Proving I’m “Disabled Enough”

Hi friends. I want to talk about something that has drained far more energy than it ever should have. This is about having to prove you are disabled enough to access basic support, and the toll that constant justification takes on people already living with chronic illness.

This is about a Blue Badge renewal, but it is also about a much wider problem. The quiet assumption that disabled people must constantly justify themselves, and the sense that systems will do almost anything to avoid having to accommodate someone whose disability does not look neat or obvious.

A Quick Refresher

I live with ME/CFS and several other long-term conditions, including hypermobility, fibromyalgia, chronic back pain with sciatica, PTSD, anxiety, and IBS. My conditions are fluctuating, invisible, and exertion-sensitive. People with ME/CFS experience post-exertional malaise, where physical or cognitive effort can cause delayed and sometimes severe deterioration.

I have previously held Blue Badges issued by other local authorities, based on the same overall health picture and with less evidence than I later provided. I also work full-time from bed with extensive reasonable adjustments. Me being able to work does not mean I am not disabled, it simply means I am fortunate enough to have the right support.

What Happened

After moving area, I applied to renew my Blue Badge. Despite providing extensive medical evidence, including specialist NHS letters and detailed explanations of functional impact, my application was refused. When my previous badge expired, I suddenly lost access to accessible parking. The result was more pain, more fatigue, more isolation, and greater reliance on others.

The feedback I received claimed the evidence was “generic” and lacked detail about walking, risk, and distress. This was deeply frustrating, because those exact issues had already been addressed. At no point was it made clear what additional evidence would actually be accepted. The goalposts felt like they kept moving.

The Cost Of Having To Prove You Are Disabled Enough

This process was not neutral. It actively harmed my health. The stress triggered a significant ME/CFS crash, worsening fatigue, pain, and cognitive impairment. I became less able to leave the house at exactly the point when accessible parking would have helped the most.

Having to prove you are disabled enough, again and again, becomes its own form of exhaustion, especially when your health is already fragile. It is emotional labour layered on top of illness, and it often feels like you are being asked to perform your disability in just the right way to be believed.

I have written before about living with invisible illness and the emotional labour that comes with it here.

Eventually, A Resolution

After further escalation, input from my MP, additional specialist input, and a formal assessment, my Blue Badge was approved. The relief was huge. But the process was draining and avoidable. It should never take this much effort, evidence, or deterioration in health to access basic support.

Why This Matters Beyond Me

This experience exposed how inconsistently guidance is applied, how invisible and fluctuating disabilities are often mistrusted, and how disabled people are expected to repeatedly prove themselves. It also highlighted how much difference empathy and advocacy can make when someone finally chooses to listen.

If any of this sounds familiar, I would really like to hear from you. Have you had to fight to prove you were “disabled enough”? Have you experienced similar processes with parking, benefits, or adjustments? Please feel free to share your experiences in the comments. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is show how common this really is.

Further Reading

• Mind – Disability, stress, and mental health
• The ME Association – Living with ME/CFS
• Scope – Invisible disabilities and access barriers