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"Your disability is not serious enough."

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

It's okay to question the severity of someone's disability if you wish to avoid granting an accommodation. After all, you're qualified to ascertain on the basis of limited contact exactly what the person is really capable of! It's okay to blame the barrier on the requester, saying that it is her behavior which is the problem or that it is her learned helplessness. Feel free to interject any pop-psychology jargon you've heard on a TV program lately. After all, we know most people who say they are disabled aren't really disabled. This is especially true with psychiatric or neurological differences, which everyone knows are really behavior issues or bad choices.

It's also useful to claim that even bothering to hear their request is denying people with "real" disabilities from getting the help they need. Play on pity and guilt!

Note: For maximum effect, consider combining this phrase with "I need proof that you need this."

Usage Example

Customer: That perfume gives me migraines. Can you refrain from shooting it at me as I pass through your store?
Business: Look, "not liking the smell" is hardly a disability. There are people with REAL disabilities that need our assistance, and you're not one of them.

Next Phrase

"Don't I do enough?"