Let’s Unpack the Damage of Being Labeled High- or Low-Functioning

March 4, 2017 / M. Slade

Two best friends are both disabled – but one is called “high-functioning,” while the other is called “low-functioning.”

So what’s the difference – and what are these labels often missing? Check out this comic to find out.

This shows how being labeled as high- or low-functioning influences the oppressive ways that people are treated. And it makes a crucial point about who these distinctions really serve in the end.

With Love,
The Editors at Everyday Feminism

Click for the Transcript

Panel 1

(Single panel in top center that features two friends, Jaz and Will. Jaz is a light-skinned woman taking medication and wearing bracelets to cover her scars. Will is an amputee with dark skin and crutches. He also has some trouble with volume control and speaks very softly. They’re having lunch together and smiling. )

Text: Jaz and Will are best friends.

Text: And they’re both disabled!

Panel 2

(Panel of Jaz with bags under her eyes typing on a laptop in her cubicle.)

Text: Jaz gets her work in on time and is more social. They call her “high-functioning.”

Panel 3

(Panel of Will having a depressive episode. He’s lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. Piles of clothes litter the floor. The sun shines in through his window.)

Text: Will does not get his work done on time and is less social. They call him “low-functioning.”

Panel 4

(Jaz as a child sits with her parents in front of a teacher’s desk. We see the teacher’s hands from the teacher’s perspective behind the desk.)

Text: People don’t think Jaz needs support.

Teacher: Well, if her grades are good, I don’t see the problem. Diagnosis would just upset her.

Panel 5

(Will as a child plays with some toys in a doctor’s office. We look down upon Will from the white doctor’s perspective.)

Text: People think Will’s not worth the support.

Doctor: Illiteracy and bad manners are common among boys of his demographic. I don’t think treatment would do much.

Panel 6

(Jaz is using a walker nearby a disabled parking spot. A man comes over and starts screaming at her.)

Text: They try to prove she’s lying about her disability.

Man: You can’t park here! You were walking a second ago.

Jaz: Yes, but my Multiple Sclerosis—

Man: So you think you can cheat the system, while us hard-working Americans pay taxes for your welfare?

Panel 7

(Will looks uncomfortable as a nurse grabs him by the shoulders.)

Text: They assume his point of view doesn’t matter because he’s not “sane” enough.

Will: I don’t like that doctor.

Nurse: Nonsense, sweetie! The doctor is wonderful. Come along.

Panel 8

(Jaz is on a dinner date.)

Text: Jaz worries about others’ reactions when she comes out as disabled.

Jaz: So, uh, second date?

Date: Eh, you seem a bit too high-maintenance.

Panel 9

(Will walking down the street while everyone stares at him in horror and clutches their purses.)

Text: Will assumes he’s as bad as everyone makes him out to be.

Panel 10

(Jaz and Will chatting happily with each other. They have speech bubbles with the logos of resources they think would help the other. These include ASAN [Autistic Self Advocacy Network], HealthGrades, NAMI [National Alliance on Mental Health Illness], Ramp Your Voice!, StimTastic, and the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] site.)

Text: But when they’re together…

Text: They trade info on disability services and survival tips.

Panel 11

(Jaz and Will looking at each other’s meds and laughing.)

Text: They can bond over shared experiences.

Will: Your Abilify is square.

Jaz: I didn’t know these came in orange!

Panel 12

(Jaz is crying outside the doors of a party. Will sits nearby, trying to comfort her.)

Text: They can look out for each other in ways others can’t.

Will: Now, uh, name two things that you hear.

Jaz: There’s cheering and Beyoncé.

Will: Yes, good.

Panel 13

(Jaz and Will lead a protest below some stairs that lead up to the restrooms they can’t reach.)

Text: They can rally together to demand accessibility.

Panel 14

(We look along with able people on the second floor down upon the first floor, where disabled people occupy the space with signs demanding access.)

Text: So really, who does their separation protect?

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M. Slade is a Contributing Comic Artist for Everyday Feminism. He is New York-based cartoonist and illustrator. Aside from creating artwork for EF, he also has a weekly webcomic about his experiences realizing he’s a trans man: Adventures In Genderland. M.Slade also works as Co-Head Editor for the Independent Publishing Section of ComicsVerse.com, and you can find his articles here. In his spare time, he can be found nerding out about video games and cartoons, or crying while petting his cat. You can check out his website here or his Tumblr here. Check out his EF comics here.