#disability

[nightmaretour]

What a lot of abled people don't understand is that when you get more sick as someone who was already physically disabled/chronically ill, you don't get the sympathy, you don't get people sending you cards and coming to visit and help you with things. Everyone just kind of assumes that you can handle it, that it's not *really* anything new. Maybe people might acknowledge it for a week or two, but then to them it's just normal. You were already sick, so why would being a little more sick be disruptive to you, right?

[friendlycursedspaceotter]

Pro tip for my disabled and chronically ill friends in college: if you have to put a work order in and it is related any bit at all to your disability, write, very clearly in the "describe what needs to get done" section, "This issue is a health hazard," followed by a description of how the issue relates to your disability/chronic illness.

They are required to put it as a high-priority issue and fix it ASAP. Required BY LAW. Yes, I said it. They are legally required to fix these things, both under OSHA regulations and the ADA.

Play the disability card. I'm begging you. DISABLED IS NOT A BAD WORD. But don't abuse it. This is a fine line here.

Example: I'm heat and noise sensitive. My HVAC unit started breaking down and rattling loudly. That would be an example of a health hazard. A broken light could be a health hazard to someone with vision issues. I can only speak for myself here. But y'all have the right to speak up and advocate to yourself.

Neurodivergent people, this applies to you too. You're one of us (one of us! one of us! one of us!). Don't let the exclusionists gatekeep this information from you.

[unveilandresist]

here to be a buzzkill once again

covid is real and killing people every day

long covid cases are going up like crazy every year

please wear a mask

I know facing this is scary but wearing an kn95 or even better, an n95 will help protect you. so will air purifiers with hepa filters, and nasal sprays like xlear. get a vaccine if you haven't had one in the past 4 months. mitigations really do reduce your risk. r/masks4all will even help you find the right mask for your face shape!

if you get covid, do whatever you can to rest and not strain yourself for about 6 weeks to reduce risk of long covid.

love you all, wanting us all to be well 💗

- my chronically ill ass who has been sick from postviral illness since 2012

[cowsabungus]

POSE REFERENCES

Active manual wheelchair user!

If u use pls show me ur art I love seeing everyone's work!!!!!!

[jewish-microwave-laser]

i wish i didn't have to try to make bigotry a learning moment. i wish people didn't see me as an ambassador for my people. i wish i could just be snarky or bitchy sometimes when someone decides to be a bigot to me

[4spooniesupport]

[gayaest]

COMM for @/Tiefyweefy on twitter (x)

Mermaid in a wheelchair 🐬🐚🪸🐙

[Description in Alt-Text]

[veggiesforpresident]

forced perspective

[crippl-hacker]

[ID: An orange Ki Catalyst 5Vx folding wheelchair /ID]

I just got my wheelchair!! It’s a Catalyst 5Vx - they claim it’s the lightest folding on the market. I love it minus some minor gripes like the push rims. It’s so slick and I’ve been waiting forever for a custom wheelchair that actually fits me.

I’m so freaking excited now that it’s here! I definitely hope to get the lap stacker eventually as well as a cup holder but those are not needed right now. I’m just so happy today even though I’m in pain.

[jmtorres]

i just saw a post about how we just have to "live with" covid and wanting more protections from our government is unreasonable because we'll never wipe it out, it jumps species and is in all sorts of animal populations (like, true ok) so why even try to

and apparently the argument was aimed at people (who I haven't seen in the wild) who are arguing we should still be in lockdown. and i have mixed feelings about the idea of extended lockdown or attenuating isolations; but my main feeling at this point is not that the government should keep us apart but that the government should be trying to make it safer for us to be together

things the government could/should be doing about covid:

we know that ventilation/air movement helps a shitton. we should be incentivizing upgrades to ventilation systems in all public buildings with shit like rebates or tax deductions, while phasing in eventual legal requirements. (and uh. it has occurred to me that the US might actually be doing this sideways by there's currently this decade enormous tax incentives in re energy efficient upgrades for slowing climate change and you know. energy efficient hvac does tend to improve ventilation. extra point to biden here.)

mandatory paid sick leave so workers aren't under social or economic pressure to work when sick

passing out RT-LAMP tests like metrix that actually work instead of the rapid antigen tests that have become less and less reliable as the virus mutates

i don't know how you'd write this law but like 95% or more of computer-based work can be done remotely and companies should not be allowed to force people to return to the office. I know there's people who want to be back in person and I'm not saying they should be forced to stay home but ffs I know of at least two people CLOSE to me who worked remotely before the pandemic and at some point their workplaces tried to tell them they weren't allowed to do that anymore despite the pre-existing contracts. stop canceling remote work for people that want, need, or prefer it.

for that matter, every college lecture that was an online class during covid should still be offered as an online class, there is no reason to force students into auditoriums in person. you got the communications infrastructure up and running, why are you tearing it down. give people the OPTION. it increases accessibility for everyone!

covid vaccine immunity lasts about four months. this should be well-publicized and everyone should be able to re-up for free every four months. "every year, like the flu vaccine" is demonstrably not often enough. actually "for free" isn't good enough start handing out $10 gift cards you will be shocked at how many people who are resistant to the idea of vaccines will fold for $10 a shot

are there already laws on the books about masks in medical settings that some medical professionals are blatantly ignoring because they forgot what best practices were before the plague and they're 'tired of masking'? if not, pass laws. if so, fucking enforce them

oh another incentives for upgrades phasing into legal requirements thing: brass doorknobs and railings over stainless steel or whatever. microbes do not survive on brass surfaces

i mean. i know this one sounds too extreme to a lot of people but. UBI.

most if not all of these measures will prevent or ameliorate other pandemics of different diseases that may arise in the future. and just. generally improve our health and quality of life for other reasons.

I haven't felt safe to go to a concert since 2020. Maybe if I knew a venue was legally required to have ventilation to a certain standard and that none of the ticket takers and ushers were on the job sick to avoid risking loss of paycheck or job, and knew a larger percentage of the crowd had up to date vaccinations--maybe if any or all that, I might ever feel comfortable going to a show again.

wouldn't it be nice if those of us who have been disabled, by covid or other conditions, had accessible remote options but also occasionally felt safe enough to interact with and participate in wider society?

one of the arguments on the post I saw was how isolation was massively psychologically damaging and various strata of society were affected in all sorts of ways, from undersocialized kids to increased depression in--well across the board, I think. and here's the thing: WE KNOW. PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS, LONG COVID OR OTHERWISE, KNOW ISOLATION SUCKS REAL BAD. because we, both for our own health and due to disability ostracism, are still isolating and isolated more than most.

what are you as individuals or societies, what are our governments, doing to help make it safe and accessible to rejoin you????

[murphysletsdraw]

I wish life asked me to get good at literally anything other than Dealing With It

[potatoebrain]

The White Bread Recipe for planning yet another generic disability event

So you and your organization (school, university, place of employment, etc.) want to plan a generic disability support event? Wonderful! Make sure to follow the steps below for ensuring that it is as generic and undisruptive to systems of power as possible:

Start with an opening presentation of an extremely long PowerPoint which covers all of the essentials that you can then ignore for the rest of the event. You've probably heard words like ableism, intersectionality, equity, justice, maybe even colonialism or the 10 principles of disability justice? Design your slideshow like a checklist, making sure you define each of those terms, underscore their importance, and then move on from them for the rest of the event. Talking about neurodiversity later on, for instance? Make absolutely sure you do not return to intersectionality here, for instance.

Make sure to emphasize: Everyone is equal and faces equal oppression. Avoid by any means necessary talking about how conditions of oppression and injustice marginalize Black or trans disabled people while often privileging White disabled people within those same systems or institutions.

Remember: this is the one space where White people get to be the oppressed.

Under no circumstances may you ever mention or discuss principle 2 of disability justice - leadership of most impacted.

Make sure every presenter is a cis White woman. (A White cis man as keynote is the only exception here.)

Something something medical model always bad diagnosis bad.

Application should solely focus on individual responsibilities like joining next year's generic disability event (exactly the same as the first), or developing inclusive language. Inclusive language should be highly watered down and make sure to contradict the language severely disabled people use about themselves.

Have you followed each step above in planning your generic disability event? Congratulations! You get a gold star for DEI and can now return to your day job until the next annual generic disability event.

[justabunny]

PSA:

if someone who is using a mobility aid is trying to get on public transit first please just let them.

The other day I was trying to get on the public transit bus for my area, (which is primarily used for university students, but anyone can use it) and I usually stand at the front so I can be one of the first people to get on since I am a mobility aid user and use priority seating.

well, I was trying to get onto the bus and this guy tries to cut in infront of me and in the process bumps into me and makes me lose my balance and almost fall into other people.

if someone has a mobility aid usually it's safe to assume that they aren't the most stable on their feet, give them space and let them go first.

[majaurukalo]

Inaccessibility is discrimination and human rights violation.

[doomspaniels]

I've got to stop giving 110%, when 60% would accomplish the exact same thing without doing me damage.

[gayaest]

what does (msn) mean for autism?

“Level 1 - Level 2 - Level 3” in the DSM.

(LSN) Low-Support needs, (MSN) Middle-Support needs, (HSN) High-support needs.

I was in special ed my entire life, as well as discovering (others) I was autistic was very early on (Kindergarten). I’ve always needed extra support specific to my autism, more than LSN autistics need (which is not to say they do not need support — all autistics need some type of support, this is just to help others know how much).

MSN, means that I need substantial help in my day-to-day life to be able to stay alive and functioning. I need a daily caregiver, someone to help me bathe, clothe, food, clean, etc. I wasn’t able to work, go to school myself without some type of accommodations and help from an “aid” or caregiver. I would never have been able to live alone even if I wasn’t physically disabled, because I was always mentally disabled (Autistic).

I just happen to have become physically disabled as well. My old therapist said that Autistic individuals have a higher chance of developing auto-immune disorders and disabilities due to the way the brain and body are connected and work. Especially if that coincides with severe and ongoing trauma, which causes the nervous system to “break down” and immune system to become, well… less immune.

I hope this makes sense, I spent like, 45 minutes writing this to make sure it sounded right.