Who We Mean When We Say Disabled

At WheelieQueer, we work alongside disabled people navigating the benefits systems.

When we talk about disabled people, we mean anyone who faces access barriers due to an impairment or condition—whether or not they have a formal diagnosis or use the term disabled themselves.

This includes, but is not limited to:

Deaf and Deafblind people
Neurodivergent people
Chronic illness
Mental health conditions
Age-related impairments
Learning disabilities
Visible and non-visible impairments

Neurodivergence

At WheelieQueer, we use the term neurodivergent to describe people whose brains work in ways that diverge from what society expects or considers “typical.”

Neurodivergence includes a broad range of cognitive, sensory, emotional, and developmental experiences. This can include, but is not limited to:

Autistic people
People with ADHD
People with dyslexia, dyspraxia, or Tourette’s
People with sensory processing differences
People with acquired cognitive differences, such as from brain injury
Anyone whose ways of thinking, feeling, or processing the world fall outside the dominant norms

The term neurodivergent was coined by Kassiane Asasumasu, building on the concept of neurodiversity, which recognises that neurological variation is a natural and valuable part of human diversity.

We understand neurodivergence not as a flaw or condition to be fixed, but as a valid and meaningful part of who someone is. However, society is built for neurotypical people—those whose ways of thinking and processing are considered “standard”—and this creates barriers for neurodivergent people.

Whether or not you have a diagnosis.
Whether or not you call yourself disabled.
Whether or not your impairment is visible.
Whether or not you’re believed by professionals.

If you face access barriers —you are part of this movement, and you are welcome at WheelieQueer.

You Count

Our Perspective

The Social Model of Disability

WheelieQueer uses the Social Model of Disability, which tells us that we are disabled not by our mind or body —but by the barriers society places in our way.

This means that having an impairment —such as fatigue, chronic pain, sensory differences, or mobility issues—is not what disables you.

What does disable you is when:

Forms are only available online
Appointments aren’t flexible
Information is full of jargon
Buses don’t have working ramps
Staff question if you “really need help”
You’re forced to prove your worth to access basic support.

In a society designed for all of us, these barriers wouldn’t exist—and we wouldn’t be excluded from services, community, or opportunity.

Through our work on disability benefits, we see the impact of many overlapping barriers, including:

Financial Barriers – low income, extra costs of disability, cuts to benefits
Informational Barriers – unclear, complex, or inaccessible information
Communication Barriers – no BSL, no Easy Read, inaccessible phone systems
Attitudinal Barriers – stigma, disbelief, “benefits scrounger” narratives
Physical Barriers– inaccessible buildings, transport, housing
Systemic Barriers – punitive assessments, inflexible systems, long waits for support

These barriers are not accidental—they are the result of policy choices and systemic exclusion. That’s why we advocate for rights and autonomy, not charity.

The Barriers

Why We Reject The Medical Model

At WheelieQueer, we are firmly against the Medical Model of Disability, which sees disability as an individual problem—a defect, illness, or personal tragedy that needs to be cured.

This model focuses on what’s wrong with the person, rather than the barriers excluding us from our environment. It turns disability into a clinical issue, and too often places professionals in control of defining who we are, what we need, and whether we’re “disabled enough” to deserve support. It remove our autonomy about issues that affect us.

When applied to benefits systems, the medical model:

Prioritises medical evidence over lived experience
Encourages dismissive attitudes and gatekeeping
Demands “proof” of suffering
Blames individuals for not "recovering"
Ignores structural injustice

We believe this model is harmful, dehumanising, and out of step with how disabled people actually live and thrive. Our work exists to challenge this logic at every level.

At WheelieQueer, we recognise that many Deaf people do not identify as disabled but as part of a distinct cultural and linguistic community, using British Sign Language (BSL) as their first or preferred language and participate in Deaf culture.

The Cultural Model of Deafness tells us that being Deaf is not a deficit or something to be fixed. It is a celebrated and valuable identity shaped by language, community, shared history, and pride.

At the same time, we acknowledge that systemic and communication barriers in society can and do disable Deaf people—particularly in contexts like health, benefits, education, and public services.

These barriers include:

Lack of access to qualified BSL interpreters
Information not provided in accessible formats
Phone-only contact systems

The Cultural Model of Deafness

Self-Identification Matters

At WheelieQueer, we believe that disabled people are the experts on their own lives, and that self-identification is a powerful way to claim space and support.

Diagnosis can be inaccessible—it may involve long waiting lists, high costs, or services that don’t reflect people’s lived experiences, especially for those who are marginalised by race, gender, class, or language.

.We know that medical assessments and gatekeeping can be:

Expensive or inaccessible
Slow and traumatising to access
Used to deny support rather than provide it

We support all disabled people—diagnosed or not—who face barriers, discrimination and exclusion because the world isn’t built to accommodate them.

Terms like “high-functioning” or “low-functioning” may sound neutral, but they are harmful, misleading, and rooted in ableist thinking.

Functioning labels:

Ignore how people’s needs and capacities change day to day and in different situations.
Oten are used to justify withholding support or autonomy.
Dismiss the lived experience of people who may appear to “cope” externally but struggle invisibly.
Frame disabled people in terms of usefulness to others, rather than dignity and self-determination.

These labels also reinforce hierarchies—where some disabled people are seen as more “capable” or more “deserving” than others. That’s not how we work.

At WheelieQueer, we reject functioning labels. Instead, we listen to people, believe them, and fight for support and access based on need, not assumptions.

Why Functioning Labels Are Harmful

Why We Use Identity-First Language

WheelieQueer uses identity-first language—we say disabled person rather than person with a disability.

Why?

It reflects the Social Model of Disability, which understands that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their bodies or minds.
It affirms disability as a political and cultural identity, not something to be ashamed of, or separated from who someone is.
Many people in disabled communities—especially those who are Deaf or Neurodivergent—actively prefer identity-first language.

We also know that language is deeply personal. Some may prefer person-first language or avoid the word disabled entirely, and we will always respect and honour individual choice about how they describe themselves.

Our general use of identity-first language is about focusing on systemic change and challenging ableist structures —not on “overcoming” adversity or telling disabled people how to speak about their own lives.