Should Neurodiversity Be Considered a Disability?
Neurodiversity is broadly defined as “the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; this is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits”. When considering whether such differences should be considered a disability, It is better to reframe the question as ‘for what reason(s) should neurodiversity be considered a disability?’.
Within the United Kingdom’s legal framework, a disability is defined as an impairment that has a “substantial and long-term adverse effect” on one’s “ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”. For many forms of neurodiversity, this can be (but is not always) the case. For example, autistic people may have significant support needs which would, according to the Equality Act 2010, constitute a disability. The DSM-5 delineates three ‘levels’ of autistic spectrum disorder. Level 1 is defined as ‘requiring support’, and refers to individuals who “may struggle in social situations and show restricted and repetitive behaviours”. Individuals classified as such require minimal support to function in their daily lives.
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