CW: Ableism
When I read Jon Gingerich’s article in The Dispatch in which he argues that disability has somehow become a “luxury identity,” I felt an immediate disconnect. I have cerebral palsy, and not a single thing about it is “trendy”.
I’m comfortable with my disability because I’ve had to be, but comfort isn’t the same thing as benefit. I have not been blessed with cerebral palsy. It hasn’t opened doors or made things easier. I would never wish cerebral palsy on anyone. It’s hard to live with.
In fact, his framing really reminds me of my thinking about mobility aids when I was younger. I did not get my first power wheelchair until I was a teenager, because I felt that I did not “need” it since I could walk with my walker. I saw using a wheelchair as giving up, as being defeated, as crossing some invisible line that I didn’t want to be on the other side of.
These feelings stemmed from a place of internalized ableism, and from the idea that disability should be reduced or hidden. I was surprised when I finally received my first wheelchair. I wasn’t any less capable. But it took years to unlearn the belief that accepting help meant losing something.
Gingerich also suggests that disability benefits are “generous.” I’ve received SSI since I was sixteen. The maximum federal benefit is $994 a month. This “generous” amount does not provide a comfortable or luxurious lifestyle for anybody. It is not enough to pay for rent, much less for food, transportation, or medical expenses. The term generous is a misnomer when describing the reality of a beneficiary’s income and the purpose of these benefits. They aren’t rewards. They are a resource that helps prevent people from falling through the cracks.
He also leans on the idea that some people might be “gaming the system.” While that may happen in isolated cases, framing disability this way is unhelpful and stigmatizing. It fosters negative attitudes toward disabled people who do require accommodations and other support. It places the burden on disabled people to “prove” or “justify” their needs or their legitimacy. Most disabled people aren’t looking for special treatment. They simply want to have a fair chance in life.
If disability seems more present today, it’s because disabled people are finally being heard. Not because nondisabled people want to join us. Rather, it is because disabled people have insisted on being seen. The world is slowly learning how to accept us without turning us into caricatures.
Sources:
Gingerich, Jon. “Americans, Disability, Luxury, and Identity.” The Dispatch, 1 Aug. 2026, https://thedispatch.com/article/americans-disability-luxury-identity/.
Higham, Aliss. “Social Security Payments Up to $994 Arrive This Week: What to Know.” Newsweek, 27 July 2026, https://www.newsweek.com/social-security-payments-up-994-arrive-week-what-know-12247412.