Is Being Fat A Disability?

TubbsMcGee

No. In my opinion a disability is something you have for life that you have to learn to live with. Such as losing your arm in a car accident, a mental illness, deafness, going blind etc. You don't HAVE to learn how to live with being fat. You can lose weight, even if it's hard.

Exactly.

They're choosing not to do anything about their weight, so why should tax payers support that by giving them money for sitting around on their fat a$$ses? Unless they have some sort of actual medical condition that prevents them from losing weight, I call baloney.

Whenever this topic comes up, I just think of that episode from The Simpsons where Homer purposely tries to reach 300 lbs...he at least "worked" though.

beckajw

Basically, becoming and staying fat is a result of the choices someone makes. To eat this packet of sweets, watch TV instead of going for a walk, eat those chips, or whatever - the daily choices that everyone has in the first world. People don't chose the things that lead to true disabilities - cerebral palsy, learning difficuties, blindness, arthritis - they are due to accidents of birth or accidents of life.

"Being fat is hard, losing weight is hard, remaining slim is hard. Choose your hard"

Well said.

I disagree. Some disabilities are the result of a choice a person made. Someone chose to drive drunk, got in an accident and became disabled. It doesn't make a person less disabled because he chose to take the action that lead to the disability.

Also, I'm incredibly disappointed by the views on this site that every person who is overweight chose to be overweight. There are medical conditions that lead to obesity. You really shouldn't judge others without knowing the whole story.

Can obeseity be a disability? In some cases yes. Is it generally a fixable disability? In most cases yes. Still, it can be a disability.

Kirabelly

I have been disabled by my weight. It made every day tasks impossible. It is easy to say "go for a walk" or "put down the cupcakes" but it is so much more complex than that. It is more like an addiction than a true disability. It is more mental disease than physical, though over time and gain it does become physical.

I know my situation was not the same as the people I take care of who were born with disabilities. They have cerebral palsy, prader willi syndrome, autism, bipolar. Being morbidly obese does not belong in the same category as those things. It belongs with anorexia, bulimia, drug addiction, and alcoholism.

A formerly 423lb woman who takes care of the truly disabled's 2 cents.

AnewTif

For people that say being obese is a choice, I agree. There are very few people statistically that are obese not by their own choices. I have PCOS and that was a contributing factor and it is making the weight loss a little more difficult. However, I can do it.

Being fat is a disability, but no one should get paid for being obese. NO ONE.

I also feel this way about people that are on disability due to drug and alchohol addiction. When I was younger, I worked for a non profit that provided drug and alcohol counseling services and a good number of people were on disability because of their addiction and that's when I knew I couldn't continue my studies towards Social Work. I didn't agree with it at all. Drug and alcohol addicts make a choice to drink or do drugs, just like I did with food.

susannamarie

Just because it's self-inflicted doesn't mean it's not a disability.

Disabilities can also be temporary. They don't have to be lifelong. One of my friends got a disabled parking permit after being in a car accident. Once she got well enough to not use the walker/wheelchair, she gave it back.

Now, as to whether self-inflicted disabilities should qualify for SS, that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

avasano

This is semi-related, but yesterday on my drive home I heard a radio host talking about how that he would rather sit on a plane next to a dead person than to sit next to a fat person.

So, there is a social aspect to being fat that does hinder people as well a physically limiting them. However, I think most overweight people (99%) can change their situation, whereas I consider a handicap or disability to be something beyond your control that you have to learn to deal with.

In typing this, though, I have thought of another situation: what if I decided to cut off my legs? This is a choice I made for some reason. Would I be considered disabled/handicapped from then on? Not trying to hijack, but my mind wanders!

Food for thought, how many morbidly obese people overcome and rise to the challenge of say climbing a mountain? Like, Kyle Maynard the first quadruple amputee to crawl up to summit Mount Kilimanjaro. There were also eight blind climbers that made the journey to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. If you want to find a reason why you can't do something then you will, it doesn't mean you are disabled, just disinclined.

Adsnwfld

Sorry to sound mean but being fat is absolutly NOT a disability. It is a choice, you may have medical issues that make it hard to drop weight but a package of cupcakes and a chocolate milk isn't a breakfast sutable for anyone. When you sit down to a quarter pounder with cheese, small french fries, and a small Sprite (850 calories) and wonder why you are gaining weight. It is a thing you can control. All of you who did have weight that you got rid of, remember back to the McDonald's meal described and it is light for most people. Most people have no idea what to eat. I didn't till MFP. I never realized that my usual meal on the go at Wendy's was a wopping 1326 calories. If I had breakfast at McDonalds that was 1400 calories to start the day. So I was over my intake for the entire day and that didn't include dinner or snacks.

So disability. NO NO NO

KaidaKantri

She has the ability to lose that fat. A person with a disability is not able to recover what they have lost.

Anyone has the ability to lose fat, some may have to work a LOT harder than others, but they still have the ability.

Being fat is NOT a disability, and it never will be. It's a life CHOICE. People with disabilities did not chose to be disabled.

EmmiDahling

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a disability as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities," BUT Then further states that "normal deviations in height, weight, or strength that are not the result of a physiological disorder are not impairments. At extremes, however, such deviations may constitute impairments. Further, some individuals may have underlying physical disorders that affect their height, weight, or strength."

The code then further elaborates that

(ii) Being overweight, in and of itself, generally is not an impairment. See 29 C.F.R. pt. 1630 app. § 1630.2(h) (noting that weight that is "within 'normal' range and not the result of a physiological disorder" is not an impairment); see also id. § 1630.2(j) (noting that, "except in rare circumstances, obesity is not considered a disabling impairment"). Thus, for example, a flight attendant who, because of avid body building (which resulted in a low percentage of body fat and a high percentage of muscle), exceeds the airline's weight guidelines does not have an impairment. See Tudyman v. United Airlines, 608 F. Supp. 739, 746, 38 EPD Par. 35,674 at 40,015, 1 AD Cas. (BNA) 664, 669 (C.D. Cal. 1984). Similarly, a mildly overweight flight attendant who has not been clinically diagnosed as having any medical anomaly does not have an impairment. Underwood v. Trans World Airlines, 710 F. Supp. 78, 83-84, 51 EPD Par. 39,297 at 59,106-07 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) (plaintiff's state action preempted by federal law where plaintiff failed to establish that being mildly overweight brought her within class protected by state human rights law with broad definition of disability).

On the other hand, severe obesity,15 which has been defined as body weight more than 100% over the norm, see The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy 981 (Robert Berkow ed., 16th ed. 1992), is clearly an impairment. See Cook v. Rhode Island Dep't of Mental Health, Retardation and Hosp., 10 F.3d 17, 63 EPD Par. 42,673, 2 AD Cas. (BNA) 1476 (1st Cir. 1993). In addition, a person with obesity may have an underlying or resultant physiological disorder, such as hypertension or a thyroid disorder. A physiological disorder is an impairment. See 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(h).16

http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/902cm.html#902.2c5

So, is fat an impairment? No, unless caused by a physical or psychological impairment, or if it falls into the range of morbid obesity. Which honestly is how I feel regardless of the law.

Troll

i cant read the article, but based on the title; yes. In much the same way as me being under 4'10" (technically, im 2 inches below the Little Person limit.) i dont feel disabled, but i qualify for disability benefits. just like i wouldnt make a great person to put up light fixtures, a fat person isnt going to be able to get through a crawl space. My fiance has job security because hes slim. He is one of two people in the company that can fit in tight spaces. however, calling fat a disability makes it easy to ignore a fixable problem. Ill never get taller, but they have these things called "ladders". With all the weight loss options available, "i cant work, im fat" just doesnt seem right.

ChgingMe

Basically, becoming and staying fat is a result of the choices someone makes. To eat this packet of sweets, watch TV instead of going for a walk, eat those chips, or whatever - the daily choices that everyone has in the first world. People don't chose the things that lead to true disabilities - cerebral palsy, learning difficuties, blindness, arthritis - they are due to accidents of birth or accidents of life.

"Being fat is hard, losing weight is hard, remaining slim is hard. Choose your hard"

Very well said..

Casey45

"Being fat is hard, losing weight is hard, remaining slim is hard. Choose your hard"

I LOVE THIS

beckajw

Sorry to sound mean but being fat is absolutly NOT a disability. It is a choice, you may have medical issues that make it hard to drop weight but a package of cupcakes and a chocolate milk isn't a breakfast sutable for anyone. When you sit down to a quarter pounder with cheese, small french fries, and a small Sprite (850 calories) and wonder why you are gaining weight. It is a thing you can control. All of you who did have weight that you got rid of, remember back to the McDonald's meal described and it is light for most people. Most people have no idea what to eat. I didn't till MFP. I never realized that my usual meal on the go at Wendy's was a wopping 1326 calories. If I had breakfast at McDonalds that was 1400 calories to start the day. So I was over my intake for the entire day and that didn't include dinner or snacks.

So disability. NO NO NO

If you really believe that every fat person eats a package of cupcakes for breakfast and a quarter pounder for lunch, you live in a very small narrow-minded world.

Do you know the definition of disability? You cannot say being obese is just not a disability because someone may have made the choice to be obese. Disability means the inability to perform basic life functions. If that inability happened because you chose to jump off a bridge, because you chose to overeat, or because you got bad genes, it's still an inability. Therefore, it's still a disability. Is every obese person disabled? No. Are some? Yes.

Cristofori44

Unless there are thyroid or other medical issues, for most people, being fat is like making a choice to be disabled.

You are choosing to stuff yourself so you can't run a mile.
You are choosing to sit on the couch and watch TV, so are out of breath when walking the stairs.
You are choosing to eat fast food rather than healthy things, and so may come down with heart or other really "disabling" conditions as you get older.

Yes, for the most part: Being fat is making a choice to be disabled.

Fat by itself doesn't fall into the traditional definition of "disability" under the ADA--- but yeah, being fat is making a choice to not live up to your ability.

cheshirequeen

i am an epileptic. have been for over 17 years. i have had seizures at least 2-3 times a year, havent been able to drive in the past 7 years because you have to go 6 months in missouri to drive again, after i gave birth to my 3 year old son my epilepsy cause me not to even be able to stand up and i had to crawl into his room, pull myself up, and crawl along the floor. i had to have somebody help watch me watch my son for 3 months until my husband got home from work. ive recently been in the hospital for 3 days, which ive never done before, in february because of these, and personally, i believe i am more disabled. i cant control mine. i will forever be an epileptic. somebody that cant control their situation is, somebody that can, like deciding whether or not to get up, rather or not to eat that mcdonalds, isnt. that is my opinion.

beattie1

Disabilities can also be temporary. They don't have to be lifelong. One of my friends got a disabled parking permit after being in a car accident. Once she got well enough to not use the walker/wheelchair, she gave it back.

In the UK you don't get a disabled parking permit for any condition that's temporary. A friend was in plaster for a whole year, but couldn't have a permit. It wouldn't have been legal for her to drive herself, but she couldn't have a permit for someone to drive her & park in a "disabled" space either.

Casey45

I think it is a slippery slope.

This is an understatement. If being obese were to be declared a disability by the governement then you open up a can of worms because of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

What would be expected of an employer to provide resonable accomodation?

A very LARGE can of worms. According to the documentary "Weight of the Nation", about 2/3rds of Americans are overweight /obese. Fully 36% of Americans are obese. A little over 1/3 Americans obese. And she thinks they should be considered disabled?

Watch Weight of the Nation, Watch Food, Inc., read The Cure for Everything (tongue in cheek title for critique of the fitness/diet/health industry.

She is obese cause she eats too much and exercises too little. Doesn't help that the food industry and marketing of food as lifestyle makes it difficult to make good choices. But it is a choice.

Dis-abled, by definition infers lack of choice in being disabled. One has disability thrust upon them by birth or accident. Unfortunately for America's (and to a growing extent, other nations as well) health care system/costs; those 36% obese will likely end up with dis-abling medical issues as the years go by and as the Weight of the Nation documentary makes clear.

The longer I am on this path to health and fitness, the more I see the macroeconomic implications of a nation that has such a huge proportion of obesity among its population.

susannamarie

Disabilities can also be temporary. They don't have to be lifelong. One of my friends got a disabled parking permit after being in a car accident. Once she got well enough to not use the walker/wheelchair, she gave it back.

In the UK you don't get a disabled parking permit for any condition that's temporary. A friend was in plaster for a whole year, but couldn't have a permit. It wouldn't have been legal for her to drive herself, but she couldn't have a permit for someone to drive her & park in a "disabled" space either.

Yeah, UK seems to be pretty stupid about that sort of stuff. I remember reading an article about a year ago about a veteran who'd lost his leg who was denied a disabled permit because his condition 'might improve'.

Anyway, in *this* state you can get a limited-term disability pass, which seems totally reasonable for someone who's able to drive but not well able to walk. The expiration date is pretty clearly printed on it. :P

mistylovesmusic

Basically, becoming and staying fat is a result of the choices someone makes. To eat this packet of sweets, watch TV instead of going for a walk, eat those chips, or whatever - the daily choices that everyone has in the first world. People don't chose the things that lead to true disabilities - cerebral palsy, learning difficuties, blindness, arthritis - they are due to accidents of birth or accidents of life.

"Being fat is hard, losing weight is hard, remaining slim is hard. Choose your hard"

Well said.

I disagree. Some disabilities are the result of a choice a person made. Someone chose to drive drunk, got in an accident and became disabled. It doesn't make a person less disabled because he chose to take the action that lead to the disability.

Also, I'm incredibly disappointed by the views on this site that every person who is overweight chose to be overweight. There are medical conditions that lead to obesity. You really shouldn't judge others without knowing the whole story.

Can obeseity be a disability? In some cases yes. Is it generally a fixable disability? In most cases yes. Still, it can be a disability.

I have moderate Rheumatoid Arthritis. My illness can become a disability if I let it be. An enabler to gain weight, for sure. There are no illnesses that cause you to become morbidly obese to the point of disability. Only excuses to allow yourself to do so. Even someone who is not able to exercise can watch their calorie intake. They just have to have the desire to do so. My best friend has thyroid issues that make it extremely hard to lose weight. She also has shograns disease. Is she obese? No. Because she exercises on days when she doesn't feel like it and says no to foods she loves because she knows her illness is an enabler. And this girl loves to eat as much if not more than I do. You can let your illness become a disability. Disabilities are things you can't change. You can change being obese. Just ask the millions of people who have lost half their body weight and maintained it.

TheNewo

Definition of disability:
1. A physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities.
2. A disadvantage or handicap, esp. one imposed or recognized by the law.

{snip}

The definition is accurate, which is why it is a "loaded" term. With all the PC nonsense, lots of folks are disabled, even if it is their free will causing it.

I agree with the above. The definition is correct. But the fact is being obese just doesn't strike the same chord of sympathy that many initially feel when considering disabilities. The connotations of "disabled" and "obese" simply feel different.