Inclusivity Reports

Fake-claiming, a concept, but not a word, known by many. Ever see someone in a wheelchair move their leg(s) and think, “They’re faking being disabled!” If this happens to you, you’re probably normal about this likely intrusive thought. You shake it away and think, “Well they’re probably using it because they need it, and it’s not my business.” Some people, however, like to post their opinions to the world about who is faking what and why. This is called fake-claiming. 

There is even a rather popular subreddit called r/fakedisordercringe (Hi guys!), where they post videos of people raising awareness about their conditions. The rules of the reddit say that you must have a reason as to why you think the person is faking, but most the reasons I’ve read are actually symptoms of the disorder, or common presentations of it, or even an uncommon but still heard of presentation. It’s like they don’t google or crowdsource or verify information. A lot of their targets are members of the LGBT+ community, or are alternative. The idea that someone would change their appearance in a way that gains attention, when they already have a disability, is so outlandish to this subreddit that people get accused of faking the disorder. Some common disorders that are fake-claimed are DID/OSDD, Tourette Syndrome, Functional Neurological Disorder, and other movement disorders or dynamic disabilities (where the person’s capabilities change day to day). 

Now, why fake-claiming is wrong and bad! First and foremost, if you are not their doctor, you have no say! Secondly, many, if not all, disorders exist on a spectrum. Some people with Spina Bifeda don’t know they have it their whole lives! Saying someone is faking because they have a mild, extreme, or fluctuating illness does not make any sense. When one person gets called fake for having an inhuman alter in DID/OSDD, suddenly everyone with an inhuman alter is being questioned. If someone gets called fake for having self injurious tics, suddenly everyone with those tics is being questioned. If one person’s Functional Seizure looks too different from an Epileptic Seizure, or another person’s Functional Seizure, they get fake-claimed. When both FND and Epilepsy can cause seizures that look all sorts of ways. 

People think they’re doing good by saying, “This person is faking because of these reasons, and they’re doing harm to the disability community!” But fake-claiming is honestly doing *more* harm to the community because it spreads seeds of doubt about our very existence.