IMPORTANT NOTE!!!
OUTDATED WEBSITE!!!

This website is no longer being updated! To visit this page on my current website, please use the following link:
   http://thiswayoflife.org/barriers/needproof.html
Please update any links you have to this site.

"I need proof that you need this."

Disclaimer

This article is sarcasm. Although this article seems describe almost exactly how some people refuse legitimate accommodation, it is actually designed to show what not to do - barriers should be removed, not fought for. It is also part of a larger article, How to Keep Your Barriers.

Phrase Description

Ask the requester for proof that they are disabled. Demand to see their medical records, psychiatric records, current medications, insurance claims, statements from their third grade teacher, and anything else you can think of. It doesn't matter if the thing they are asking for is something only people who needed it would request. You still need proof! And if they provide proof, it isn't enough. Ask for more. Remind them that you have to deal with a lot of people asking unreasonably for barriers to be removed (it doesn't matter if this is the first request you've received in months, the requester doesn't know that).

It's also okay to question whether the disability the person has even exists. If they present a disability you've never heard of, or ask for accommodations that don't make sense to you (even though they have years of experience with their specific manifestation of disability while you have almost no experience with it), then you need proof! You can also question the existence of any disability which is not physical or sensory with this method, as those are the hardest to "prove".

Usage Example

Customer: I need you to write down the price of this item. I can't hear.
Business: No problem, but first I need to see proof that you are truly disabled. We have a lot of people abuse the system here.

Next Phrase

"I am not a bad person."