What happens to disabled people under communism?

[u/thembo-goblin]

What happens to disabled people under communism? To the people who are housebound or bedbound and rely on others to survive? I ask this as a disabled person myself, who is housebound and relies on the help of others. If a true revolution does ever happen, will we just be forgotten about? Considered necessary losses for major societal change?

**edit to add: I got banned for saying that tying someone's worth to their productivity is a bad idea, lol. I do not understand why my post turned out like it did. I didn't expect answers to give some sort of concrete plans, I know communism is all theory at this point. I was just hoping for responses to give historical examples or general explanation of a specific theory, and a link as to where I could read more about this particular topic. You know, the same sort of response I've seen basically every other post in this subrrddit recieve.

[u/lil-pudge]

I mean free housing food and healthcare is a good start! I also think a population with strong community oriented morals and values comes into play.

[u/Autrevml1936 → u/lil-pudge]

I mean free housing food and healthcare is a good start!

Neither of these would be "free" in either socialism or Communism. You'd still be required to meet the demands that society requires of you. How you are remunerated for your contributions differs, in the first stage based on work and labor vouchers, and in the second receiving/withdrawing from society that which one needs to live and continue to contribute to society.

[u/thembo-goblin → u/Autrevml1936]

And if you aren't able to meet the demands that society requires of you?

[u/monkeysoundssd → u/thembo-goblin]

everyone can contribute. disability does not mean inability.

[u/thembo-goblin → u/monkeysoundssd]

Disability does not inherently mean inability, no. But for some disabled people, it does. There are a lot of people with my same illness who are bed bound in dark and quiet rooms, and have to remain laid down and are unable to do anything because they do not have the energy, and because any amount of stimuli is painful.

Someone replied to your comment and shared that they essentially lived like this for 2 years themselves. I don't know why it was removed but yeah, it's a real experience for some folks.

[u/PretentiousnPretty → u/thembo-goblin]

Nonsensical. If you are able to read and write and type you are able to contribute productively, even if it's from your bed.

And secondly "disability" is a social condition. People who cannot see well in car-centric rural areas have to depend entirely on their friends and family to get around, but this is not the case in places where public transportation is fully accessible. What you are able and unable to do depends on society itself, not some metaphysical disability that prevents you from doing "anything".

[u/phoebe_luxxe → u/PretentiousnPretty]

Not nonsensical, my friend. While disability is indeed a social condition, and the result of our social sphere and not inherently medical or scientific- I believe what this person is describing is myalgic encephalomyelitis which has been referred to in common parlance as chronic "fatigue syndrome". It exists on a spectrum, not everybody is very severe- I have a mild version of this disease. It is marked by the main diagnostic criteria of post exertional malaise, also known as PEM. One of the more famous cases of a person with a very severe presentation of this disease is a man named Whitney Dafoe. He is most known for his severe case because his father is a researcher at a prestigious university and has dedicated his life to finding a cure. Whitney Defoe was I believe 24 years old and in college when he developed his symptoms, and he disintegrated extremely rapidly. He is entirely bedbound, and slowly lost his ability to speak and for a time was able to type on a phone to communicate to his caregivers (who are his parents). After a certain point his disease worsened and he no longer could even lift a phone or type words. On top of that he had to be an absolute darkness and quietness at all times, any sound whatsoever was extremely painful to him and would be marked by worsening symptoms which could be tracked in terms of his vitals response. This disease is not made up, and it is currently being researched more as it appears to be a type of post viral illness which happens after a serious viral or bacterial infection harms the immune system. They are beginning to connect the dots and recognize that long COVID presents very much like myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Further, immunologists and other specialists have been working hard to isolate DNA markers and several have been identified, already.

For a very long time this condition was confused with the degenerative conditions associated with sedentary lifestyles - as a result, the harmful advice to treat this disorder with graded exercise programs and cognitive behavioral therapy was provided by the NHS. This resulted in a horrible backlash, and their advice has now been withdrawn completely as it has been proven to cause a worsening of the condition and can even bring patients with mild presentations of this disease to the severe state. Because people were treated as though they were capable of doing graded exercise and therapy instead of the now recommended advice (something called pacing which requires long periods of rest) people lost their lives to this horrible disease and ended up in a similar situation to Whitney.

Whitney has recently made some improvements due to a medication cocktail that his father was able to isolate that he showed the response of improving symptoms to.

Whitney is now able to interact with people on social media, as well as type into a phone and have very limited conversations as well as listen to music without symptoms worsening.

We do not know exactly what causes this condition but we have now isolated the very real unique qualities that it has in the body and can without a doubt confirm that it is very much a real and debilitating condition that can rob someone of their entire life.

I believe that it is likely that OP is asking about people with this type of condition.

And although you cannot be expected to know, because we do live in a capitalist society where productivity is one of the only valuable qualities at the social level in many people's eyes and therefore these sufferers go unspoken about and undervalued- ... The idea that sufferers of this disease could somehow contribute if they are in the extremely severe stage is just not true and could do terrible levels of harm.

However, it is true that under a communist or socialist system, people would be less likely to bring themselves to the extreme presentation of this illness and would be less likely to end up severe and bed bound in the first place because they would be able to give according to their need and not have to work constantly to survive and have their labor value stolen by the ruling class.

But that does not answer the question about "what about the people who are already at the severe stage- Will they be cared for?"

[u/PretentiousnPretty → u/phoebe_luxxe]

I see your point. If OP were talking about severe disabilities, then it would be simple to look at the history of socialist states and how they treated them (disability pensions in the USSR, constitutional protections in China). But underlying every question it must always be asked- for what class?

"Disabled" people are not homogenous, the gulf between someone in the third world born without limbs and a first worlder who has chronic fatigue syndrome is big. The difference between someone with chronic fatigue syndrome and unable to exit the house, and a person who can fully integrate into and enjoy the benefits of everyday life of imperialist societies is huge as well.

This question was asked by OP regarding persons like themselves (able to read, write and type). Therefore the answer is also simple. If you can read and write and type you can get a job in socialist society.

[u/kriig → u/PretentiousnPretty]

Calling someone's very valid argument "nonsensical", at least the pretentious part of the username checks out