Is incontinence a disability?

Is it a disability?

  • Yes

    Votes: 18 51.4%
  • No

    Votes: 1 2.9%
  • It depends

    Votes: 16 45.7%

  • Total voters
    35
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Calico

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Do you consider it a disability? Why or why not? Do you think it depends on the severity of it and the person and how it affects them? Like let's say someone had to wear diapers so they got anxiety about it and it's so bad it keeps them from living a normal life and having employment because they are so embarrassed and worried about anyone finding out they are wearing a diaper it causes them an impairment in occupational functioning.

Plus I think incontinence can cause limitations like traveling or doing certain activities while being a DL and wearing 24/7, we still have the option to just ditch the diapers at inconvenient times. An IC person doesn't have that choice.
 
I am IC and although the Government considers it a disability I don't feel mine is , it's just a damned annoyance , then again I am in a wheelchair an obvious one as a disability , I find it to be a PIA sometimes but I don't consider it disabling, the things I can do , I do seated , sure a 500 pound wheelchair doesn't let me go swimming to easily, but then again my condition does not permit swimming so no great loss , as to IC and the severity of it , I suppose it can play a role somewhat in how you feel about it as a disabling condition , but one thing you learn with any condition including IC , life goes on , pity parties can make you pretty miserable , so F' it drive on , the greatest limitation in this life is what's between your ears , I do not care if somebody knows I am IC and wear diapers ,if I don't let these things define and limit me , why should anyone else let it bother them and define them , I am a lot more than my diaper or my IC just as I am a lot more than my fancy wheelchair , if you have read any of my other posts you have probably seen in my able bodied days I was a Firefighter/Nurse , those define me much more than any disability , and it blows people's minds when I pull out my wallet and my gold shield is there with my ID , attesting to the fact that I worked long hours in hazardous conditions for low wages and liked it , most people wrongly believe that "disabled" people were born this way or many times they ask was it a diving accident ? Assuming I broke my neck , there are more people in wheelchairs from other stuff then there are from breaking there neck . I guess I am saying poorly there is a small group who feel there health challenges are insurmountable , and many feel this early on , but life has a way of showing you ,nobody else really cares and the world keeps turning just as you should , wear your diapers use your chair and don't let it hold you back , there is a whole lot of world and life to see and do before you die, you will get to some of it but rarely all .

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That's a good question Calico and I don't have an answer to it, especially since I'm not incontinent and don't have to live with the inconvenience of being incontinent. My wife is a diabetic amputee, and being in a wheelchair is a disability, but it's all what you make of it. Life still continues and there are things to do with one's life that have meaning.
 
Yeah it is.
 
Depends. Incontinence is not a stand alone condition. It is a symptom of a disease, illness, injury or congenital defect.

Think of it this way. Many people have really poor eyesight due to a defect in their eyes. If they did not wear glasses or contacts, they would be at a disadvantage. In other words, they would probably consider themselves disabled. But, they usually do wear glasses or contacts. Is my OAB and IBS disabling. Heck yeah. But, I wear diapers to manage it so I can live a relatively normal life. Therefore, it is not disabling to me. Take a away my diapers, then it becomes disabling.
 
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From a legal point of view, I think that incontinence is considered to be a disability. However, here is a somewhat amusing story. Before I retired, I worked for an organization that prided itself on its diverse work force, and part of that diversity is inclusion of people living with disabilities. So the head of my department did a survey to find out if any of us were disabled. I reported my incontinence, but was subsequently informed that it was too invisible to be counted. Maybe if my diaper leaked more often...
 
I'm not incontinent, but I do consider it a disability. Now that I think about it though, I'm not exactly sure why I do beyond the legal standpoint.
 
Yes and no. Yes it dibilitates you and employer's can't fire you for it and h
have to make special exceptions for you. No you can't get SSI or SSDI for it you have to have other problems they will and it to the list of disabilities though. Medicaid pays for diapers if prescribed.
 
Inconinmiss said:
From a legal point of view, I think that incontinence is considered to be a disability. However, here is a somewhat amusing story. Before I retired, I worked for an organization that prided itself on its diverse work force, and part of that diversity is inclusion of people living with disabilities. So the head of my department did a survey to find out if any of us were disabled. I reported my incontinence, but was subsequently informed that it was too invisible to be counted. Maybe if my diaper leaked more often...
Well in the US companies can get some nice juicy tax incentives for hiring other wise qualified workers with disabilities for positions in the company , kind of like if the lowest bidder would normally get the contract ,but there's an agency that bid higher but is owned by a woman or person of minority they win the bid, but that was before drumpf got into office, it could be different now.

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Incontinence is a disability, but not a handicap. Incontinence has its inconveniences, but one can live a fairly normal life in spite of them. But no doctor would sign off on a handicap placard because of needing diapers.
 
CheshireCat said:
Incontinence is a disability, but not a handicap. Incontinence has its inconveniences, but one can live a fairly normal life in spite of them. But no doctor would sign off on a handicap placard because of needing diapers.
No handicap placard for it , but I have a patch on my jacket that looks like a placard that says "I'm in it for the parking" a shame I can't drive anymore .

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Calico said:
Do you consider it a disability? Why or why not? Do you think it depends on the severity of it and the person and how it affects them? Like let's say someone had to wear diapers so they got anxiety about it and it's so bad it keeps them from living a normal life and having employment because they are so embarrassed and worried about anyone finding out they are wearing a diaper it causes them an impairment in occupational functioning.

Plus I think incontinence can cause limitations like traveling or doing certain activities while being a DL and wearing 24/7, we still have the option to just ditch the diapers at inconvenient times. An IC person doesn't have that choice.
My continence advisor considers it a disability and told me to get a radar key bso I could use the disabled toilets to change.
 
Spaz said:
Depends. Incontinence is not a stand alone condition. It is a symptom of a disease, illness, injury or congenital defect.

Think of it this way. Many people have really poor eyesight due to a defect in their eyes. If they did not wear glasses or contacts, they would be at a disadvantage. In other words, they would probably consider themselves disabled. But, they usually do wear glasses or contacts. Is my OAB and IBS disabling. Heck yeah. But, I wear diapers to manage it so I can live a relatively normal life. Therefore, it is not disabling to me. Take a away my diapers, then it becomes disabling.
Same here, nothing wrong with me besides my bladder acting up on me. Diapers help me remain dry on the outside, besides an overactive leaking bladder and diapers, I'm like eveyone else...
 
Interesting, I can't believe there are people anywhere who think it isn't. Of course it is, don't be so ignorant.

If you break a leg and it heals, that's an inconvenience. If it never does fully heal then it's a disability.

If your eyesight starts to go and you need glasses, that's an inconvenience. If it fully goes and you're blind, that's a disability.

And if you wet the bed or your pants every now and again, that's an inconvenience. If you wet uncontrollably with full blown incontinence, that's also a disability.

And having a disability doesn't mean you are handicapped or aren't able to do things and be just like everyone else. Thinking otherwise is just a fallacy.
 
My incontinence comes from my spinal injury. So it's a result of a disability.
 
It depends is the best way to answer it in my opinion. From a Government or Political standpoint, it's important to accept that it's a disability. But I try not to have my abilities disabled by it.
 
PadsnPullups said:
Slomo:

What you are not taking into account is that there are different levels of incontinence. If you are totally incontinent than I would agree with you, but if you have a lesser level of incontinence (like me) is it really a disability? For me the answer is (at this time) no. I think that is why the third choice was included in this poll.

Things aren't always so black and white as you seem to want to believe.

Of course it is, and I did take that I to account so please don't misquote me again. Look back and you'll see I said if you wet your bed or pants every now and again then it's more of an inconvenience and not a disability.

The real question you need to ask is at what point does occasional wetting actually become incontinence- which then IS a disability.

You're absolutely right this is a grey area though, and will vary from person to person. One possibly good measure might be whether or not that person has seen a urologist that has confirmed they have incontinence. Another might just be as simple as whether that person feels they have full blown incontinence or not (which you say you don't). I have no intention to argue this point though, only to make the distinction if you have it then yes it's a disability (though still not a handicap).
 
OK, folks.

This is a yes or no question, and according to my research incontinence is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, which legally qualifies it as a disability. Question answered.

Now, the degree to which a particular incontinent person may or may not FEEL "disabled" will vary. Then again, I doubt that I'd be reaching very much to suggest that the same is true for almost all legally defined disabilities. (There is after all a reason—though not a good enough one to justify its existence—for the cumbersome and to my mind very awkward PC descriptor, "differently abled.") Slomo continues to distinguish, quite logically, between this legal definition and those for whom the disability truly impairs their day to day lives, which is a handicap. (Another absurd PC descriptor: "handicapable," pops into my mind. I'm sorry: I'm so bloody liberal I'm basically socialist, but sometimes we go WAY too far. Eliminating offensive things like the R-word is one thing, but really...not everything needs to be changed just because it's there. No one ever used "disabled" or "handicapped" as slurs.)

Anyway...

Sort of slipped off topic there...sorry...

But my bottom line is that I agree with Slomo: if you have been diagnosed as incontinent, you have a disability. How much it controls your life and gets in the way is idiosyncratic.
 
Lets look at the 2 common dictionary definitions

a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.

Is incontinence fitting one of those points. It can impact a person's movements or activities (planned time to check your product, packing extra clothing, having to leave early if leaks happen).



a disadvantage or handicap, especially one imposed or recognized by the law.

For this one it definitely is a yes. Not being able to control your bladder or bowels completely definitely fits this definition. Most places legally recognize it as a disability.

The real question I think maybe the poster meant to ask "Does it make you feel limited?"
 
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