Questioning Disability Claims: Right or Wrong?

          I came across this story via a listserv with a note from the sender criticizing the fact that the man’s disability was questioned. According to the article, “Stanley Thornton, Jr., is a 30-something man who wears a diaper, sucks on a pacifier, and sleeps in a crib that he built. He also collects Social Security disability insurance.”

          The sender wrote, “It seems to me that by publishing this type of story and purposely questioning whether one’s disability is indeed legitimate, the media is striving to gain wide political acceptance for cuts to disability benefits.”

           I completely disagree. I think the disability community needs to embrace this type of investigation and, quite frankly, question how the hell it came out that this guy has a legitimate disability. No one who can build their own crib needs to sleep in one – it’s absolutely absurd, as is the picture of him being fed with a bottle. If the man had a legitimate mental disability, I have to assume playing into his desire to be treated as an infant is horrifyingly inappropriate. This is absolutely the type of thing that makes it more difficult get society to accept appropriate accommodations for people with actual disabilities need.

          What do you think? Tell us in the comments section, on the PhillyACCESS Facebook page, or Twitter.