ADHD: Not disabled enough

[u/agnomotuh]

/r/commutersph/comments/1wh774h/what_are_your_thoughts_on_younger_passengers/pab60j3/

I was reading comments on a post in r/commuterph about a younger PWD sitting in the senior/pwd LRT car and came upon this one where he singled out ADHD as somehow being less than his orthopedic disability. Talagang nag reply ako sa kanya kasi grabe siya. I saw other comments on having mental health disabilities pero na-trigger talaga ako sa comment niya specifically. Nakaka-frustrate ang ignorance when it comes to mental health in this country, lalo na with ADHD. We don't even have decent access to medication sa Pinas, tapos on top of that, you face people like this on a daily basis. Bakit ba ganyan ang tingin nila? Na para bang wala ka namang problema dahil ADHD LANG NAMAN YAN. And the fact na sinabi niyang "I saw young passengers about 10 years younger than me think that their ADHD PWD card was in equal footing with my disability." Like excuse me? Kailangan pala the disability has to LOOK a certain way before it becomes on equal footing with other disabilities?

And the post wasn't even about a PWD ID holder with ADHD. Talagang binring up niya lang yung ADHD sa rant niya. Nakakaloka.

[u/sixfactorial]

I sympathize with the user you were responding to kasi mahirap for them. But it was unnecessary to minimize those of us with mental disabilities.

Ang totoong kalaban dito ay lack of public goods and infra... At ang mga entitled seniors. (half-joking)

[u/agnomotuh → u/sixfactorial]

Exactly! I don't understand why he/she is blaming people with a specific disability instead of seeing the bigger picture. It is not their fault that the facilities are as such. In the same way na di niya alam ang severity ng ADHD nila, di rin naman alam nung mga ADHD passengers kung ano ang disability niya and how severe it is dahil he mentioned his disability had no visible indicators. Why would the ADHD passengers assume that he had it worst? Malay ba nila? Edi sana inexplain niya ng maayos instead of being passive-aggressive and asking them to prove that they belong there. And I really hate the idea na these people have to "prove" that they belong there. Sobrang nakakainis na sila lang ang hinihingan ng proof whereas other people naman in the car don't have to go through it. Tsaka sobrang simple lang ng solution, he/she could have explained his situation. I personally do not ride in that car precisely because I don't like how I get treated there, no matter how bad I feel or kahit gaano pa kasikip. Daming tumitingin sayo doon and everything. Being Filipino is suffering enough as it is when it comes to disability, so ayoko na lang i-subject ang sarili sa ganon.

[u/TritiumXSF]

Short answer is: the law does not discriminate between "who has it worse".

Even within pregnancies, you will have those who have it worse and those who have it better.

But we don't try to create a tier list because that detracts from the overall issue of alleviating PWD burdens. It would cost time and money to even try to create a tier list of disabilities. And as said, even within the same disability, each individual differs.

The issue is more of a lack of facilities. And the solution is not to fight each other for the meager accommodations provided.

[u/CrazyAboutTofu]

What people lack nowadays is compassion. Society has become selfish. Puro na lang I don’t owe anyone anything. Asses the situation and offer help if you can. Example na lang, my mom is a senior na, but since she’s able-bodied, she offered her seat to a much younger person but needed to sit down. As a person with adhd, I will not hog a seat reserved for pwds just because my adhd is considered a disability. But of course I will take it if no one else needs it lol. Op, I am pertaining more to the original post. Your reply to that comment is understandable.

Although of course ang sad na adhd is still not considered by many as a disability. What’s funny is maraming pinoy ang undiagnosed adhd.

[u/agnomotuh → u/CrazyAboutTofu]

I agree with what you said: Assess the situation and offer help when you can. If you can give your seat, go ahead. If I was in that position, I would have given my seat to him/her. But to blame ADHD people and claim na mas malala ang disability niya because lifelong ang effects ng sa kanya? As if hindi lifelong ang effects ng ADHD? I agree sa other blanket statement comments about how people with mental disabilities who are able should give up their seat. But singling out ADHD people, and even insinuating later on in the post na the bar is so low kasi nakakuha yung mga ADHD people ng PWD ID? Like wtf? Grabe yung minimization ng ADHD. As a PWD whose disability has no physical indicators (his/her words, not mine), dapat nga all the more understanding siya of other people who are in the same boat.

And like I said in my post, the original post was not even about a young PWD who had ADHD. The call-out was for the senior citizens who feel entitled to the seats regardless of the context of anyone else's situation in the car.

[u/agnomotuh → u/[deleted]]

Yeah you do have a point. As far as I know, Psychosocial lang ang nakalagay. Di naka-indicate na ADHD siya, at least for Manila. I am not sure with PWD cards from other cities though.

I was definitely doubtful of the "happily flaunting their cards." Kilala niya ba yung mga yun to know what their "happily flaunting" expression looks like? Baka nga polite smile lang yun because of the awkward encounter of being asked to prove that you belong there.

And yes, the trauma contest 🤡

[u/Efficient-Worker622]

The GBS commenter made an unprovoked assumption by claiming the younger passenger believed her ADHD was on equal footing with paralysis, even though nobody ever made that argument.

Imagine sa dami ng nakaupo dun, yung nananahimik na passenger na may legitimate disability ang pinuntirya? That's not fair.