there’s an underlying fear about not being disabled enough to claim that identity.

disability identities and experiences differ.

folx seem to forget or ignore this aspect a lot.

your disability and your disabled identity is yours, no one should shame you for claiming it.

there shouldn’t be a need for being disabled “enough” to be part of the disability community or even within one’s own community centred around your disability or disabilities, since so many intersect and overlay.

the gatekeeping only isolates disabled folx further.

and it only creates a further divide of who is disabled “enough” to count.

and it also emboldens internalized ableism more so.

so many disabled folx end up hating themselves and their disability because they don’t feel like they belong.

an eternal limbo of inner conflict.

it also becomes an “us vs them” factor when these discussions of who is enough for any various disability communities.

and it is tiring to navigate.

as someone who never felt “enough” regarding my hearing loss and being Hard of Hearing, being stuck in between a never-ending debate about my Deaf/HoH identity has always troubled me.

others would always judge and label me as the other, effectively shutting me out.

the gatekeeping needs to stop.

the internalized ableism needs to stop.

not feeling good enough about your disabled identity needs to stop.

being stranded in terms of claiming one’s identity has haunted many for various reasons ranging from culture, race, heritage, sexuality, gender and more—this should include disability but so often it does not.

being disabled is not a bad thing—society paints it as such by providing and reinforcing an ableist society and ideal that is inaccessible to many.

granted there is still so much to learn and understand regarding one’s identity of any kind—mistakes will happen, misunderstandings will occur, and that should be okay via a learning process.

internalized ableism will only be broken down if you understand that you still do matter and do have value with your disabled identity.

the gatekeeping regarding who is disabled “enough” hurts us all.

it isolated us and only reconfirm what our ableist society reinforces—hence pushing folx back into believing they are not disabled “enough” to be considered part of the overall community.

one’s disabled identity and experiences will definitely differ for various reasons from being born disabled to gaining your disability later in life, from who we interact with, whether it’s visible or invisible, whether we look “normal” or disabled, the list goes on.

idk if i sound like a broken record yet or not, but honestly if gatekeeping, internalized ableism and being constantly told i am not “enough” was not a constant part of my life, perhaps i would have been more comfortable with my HoH identity as a disabled person a lot sooner.

breaks my heart how many relate to this thread or resonated with it.

stuff like this always makes it harder to reach out or do anything when you know there is smth wrong.

it also makes it all the more harder to accept one’s disability because it doesn’t fit the default.