Wearing Diapers And Being Incontinent Is Not A Handicap!

[turtlepins]

The term "handicap" is used out of context these days. I've heard people say wearing glasses is a handicap. I don't agree with that, and I don't agree with those who say that incontinence is a handicap. I can do everything in a diaper you can do in underwear, except maybe put my foot behind my head like some yoga instructors! I can run, walk, sit, stand, and do cartwheels in a diaper. So where is the handicap? Being bladder incontinent simply means I don't use a toilet or urinal to pee, but I use a diaper. Even when I had the valve in I was still incontinent. The valve simply kept me from peeing when I didn't want to. The infection i had and scar tissue left over from that thing is more of a handicap than wearing a diaper. What do you think?

[hidden]

Sorry to play devil's advocate, but a common definition of disability in the work place is if you have a condition that would require additional assistiance or equipment than an a healthy individual would need to do their job. Incontinent people need diapers and may need more/longer bathroom breaks to change and wear a medical device others do not. People who wear glasses have to wear corrective lenses that other people do not need to wear. It can be harder for people with glasses to do certain thing like use a microscope or do some physical activities since we have to be careful to not break our classes (I have worn glasses since I was 5). I doubt that these two things would interfear with anything in terms of additional benefits or discriminaton but they could be considered handicaps just the same.

There is also a mental component to disability as well. As long as you feel you aren't disabled and can do what you want to do, then you are not handicaped in that sense.

[babytommy1981]

I agree, 100%, i too had surgery and yet i still wet my self, but not as much as i used too.

my boss tryed getting me to change jobs because as he qoute my handicap. i said hell no what handicap do i have.

I can do my job just like everyone else, maybe even better since i dont have to take a potty break like everyone else. lol

[diamondback6881]

what about america? any of you incontinent folk know if its considered a disibility in the U.S.?

I don't think incontinence can be classed as a disability in the US. I haven't read anything that says it in classes as such.

[Floaty_Boy]

I don't think incontinence can be classed as a disability in the US. I haven't read anything that says it in classes as such.

Let me start by saying that I'm not incontinent (I'm a DL). Once, for work, I ended up at this huge meeting/convention with all these other government employees from all different branches and I was seated at a table with a worker from whichever branch handles the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). We started talking and I (innocently *yeah, right!*) brought up whether or not incontinence was considered a disability as far as the ADA was concerned. The worker told me that they actually have no across-the-board rules about what is or is not a handicap/disability and they (at least in her office) judge each case as it comes in. Which pretty much meant that, if you needed longer bathroom breaks to change a diaper, and your work wouldn't let you have them, then you would have a case under the ADA for your "disability". But if nobody at your job knew you were incontinent and you only changed your diaper during, say, lunch breaks, then your incontinence would not be considered a disability.

So, at least as far as the American government is concerned, incontinence may or may not be a disability based on how it affects, and is affected by, your job.

--Floaty

[Bettypooh]

I agree, 100%, i too had surgery and yet i still wet my self, but not as much as i used too.

my boss tryed getting me to change jobs because as he qoute my handicap. i said hell no what handicap do i have.

I can do my job just like everyone else, maybe even better since i dont have to take a potty break like everyone else. lol

I chose to reply here because I like the attitude Everybody is handicapped. You don't believe that? Try writing with 'the other' hand. Try doing a ballerina's pirouette on your toes. Try lifting 150 lbs from the ground to head-high. Try speaking only in Bushman. There's nobody here who can do all four so we are all handicapped in one way or another It's how we percieve our limited abilities and how we deal with them that determines things. I work with several people(and I am one myself)who sometimes experience deep physical pain to do the job required, but we keep going anyway. It's not out of a sense of 'proving' anything, it's because we want to do what we're doing more than we allow the pain to restrict us. I don't diaper at work and my weak bladder means frequent bathroom breaks. Seen logically everyone would be better off if I diapered but they don't see it that way To them, my diapering would be more of an impediment to work than my frequent bathroom breaks even though the facts plainly point the other way It's how they percieve the situation as well as my current ability to deal with my weak bladder adequately that keeps it from handicapping me. If I were more incontinent than I am(or become that way)and lost my job over that, then and only then would I seek legal support for my situation based on the ADA. Then and only then would it become a 'handicap' but it still wouldn't disable me from doing my job

Someone who wears glasses probably sees better than those of us with uncorrected vision(especially as we age and our eyes deteriorate). Someone who diapers because of incontinence probably spends less time on bathroom breaks than the average person does. Someone in a wheelchair doesn't have to spend time looking around for a chair so they can work in a sitting position. Someone who is deaf isn't distracted by sounds or noises that draw the average person's attention away from their work. So none of these things need to be disabling but can actually be an asset if you see it that way. I can think of only a very few occupations where diapering would restrict a person so much that it would be a handicap to their ability to function. It's society's disability at understanding this truth that is the handicapping factor That's why the ADA was enacted so that those who were being treated unfairly only because of social perception would have legal recourse to insist that the wrong attitudes and perceptions be changed so they could have as fair and equal chance as anyone else in their life Sometimes the government does the right thing for the right reason and the ADA is the best example of this that I know of.

Bettypooh

[RedWolf366]

I do not see it as a handicap. I run a lawn service and I wear and the girl that works for me does aswell. We get more done in a day then most do in two days because we dont have to stop and use the can and if her or I need to change we do it in the trailer. Both of us had been in motorcycle wrecks but as said before we can do anything anyone can do and sometimes even better as we dont have to stop every 30 mins for a potty break. I have no problems hiring anyone that has to wear. Infact I would hire them before I would hire anyone else.

[DiaperBigBoy]

I don't know what people are talking about using glassed is a disability, because some people if they don't have them they can't do anything? Work, Drive, Walk, Eat, or what not.

(except around your house or your residents.)

I have had vision problems my entire life. I was born with my eye not being developed. I was grouped with the handicapped people my entire life because they wanted to "protect" my eye. I hated wearing glasses and still do to this day. I hated being grouped with the Handicapped people, But I know without them I couldn't really do anything. about a couple year ago I got contacts and my life is so much better. people receive you better without glasses they see it as a crutch, because you can't see so well, he might not see the whole picture.

Wearing diapers I feel is the same way. I know it doesn't matter what people say, but people are hurtful and say bad things, wearing a diapers makes you look weak in the eyes of so many people. They think, who he has to wear diapers, he's going to smell all day, I don't want to be around him. But usually people who wear diapers are the cleanest, because they have to clean themselves good so they don't get a rash. I don't think it people are handicapped who wear diapers, but who doesn't judge someone, since in this society as people we judge the most

[Pollyanna Fleshman]

While incontinence is not a handicap, incontinence is a medical problem, hence the reason for insurances covering the diapers. This is a major help, especially for those that have money trouble or are struggling to get by. And for correction, Medicare does not cover diapers. I know this because I made some calls for an elderly lady in my community, and this was one of the questions I asked. She was struggling badly. I ended up refering her to a local church to help, and my husband, our friends, and I pitched in some money to purchase a supply for her that lasted a good long time.

Without diapers, we can do nothing. Those of us who are incontinent must rely and depend on them. It is a blessing that health insurance will cover them. I could not imagine me not being able to have enough of a supply, causing me to either wear the diaper until it is maxed to its full capacity or not have them at all and lie in my waste. Thank God for diapers, as we can live normally like everyone else. Why must society judge us for using them? I guess they'd rather us be tethered to potty chairs, doing nothing with our lives? Sorry, not the life for me.

My incontinence does not make me handicap. the host of other chronic illnesses, as well as MS, does. Still, I lead a happy and fulfilling life utilizing the abilities I do have. It does not really pay to focus on what one does not have. It is better to focus on what one does.

[babykeiff]

A lot of people here are saying that incontinence is a handicap, and as such, something to be conquered. I was born incontinent, currently am incontinent, and will die incontinent. Did I have to conquer it - NO. Did I have to learn a new way to handle my toileting needs - NO. All you continent people needed to learn toilet training. I didn't. Who is handicapped now? I don't find my incontinence to be a hassle since I never was continent and never had to rush to answer the call of nature - it just happens.

The question about running out of diapers or protection never comes up since I never have let that happen. The question of leaks do arise if I am lax about my hygiene standards etc.... but a leak in a diaper is a lot less hassle to handle, and even less embarrassing than wetting / soiling yourself in public without protection, and I sincerely doubt that there is one of the so called 'continent' people here that didn't do that at least once.

It is NOT a handicap... it is a part of my life. Is breathing underwater a handicap to you - yes if you compare yourself to a fish.

Pollyanna, you state that incontinence is a medical problem - how can you state conclusively that lack of bladder/bowel control is a medical problem and control of same is not? Being different is NOT a problem unless you let it be.

I will shout this so you all can hear, and maybe society as a whole might notice.

BEING DIFFERENT IS NOT A HANDICAP, UNLESS YOU LET IT BE ONE

WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE

Don't let the so called 'popular' person erode your confidence. They are nothing, you are everything.

[Pollyanna Fleshman]

A lot of people here are saying that incontinence is a handicap, and as such, something to be conquered. I was born incontinent, currently am incontinent, and will die incontinent. Did I have to conquer it - NO. Did I have to learn a new way to handle my toileting needs - NO. All you continent people needed to learn toilet training. I didn't. Who is handicapped now? I don't find my incontinence to be a hassle since I never was continent and never had to rush to answer the call of nature - it just happens.

I was never toilet trained, either. when I tell people that, they think I'm weird. But, i think they are weird for being so narryw minded. Society has its head stuck so far up the ass, that's all. If you don't mind me asking, what made you incontinence. I have a severely under developed urinary tract and bladder that stopped growing when I was around a year. Nothing could be done about it. The doctor told my parents that toilet training was useless and to never consider it.

The question about running out of diapers or protection never comes up since I never have let that happen. The question of leaks do arise if I am lax about my hygiene standards etc.... but a leak in a diaper is a lot less hassle to handle, and even less embarrassing than wetting / soiling yourself in public without protection, and I sincerely doubt that there is one of the so called 'continent' people here that didn't do that at least once.

I've never run out of diapers, as i always make sure to have more than I need. I can't imagine those that are in the situation where they could due to financial struggles, and it has happened to some I know, but not to me thankfully.

It is NOT a handicap... it is a part of my life. Is breathing underwater a handicap to you - yes if you compare yourself to a fish.

Pollyanna, you state that incontinence is a medical problem - how can you state conclusively that lack of bladder/bowel control is a medical problem and control of same is not? Being different is NOT a problem unless you let it be.

I'm very sorry, but I do not understand your question. I read and reread it, and I don't get it. Incontinence is a medical problem, as muscles or other things in the body are malfunctioning. when one does not have control of the bladder or bowels, it is obvious that something is wrong. I never stated it was handicap. Just because one has a medical issue that makes them different doesn't mean that society has the right to judge them. I agree with you two hundred and ten percent on that. Should people judge me because I have MS? No, but they do. People talk about me to my husband as if I'm not there, while all along, I'm there. they do not address me because they are scared for some reason, and it is so stupid. I'm a human that deserves dignity and respect like everyone else, and MS does not detract from the dignity that is due.

When people ask my husband questions rather than me, I speak up quickly and matter of factly stating that if they have a question for me, they should address it with me because I'm quite capable of articulating clear and precise thoughts. Are they taken aback? Sure. They act as if some kind of revelation has happened, when all it is is their pure and utter ignorance and their belief that I'm clueless and helpless. while I'm not whole physically, I do have my brain. I wish people would understand this, but they seem to think that somehow, when one has a physical problem, it is connected with their intellectual ability.

There is a difference between handicap and medical problem in my book. Handicap is when something inhibits you from leading a normal life, such as MS, or another debilitating condition. A medical problem may be something that needs specialization but does not hinder the person from doing what everyone else can.

Want to know how i view my incontinence? I view it as a physical nuissance. It is not a handicap. Incontinence alone will not stop me from doing all the thinggs everyone else does. If I were just incontinent, the sky would be the limit. I could drive across country. I could climb a mountain. i could be a brain surgeon. i could fly a plane. You get what I mean. My MS, however, is a handicap since it largely prevents me from doing things others can, though, I still can do quite a bit with some adaptations. Do I cry about it? No. I've been sick all my life, so I don't know what it is like to be well completely. I've got used to living with pain, fatigue, and a myriad of other things, but I stay positive and try to make myself useful in any way I can. I was born ill. I'm living ill, and I will certainly die ill. I'm not even guaranteed a normal life expectancy. I've had near death experiences several times, and I've been resussitated on numerous occasions. though this is the case, I will make my life count. There are so many things that can be cause for me to cry, complain, feel sorry for myself, and have a negative, piss poor attitude. However, I'm not about to even go that route.

I like the quote in your signature file that states that we cannot live forever but can create something that will. I've been meaning to tell you that.

I will shout this so you all can hear, and maybe society as a whole might notice.

BEING DIFFERENT IS NOT A HANDICAP, UNLESS YOU LET IT BE ONE

WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE

Don't let the so called 'popular' person erode your confidence. They are nothing, you are everything.

Hel to the yes! I agree! Keep up your positive attitude. I enjoy reading all of your posts, as they provide a lot of good insight.

[babykeiff]

Pollyanna, all too often, any difference however subtle - don't confirm to the ideal looks, don't behave in a certain way, don't do this or that are classed as a deformity, something to be corrected and a medical problem. How many millions of people worldwide undergo surgery to alter the way a particular part of their face looks etc. How many children are prescribed mind altering or supposedly mind calming drugs due to them being a little hyperactive. These are all differences between one and another, YET, medical science treats them each as something to be altered so to conform to some preconceived notion of what is normal. I ask you, and all, what IS normal. If you wish to be such, why did the world fight Hitler and his concept of selective breeding to create the super-race? The simple answer is freedom of choice, yet the social system is set to curtail this.

Incontinence is an advantage to the body. A continent person slows their digestive system down to store their body waste within their bowels. The result is that their lower intestine absorbs what is normally waste. Over night, the body reduces its production of urine and thus increases its concentration to almost lethal levels. An incontinent person does NOT have any of these problems because every 7-12 minutes, they produce urine, and let it empty into their diaper. The normal digestive action and the peristaltic action of their intestines means that waste product is not reabsorbed. On average, a incontinent person is more healthy than a continent person.

Many animals although they have a fully functioning bladder and bowels and associated sphincters, do NOT store any waste within their body.

To this, I say that incontinence is NOT a medical problem to be fixed, but rather continence is.

Also,

it is only YOU that prevents you from doing anything. If you doubt that, compare yourself to one of the worlds greatest mathematicians, or artists or whomever you chose. You put the limitations on you, nobody else.

[NekoDude18]

Personally, I'd end up with a social handicap at first, but then again I suppose if people can't accept me for who I am, I don't need them as friends.

But in any case, I guess it really isn't a handicap unless you let it be. Most things aren't, and I agree that the label is probably very overused by most these days.