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Elderly and self identification as having a disability

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From: Jim Allan
Date: May 24, 2016 8:32AM

Hello,
I have used, written, and repeated what I thought was a truism, but I don't
recall when I first heard this ...

Some/many elderly (aged) folks do not self identify as having a disability,
they respond that they are just old and things don't work as well as they
used to.

Based on conversations with elderly relatives and others (aged and people
in the disability field)...I found this to be true. Perhaps it was the way
the question was asked.

Be that as it may, I was trying to verify/research this truism. When I
searched on "self identification" and other terms -- of course I found
forms to self-identify, demographics, services, etc. all about folks who
have self-identified.

What I could not find is anything that verifies that elderly do not self
identify because in their view they are not disabled, they are just old.
There may other subsets of folks who would/could be considered disabled but
for whatever reason choose not to self-identify.

Do you have any insight/ideas...anything?

--
Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
voice 512.206.9315 fax: 512.206.9264 http://www.tsbvi.edu/
"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964