Is Being Fat A Disability?

AmyFett

No... a disease causing obesity might be a disability, but I don't see how just being fat is a disability. That's just stupid.

tigerblood78

I believe that if $ comes out of my check to go to someone who got too fat to be able to function normally, I should be able to publicly ridicule them.

AlichiaMJohnson73

In my opinion, sometimes it is! Society hasn't caught on to the fact that more than 85% of the US population is overweight and or OBESE. If they design door ways, chairs and stairs to accomodate a "average" person...it wouldn't be the correct measurements. AVERAGE to me would be OVERWEIGHT and OBESE...THAT in accuality is the MAJORITY. Make accomodations for folks to be able to sit comfortably on public transportation. Make isles in stores a lil wider for folks. How is it the portion sizes of food has increased more than 50% but with the increase of the plate of food size you haven't considered larger seating or wider spaces at seating areas....FEED ME... FEED ME good...but heaven forbid you create a comfortable enviroment to indulge in.

fit4lifeUcan2

I don't think so. Maybe someone gains FROM a disability, but being overweight in itself, wtf?

Very true! I put on weight due to having MS, Fibro and RA. Between not being able to walk more than 6 feet without having to sit or fall on my face and having to do IV solumedrol for several days followed by 18 days of prednisone and then 15 years of other meds that also caused weight gain etc. Some people have glandular problems that cause weight gain. So to judge people and say it was their choice? Is ridiculous especially when you don't know the person or their medical history.

kdeaux1959

In and of itself, I do not believe that it is a disability. However, it most certainly CAN LEAD TO various disabiities. The key difference to me is that obesity can be reversed at the discretion of the person with the problem. This is not to say that accomodations are inappropriate for obese individuals.. In fact, at times they are necessary. However, it is within the power of the obese person to make the change necessary... This is contrary to disabilities such as blindness, deafness, missing limbs, etc. These individuals, with proper accomodations, can leave fuller lives than most of us who are fully functional but their condition is not easily reversible.

fit4lifeUcan2

In the USA, legally a disability does not have to be a permanent state as some are saying. Also, not every person who is obese or morbidly obese will receive benefits. Each person who applies for SSI/SSDI has to go an application process that includes medical evaluations. People who have reached the state where they literally are disabled by their weight are not making a choice in the way many are referring to. I would disbelieve anyone who reached that weight and denied having some form of medical issue, whether it be physical or mental illness. People can receive disability for severe enough depression, but the average person suffering from depression does not need it. Everything is on a spectrum. People who receive SSDI are evaluated periodically to ensure that it is still medically appropriate.

all of this is true. And by the way I might add that in order to get SSDI in the first place that person has to have worked and PAID into SS themselves. If they didn't work in the first place they can not get SSDI. They would then have to see if they qualify for SSI. WHich most people do not unless they are already living below the poverty level and have no assets. So to someone who said its his money he pays into and he has a right to say they shouldn't get HIS money? They're not getting YOUR money. They are getting back based only upon what they themselves earned. I am no SSDI and applied back when I became legally blind due to my MS. I also could not walk more than 6 feet and couldn't find my own house when I tried to get from my car at the curb to my front door. Nothing looked familiar to me. I got lost just going around the block so couldn't even drive. Now that I'm in remission and a lot of my symptoms have cleared up I'm in college full time. Taking 5 classes a semester. I have 2 semesters left and am on the deans list. Got scholarships for my entire tuition. I can't wait to go back to work. Believe me its no fun being on SSDI. The pay isn't squat! And that was based on what I earned before I became disabled.

funkycamper

In my opinion, sometimes it is! Society hasn't caught on to the fact that more than 85% of the US population is overweight and or OBESE. If they design door ways, chairs and stairs to accomodate a "average" person...it wouldn't be the correct measurements. AVERAGE to me would be OVERWEIGHT and OBESE...THAT in accuality is the MAJORITY. Make accomodations for folks to be able to sit comfortably on public transportation. Make isles in stores a lil wider for folks. How is it the portion sizes of food has increased more than 50% but with the increase of the plate of food size you haven't considered larger seating or wider spaces at seating areas....FEED ME... FEED ME good...but heaven forbid you create a comfortable enviroment to indulge in.

Really? Speaking as someone who used to have a hard time fitting in a plane seat and probably spilled over onto those next to me, I totally disagree. A couple years ago the Washington State Ferry System had to lower the occupancy capacity on their ferries due to the fact that people are bigger, weigh more and, thus, the ferries can't carry as many people. So, of course, rates have to go up. The same would be true for any other public transport. Sorry, I don't think people should have to pay more due to reduced capacity. Doing this just encourages more obesity, imho.

funkycamper

I don't think so. Maybe someone gains FROM a disability, but being overweight in itself, wtf?

Very true! I put on weight due to having MS, Fibro and RA. Between not being able to walk more than 6 feet without having to sit or fall on my face and having to do IV solumedrol for several days followed by 18 days of prednisone and then 15 years of other meds that also caused weight gain etc. Some people have glandular problems that cause weight gain. So to judge people and say it was their choice? Is ridiculous especially when you don't know the person or their medical history.

I'm sorry you're going through so many health issues and hope that you are doing well. But I did want to point out that numerous posters in this discussion have stated that the small percentage of people who became overweight/obese due to health issues are in a different category than those of us who just got lazy and over-indulged.

FlaxMilk

:flowerforyou:

tetecia

I do not believe that being Fat is or should be a Disability. A lot of the people that are "fat" have done and made horrible choices to get that way and they can get better and to a more 'healthy' size. It takes a lot to be able to get onto Disability and it really makes me wonder how these people actually got on SSDI.....When i applied for SSDI it took me about a Year and a half to be awarded disability. I try to work out and watch what i eat Every Single Day. Do i slip up and not get it done sometimes because of my ailments? Sure thing, everybody does. But, even with my Heart Failure (congenital issue) and my Neuropathy (started in Adolesence) i worked my *kitten* off until it became so lethargic and sick that it made it difficult just walking up flights or stairs or simply carrying my toddler. When i was applying and going through the motions for SSDI i had to get so many documentations from my Physicians and then Fight the Governments Physicians, Legal Aids and Job Search Professionals. I know that if i didn't have my Neuropathy along side my Heart Failure i would've been denied Disability. What i have is truly debilitating some days, something i never did anything to cause. I'm at a healthy BMI and Weight (19.9-20.2/ ~104 lbs), and i'm here to maintain because if i got about 110 it causes serious problems with my heart. Now, if somebody is disabled because of other underlying causes and the Obesity came from being unable to do the things they need to (exercise ect) then perhaps, but like somebody else pointed out here: The obesity should be under watch. If somebody is disabled there are lots of different ways to work out and get better; hospitals have awesome re-hab gyms (so long as obesity isn't youre only ailment) and at least therein turn there'd be proof that you're at least attempting to better your health. There are things that can be fixed and changed and there are things that can't. I can't just eat better and exercise so that my neuropathy and gaping holes in my heart just simply dissapear, but i can do whatever is in my power to stay as healthy as humanly possible from my vantage point. Something a lot of people in the USA don't even try to do any more. We have the WORST Obesity on the planet, and why's that? Poor health choices and a government that enables you. I heard a while ago that some airlines were making Obese people pay for 2 airline tickets because they took up 2 seats, i know this sounds cruel and heartless; But, Good. You would think that cases like this would change peoples minds, but they don't. I'm not trying to 'Fat bash' or anything like that, i just feel that there is no way in hell it should be considered a Disability