Should obese people be classed as disabled?

Answer 1

i think it just depends on why they are obese some people have medical problems that make them heavy and some people are just lazy

Answer 2

I am a very obese man at 620 in my early 50s. My size is a conscious choice as I enjoy being very fat. I am still able to walk to and from work (after the bus) - albeit some would call it a slow waddle and I still swim. I do not consider myself disabled although I have had my bus drivers offer me the use of the handicap lift to get on and off the bus (which I don't use) and who allow me to sit in the handicap seat if there are no open benches (I don't fit in the row seats). I also have a very understanding director and employer who has offered to buy me a motorized cart if I want one, which I have also declined. I do not think that those of us who are obese should be considered disabled or handicapped unless we are a size where we cannot walk. In my view, at that point, we would be disabled. I know that I want to continue to be able to walk and at some point will have to limit my weight gain when I approach that point. Since I made the choice to be the size I am, I don't plan on using the disability options.

Answer 3

No, that is a bit of an insult to genuinely disabled people.

Some obese people may want to try to be classified as disabled to get disabled benefits .... and that just wouldn't be fair.

OK ... If an extremely obese person cannot physically walk, then that might be one thing, but have you thought about the possibility of a medium obese person, facing the choice of either losing weight & doing some exercise (difficult), or piling on a few more pounds in order to gain benefits and not have to work (easy)..?

which option is going to seem like the easier ride for them? And is that fair??

Answer 4

It depends on the cause for their obesity. I mean, some people are obese because of medication they are taking for another illness. Some people are obese because of thyroid problems. Not everyone who is obese is lazy or eats a lot.

For the most part I think they should be classified as disabled in the respect that theaters, air line seats and other businesses do not provide an adequate accommodation for them and for many, it is not their fault.

EDIT: Warning... RANT AHEAD. I am obese. I resent the people on here who insist that being obese is always because of food consumption and being lazy. There is a wide range of reasons for being heavy. (BTW I am a vegetarian and still big!) It is disabling to be heavier because waiting rooms do not have chairs big enough to fit my butt, Airlines have such small seats, I have to sit sideways. If I go to a movie or to a concert, I have to make sure I sit on the end so my butt doesn't squash others and I typically wind up with bruises from the arms of the seats. Using a regular bathroom stall is difficult because there isn't enough room sometimes to even get in there and shut the door let alone wipe. Then to top it all off, some thin twit with the metabolism of a chipmunk comes along and tries to say we are just lazy. WE are not lazy and many of us have reasons for our problem. Some are genetically set up to be heavier ( slow metabolism), Medication that causes weight gain, Thyroid problems, as well as the emotional eating that many might do because of the insensitive norm that do nothing but taunt us because of our size.

They should be covered under the ADA Law and accommodation's should be made in public places for them so maybe they can get out a little more! Disabled does not always mean Handicapped parking. The Deaf are disabled and they don't get the parking pass!

Answer 5

The key to a long life? Eat, drink and gain weight



Fat people have won a health reprieve from a study which showed that those who are overweight tend to live longer than those of normal weight.

Doctors may have to re-think the definition of the ideal weight after researchers found that the risks of piling on the pounds do not become evident until people are extremely obese.

And the fashion world's obsession with slenderness also comes under threat from the finding that being underweight is linked with a higher death rate.

The unexpected results, from the latest and most comprehensive study of the impacts of obesity, suggest that current advice to maintain a normal weight may have to be rethought.

Obesity has tripled in Britain since 1980 and now affects 22 per cent of the adult population. More than half of British adults - 24 million people - are defined as overweight.

Answer 6

It depends..... If they are obese to due a medical condition then they have every right to be classified as disabled. If they are obese because they are lazy fat asses then no. They are just lazy fat asses. My father was disabled (2 artificial hips) and it offended him that people who are just lazy to the point that they cant move around are classified as disabled. Those people CHOSE to be that way. That choice is why they should not have the same rights and priveledges as those people that are obese due to a glandular problem or other medical issue.

Answer 7

No they should not be classified as disabled. I'm not trying to sound mean but I think some obese people are lazy. I'm not talking about the obese people that have thyroid problems and other health problems that they can't help their condition. I'm talking about people who don't exercise and just eat and eat and don't care whether they're big or not. The lazy fat people who don't care should not be considered disabled they should be considered trifling and irresponsible.

The obese people who do watch what they eat and exercise should get help.

Just my opinion

Answer 8

No. Obesity is like homosexuality. Its a choice (for the most part.)
If a person is obese due to a biological problem, they can then be listed as disabled once their weight makes them incapable of handling a normal job or lifestyle.

Answer 9

In some cases depending on how obese they are. The ones on a documentary in America couldn't even sit up! These were definately disabled. Some obese people aren't to blaime for their weight problem, it can be medical.

Answer 10

Not automatically. I think it should depend on how your day-to-day abilities are affected by the obesity. Like if the mobility/ health is affected, then of course, they are physically impaired. If you can operate functionally (like my obese parents- who both have full time jobs), - I would take this as not being disabled.

Whereas, if someone was housebound, bed-ridden, due to obesity- I would consider them disabled.

Answer 11

I think it depends on how big you are. If you are like 300 pounds then I would say yes because those kind of people can't function like a normal person. But if you are just a little overweight No i think that's extremely rude and don't think it's fair to them just because they have a weight problem. most of the time it's genetic but if it's to the point of being a dire position then yes they should be called disabled. Some really obese people can't even walk or lift up their arm!