Our topic last week really hit home; disability and identity. As some of you might know, I recently developed a severe tree-nut allergy. An allergy is an auto-immune disorder where the immune system is over-reactive and sensitive. My immune system misinterprets the proteins in nuts as a foreign toxin trying to attack my body. The response floods my body with histamines and T-cells that create such a sever reaction that my blood pressure drops quickly, my throat tightens and I risk passing out and having a heart attack. Exposure is cumulative, and each consecutive reaction is more severe than the last. I am required to carry an Epi-Pen and Benadryl on me at all times lest I am exposed. The goal is to minimize risk in my life as much as possible, so I avoid eating a whole variety of processed foods, deserts, cuisine typical of nuts, restaurants with nuts on the menu, etc.
I’ve never really thought of my allergy as a disability though, nor do I really feel comfortable with describing the situation as such. But according to the Allergy and Asthma foundation of America, it is one of the most pervasive disabilities and disorders, affecting 1 in 5 Americans at roughly 60 million – more than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined. The amount of people developing food allergies has grown 15-20% in the last 25 years in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, which are the countries with the highest food related allergies. It is true I can't enjoy many of the things I used to and am restricted in ‘normal’ habits, but I generally felt the term 'disabled' should be reserved for people who had a major debilitating illness or a physical or mental handicap that kept them from functioning as a 'normal' member of society. Part of the reluctance in identifying myself as disabled, I think on a deeper level though, is that I never liked the idea that I might be 'defective'.
When I first developed my allergy it was a major shock, and I used to tell everyone about it. I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t really like talking about it though. There’s many reasons for this fatigue, but I’ve realized part of it is because its awkward reacting to some of the pity responses. Pity was the word that stuck out to me during our discussion. I certainly understand that it is a normal empathetic reaction, and no one means it in an offensive manner. Overall, I am deeply grateful for the concern and compassion people give. But it does get exhausting having to explain Food Allergy 101 to people. It’s also just really scary and disconcerting that most people have almost 0 knowledge about these common disorders and conditions.
I have had some bad interactions with people regarding my allergy, especially at restaurants. For some reason in the U.S. and most of the world, people who handle food are not required to have any basic knowledge in food allergies, sensitivities and the mechanics of cross-contamination and risk. It’s only been recently that food labels started posting “May contain ____” or “Processed on the same equipment that handles ___” and this is still not an official mandate by the FDA. It’s primarily done by food producers as a customary measure and to reduce liability. Since restaurants aren’t required to post their ingredients, this makes for a difficult situation. Red Lobster and Olive Garden are the only ones I know that have an actual “allergy” menu and tell you what each dish actually contains. Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts are good examples of businesses that are not transparent about their contamination issues and have compromised the safety of many of their consumers.
Many times I’ve asked servers to check with the kitchen staff if their (insert high risk product here) is made in a facility with nuts. Most of the time this request is met with fear, as they realize they know nothing about it and don't want to end up 'poisoning' me. The more defensive individuals will proudly declare “there are no nuts in it." That’s the surest way to reveal that they have no clue how allergies work and what cross-contamination is, and that I should probably steer clear of most everything on the menu.
I can't tell you how dependent I am that other people understand food allergies and anaphylaxis; friends, family, co-workers, food servers, chefs, etc. Seeing what a high demographic suffer from this disorder and the high risk of death associated with exposer, why isn’t there a better job in our society educating students about this in health classes, and also holding the food industry to a higher standard? Right now the only way to inform is one-on-one interactions and hoping people take the initiative to research and educate themselves, but I have few expectations here granted I don't even think anyone in my family has ever taken the time to google it or read up and depend on me to tell them everything.
Overall, why aren't we educating our society better about illnesses, disorders and disabilities as a whole? As we discussed and saw in the presentation, there are elements of shame and embarrassment from the disabled community that would greatly be helped with better education, appreciation and awareness by the general public.
I’ve never really thought of my allergy as a disability though, nor do I really feel comfortable with describing the situation as such. But according to the Allergy and Asthma foundation of America, it is one of the most pervasive disabilities and disorders, affecting 1 in 5 Americans at roughly 60 million – more than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined. The amount of people developing food allergies has grown 15-20% in the last 25 years in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, which are the countries with the highest food related allergies. It is true I can't enjoy many of the things I used to and am restricted in ‘normal’ habits, but I generally felt the term 'disabled' should be reserved for people who had a major debilitating illness or a physical or mental handicap that kept them from functioning as a 'normal' member of society. Part of the reluctance in identifying myself as disabled, I think on a deeper level though, is that I never liked the idea that I might be 'defective'.
When I first developed my allergy it was a major shock, and I used to tell everyone about it. I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t really like talking about it though. There’s many reasons for this fatigue, but I’ve realized part of it is because its awkward reacting to some of the pity responses. Pity was the word that stuck out to me during our discussion. I certainly understand that it is a normal empathetic reaction, and no one means it in an offensive manner. Overall, I am deeply grateful for the concern and compassion people give. But it does get exhausting having to explain Food Allergy 101 to people. It’s also just really scary and disconcerting that most people have almost 0 knowledge about these common disorders and conditions.
I have had some bad interactions with people regarding my allergy, especially at restaurants. For some reason in the U.S. and most of the world, people who handle food are not required to have any basic knowledge in food allergies, sensitivities and the mechanics of cross-contamination and risk. It’s only been recently that food labels started posting “May contain ____” or “Processed on the same equipment that handles ___” and this is still not an official mandate by the FDA. It’s primarily done by food producers as a customary measure and to reduce liability. Since restaurants aren’t required to post their ingredients, this makes for a difficult situation. Red Lobster and Olive Garden are the only ones I know that have an actual “allergy” menu and tell you what each dish actually contains. Pizza Hut and Dunkin Donuts are good examples of businesses that are not transparent about their contamination issues and have compromised the safety of many of their consumers.
Many times I’ve asked servers to check with the kitchen staff if their (insert high risk product here) is made in a facility with nuts. Most of the time this request is met with fear, as they realize they know nothing about it and don't want to end up 'poisoning' me. The more defensive individuals will proudly declare “there are no nuts in it." That’s the surest way to reveal that they have no clue how allergies work and what cross-contamination is, and that I should probably steer clear of most everything on the menu.
I can't tell you how dependent I am that other people understand food allergies and anaphylaxis; friends, family, co-workers, food servers, chefs, etc. Seeing what a high demographic suffer from this disorder and the high risk of death associated with exposer, why isn’t there a better job in our society educating students about this in health classes, and also holding the food industry to a higher standard? Right now the only way to inform is one-on-one interactions and hoping people take the initiative to research and educate themselves, but I have few expectations here granted I don't even think anyone in my family has ever taken the time to google it or read up and depend on me to tell them everything.
Overall, why aren't we educating our society better about illnesses, disorders and disabilities as a whole? As we discussed and saw in the presentation, there are elements of shame and embarrassment from the disabled community that would greatly be helped with better education, appreciation and awareness by the general public.
http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=30
David, I also have life threatening allergies. I carry my epipen, take numerous pills, and receive monthly shots. It feels silly to have to make choices around what seems miniscule in the range of “disability.” Yet, not getting adequate sleep or even sleeping with a fan on can significantly effect how my body can fight itself, which if you think about it is a frightening notion. I am allergic to almost anything that comes to mind: dust mite, mold, mildew, cockroaches, a number of different grasses, pollen, bees (deathly), cats, etc. As if my ongoing list of indoor and outdoor allergies is not enough, I have asthma too. It is a bit dramatic, but it gets really frustrating when your friends do not understand, or care to try to understand. Many friends react as if I am creating an issue that does not exist. I am very allergic to cats. My friends think I am over-reacting if I ask them to keep the cat out of the room while I visit. They criticize me of being selfish, then laugh when my eyes turn bright red, itch and I cannot breath. I understand that it is hard to have a situation in which people do not have any understanding, sympathy, empathy, or any interest in learning more.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foodallergy.org/its-not-a-joke
ReplyDeleteChildren with food allergies are also becoming targets for bullying in the States. Over the last few years, I’ve read several news articles reporting children in schools teasing children with nut allergies by chewing nuts and spitting at the children with the nut allergy or by wiping peanut butter on a student with a peanut allergy. There have been policies implemented at some schools which no longer permit certain allergens (i.e. peanuts) in schools, but this has created a controversy among parents: Should schools do away with these allergens to stop bullying and reduce exposure risk or can parenting do this?
As a person who does not have a food allergy, I can only imagine that the word “dependence” is fitting to describe what it’s like to live with a food allergy, and of course dependence is greater (if not absolute) when it comes to the subject of children with food allergies and schools. Parents and children depend on the education system for seven hours a day to keep children safe. If a policy is passed to keep food allergens out of schools, children with food allergies (and their parents) will depend on the enforcement of the policy. If the issue of bullying is to be handled with better parenting, the children with allergies will depend on that parenting and the understanding of other children. Each of these potential solutions carries risk for those children with food allergies and I expect that the next few years of policy experimentation will be tumultuous. It’s sad to think that a multitude of children have to experience anaphylaxis in their schools before anything is done.
P.S. Food allergies do constitute a disability according to the ADA.
My sister also has several allergies, and it has always amazed me that restaurateurs do not take this issue more seriously. Recently I looked into it, and two states on the east coast, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, have laws at least assisting in this regard. However, with the rapid rise of food allergies in this country, I wonder why more states are not working on this issue. Some cities such as New York and Minneapolis also are adopting the legislation, which requires food service locations to display posters related to allergy information.
ReplyDeleteSpending a significant amount of time with someone who has a severe food allergy, such as you, David, or my sister, or other unnamed persons, educate the foodivore such as myself that the risk is highly dangerous to many people. Even restaurants that advertise gluten free are often unaware that their dishes, equipment, and food handling procedures almost immediately violate allergy restrictions.
Although it seems that our culture is highly afflicted with over-protections, this one seems to be a very real danger. I hope more is done in this area, for your benefit, and that of all others. Cheers.