What are Enorders?

To describe the difference between a disorder and an enorder, there are larger concepts to acknowledge. These terms are related to disability and chronic conditions. These terms acknowledge that disability is largely a spectrum, one that most people are largely uninformed about. More people are disabled in some way compared to how society may make us believe. Disability has three factors to affecting a person's life; (1) impairment, (2) activity limitation, and (3) participation restriction^[1]. The larger group is disability itself, with a nicher group focusing on chronic conditions. Chronic conditions are long lasting, reccuring, or constantly present; thus disabilities that chronically affect health are specifically excluded from the definition of an enorder.

An enorder is a neologism describing a condition - typically viewed as a disordering or disabling by society - to which the 'sufferer' of views as helpful, positive, or useful. The term describes the condition as more positive than it is negative^[2]. This does not negate the fact that conditions may still be impairing, limiting, or restricting in some way, but these restrictions do not cause distress. This also is accompanied with the opinion that one's disorder/disability should not be cured or rid of or rehabilitated as more 'normal.'

The term "enorder" does not ignore the cases where one's disability is disabling, but does not exactly describe a more nuanced relationship with one's disability. Thus comes the term enordisorders, which describes conditions that are both enordering and disordering, or is otherwise fluid between an enorder and a disorder for the sufferer^[3]. This acknowledges the distress or general impairment that being disabled comes with, but also does not paint the experience as entirely about pain and suffering.

To describe disabilities and conditions such as mental illnesses by 'disabilities' and 'illnesses,' implies that there is a social and cultural norm of mentality and capability, where the normal are 'healthy.' The use of comparing sickness and health implies that it is a right and just act to 'cure' the sick. But there are spectrums of mentalities, and spectrums of capabilities^[4] - to which many 'sufferers' often have nuanced feelings and opinions about. (This is also a point of difference with chronic sufferers, as the point of chronic conditions is that their health is constantly affected. Thus, many sufferers look to be cured of their condition.)

To make an example, Anonymous' plurality is not distressing nor disordered; they view their Plurality as entirely an enorder. Addtionally, they treat their ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) more like an enordisorder, rather than being one or the other.

Citations

1. CDC. “Disability and Health Overview.” Disability and Health, CDC, 12 Dec 2024, www.cdc.gov/disability-and-health/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html. Accessed 4 June 2026.
2. TransID Contributors. “Enorder.” TransID, 24 Oct 2024, transid.org/books/disability/page/enorder. Accessed 1 June 2026.
3. TransID Contributors. “Enordisorder.” TransID, 24 Oct 2024, transid.org/books/disability/page/enordisorder. Accessed 1 June 2026.
4. Barnartt, Sharon N. "Disability as a Fluid State: Introduction", Disability as a Fluid State, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 10 Nov 2010, doi.org/10.1108/S1479-3547(2010)0000005003. Accessed 1 June 2026.