Eligibility Theatre

A term coined by Curtis et al. (2026) to describe the performance of visible, narrowly-framed disability that claimants are forced to stage in order to satisfy bureaucratic and algorithmic expectations of welfare and benefits systems. Applicants with invisible or communication disabilities — such as aphasia, cognitive conditions, or mental illness — are systematically disadvantaged because assessors and automated systems privilege overtly physical impairments. Eligibility theatre imposes significant emotional labour and can itself worsen a claimant's condition, while also excluding those whose impairments fluctuate or do not map neatly onto points-based criteria.