learning more and more what being disabled means and it's not what I grew up understanding as it being someone in a wheelchair, this is definition of disabled and make things clearer for me and made me accept that I am disabled:
    (of a person) having a physical or mental condition that limits their movements, senses, or activities.
  • Pippa_Alumni
    Pippa_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,761 Championing
    Hi @louweez23, and a warm welcome to the community!

    Thanks for sharing this with us. It's common for there to be confusion around this topic, as many people are under the impression that there's a 'register' or another method of classification for disabled people, when in fact this isn't the case. I hope that helps to slightly clarify things!

    If we can be of any further assistance, please do let us know.

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