ozzist

[ozzist]

you don’t have to try and convince intellectually disabled people that they 1) aren’t actually intellectually disabled, or 2) are actually very intelligent for someone with ID to tell them that they’re worth something

btw

[ozzist]

existing on the internet being intellectually disabled is so annoying

people saying youre fake because youre on the internet

people believing you but then being angry when you have symptoms of being intellectually disabled (like how i act when im angry)

people telling you if you can use person first or identity first (i dont care about words i want people to stop treating me like an animal)

people saying theyre ‘trans intellectually disabled’

people saying the r slur

autistic people saying they can reclaim the r slur

people you follow and like suddenly being really ableist towards people like you

people excluding you or saying people are stupid then saying ‘oh i didnt mean intellectually disabled people’ because we’re not default people to them that exist. people dont even think about us

people using the word intellectual all the time when they dont need you to it excludes you from things because youre not ‘an intellectual’

people saying theyre questioning a severe genetic disorder that always causes severe or profound intellectual disability and would be obvious they had

people acting like genetic and chromosomal intellectual disability is a different ‘type’ of intellectual disability to other causes and trying to seperate you

people using long complicated words and long complicated paragraphs then saying oh just get your carer to read it to you when the multiple people that support me including my carers dont always have time to do that and sometimes they dont know how because they dont understand whats being said! and im not patient enough!

people making every single post you make about autism especially low support needs and level 1 autism

people saying (other disability) is intellectual disability or that intellectual disability is a category and not listening when you say its not

people not listening when you explain that in the UK learning disability is one disability and dyslexia dyscalculia etc are ‘learning difficulties’

people getting mad at ME for saying theyre learning difficulties when im not in charge of what disabilities are called! no one has ever asked me to pick the name of a disability!

people arguing over if we can be called smart or if we should be called stupid but in a ‘good�� way

people not understanding that complex topics really are too complex and not all of us can just learn things or have them made accessible to us

people not understanding that some of us might never understand certain concepts no matter how its broken down or explained

people continuously trying to explain things to you after you communicate that it cannot be explained in a way that helps you understand - and then stressing you out because they wont stop!

people getting mad at you because you dont have skills they have (this includes some ID people who have done this to me)

people not understanding that my brain does not register context and every single interaction is isolated to me and based on what direct words are being said

people acting like their concussion or mild TBI or whatever else is the same as intellectual disability, then getting mad at you for your intellectual disability

‘well i work with intellectually disabled children and…’

and the worst worst worst one, people not shutting the fuck up sometimes! sometimes you just need to shut the fuck up!

i could keep listing things for days

people are horrible to me, then surprised i cant cope, then horrible to me for not being able to cope, all while they say im not ID, and then when my family steps in to help theyre surprised i need it. it doesnt make any sense at all

I AM INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED. DO NOT REBLOG THIS POST WITH BIG AMOUNTS OF COMPLEX TEXT. THIS POST IS INTENDED TO BE ACCESSIBLE. MAKE YOUR REBLOGS EASY TO READ. DO NOT MAKE MY OWN POST INACCESSIBLE TO ME.

[ozzist]

When you can’t show what you know, people assume you just don’t know anything.

At least that’s how it works for most autistic kids who can’t speak, or can’t control their bodies as much as they’d like to, or can’t answer things “fast enough,” and so on. Because the people who give the tests really don’t want to entertain the idea that their tests might just be garbage sometimes.

Non-speakers who have gained access to communication later in life all tell a similar story: that they experience a mind-body disconnect that makes it hard for them to control their own bodies. That means that they struggle to perform tasks on command, whether it comes from other people or their own minds, and that their bodies will just do things that the person didn’t even mean to do.

And despite the growing number of people who are able to share these stories, most of the People In ChargeTM are still operating under the assumption that if you can’t answer a question or follow an instruction correctly, it’s because you didn’t understand it.

Which means that kids who can’t show what they know because their bodies won’t cooperate are assumed to just not know anything.

Which means they never get to move to the next level of education.

Which means there are millions of children who languish in educational settings that are not academically challenging enough for them- because the problem they have with their bodies is assumed to be a problem with their mind.

But the inaccessibility of assessments is the problem here. As well as the assumptions people make about those who are thought of as “low functioning.” As well as the fact that the majority of autistic kids who can’t speak are still not given alternative means of communication soon enough, if at all.

We can do better. Presume competence. Treat communication like a basic human NEED and a RIGHT, not an optional privilege to be earned. And believe the people who keep telling us as soon as they can, “It’s our bodies, not our minds!”

NOTE: I’ve been wanting to do something on this for a while, and this particular cartoon came together a couple weeks ago while I was listening to “Ido in Autismland” by Ido Kidar. Please do check it out, along with the work of other non-speakers, to learn more about this experience from the people who actually live it. 

https://www.amazon.com/Ido-Autismland-Climbing-Autisms-Silent/dp/0988324709

https://www.amazon.com/Autistic-Boy-Unruly-Body-Autism/dp/B0B7XF3CVT

https://neuroclastic.com/directory-of-nonspeaker-pages-blogs-media/

[ozzist]

I wish I did not have to show my screen to people, but so many places are loud, too loud to hear me ( my talker ). I want a speaker so bad, but can not afford it right now. I am more okay with showing my screen than I was, but I still want the " give me choices. " I want to be able to choose to share or not share my screen. with too many eyes on my screen, I feel anxious. everything is there to see. I deserve to talk too, with what I am thinking private until I am ready.

( this is about augmentative and alternative communication )

[ozzist]

i made this instagram post !!! there isn't as big of a community of AAC users on instagram so I thought I would share this on my instagram (@cytochromesea).

EDIT: i got an ask that states that not everyone knows what AAC is which is an oversight on my part, it stands for alternative and augmentative communication!

Image ID:

A light blue background with a rainbow and a cloud and some stars. There is a blue border collie with wings holding an aac tablet that says I love you! Text reads: AAC etiquette. Do’s, Don’ts, and other stuff. By cytochrome sea.

The same background appears in every following slide. Text reads:

AAC is my voice! It is not a toy or accessory

Don’t touch my AAC without my permission

Don’t take my AAC away from me, for any reason (joke, punishment, etc)

Don’t press buttons randomly or flip through my communication cards without permission

How would you like it if I randomly poked you on the mouth and throat (or on your hands if you sign)? It would be unpleasant, so don’t do that to me

Some AAC users can speak sometimes. It is not your business why someone can or cannot talk

Don’t ask questions about why an AAC user cannot speak. 

Do let us communicate however is best for us in that moment

Don’t ask us if or when we will be able to speak verbally. It’s not your business 

Do not value verbal speech more highly than AAC. Any communication is good communication

Some of us never talk, either, and that’s ok! Those of us who can talk sometimes are not better than those of us who can’t. None of us owe you an explanation for our use of AAC.

Don’t look at my screen until I show you. It feels really invasive!

It feels like when someone is looking at your phone screen over your shoulder, so please don’t do this

This applies to low tech AAC as well, don’t look at someone’s cards or letter board until they show you

You have the dignity of forming your thoughts in your head before you say them, whereas my thoughts are all on display. Please afford me the same dignity that you get automatically.

Don’t shame someone for not being able to speak verbally. It makes us feel horrible

We are real people with thoughts and feelings. Please treat us with kindness. 

We are trying our best

Don’t shame someone if their device mispronounces a word. It’s quite literally out of our control.

Other Don’ts. Don’t

Don't Treat an AAC user as childish or stupid for not being able to speak. Our ability to speak does not define our worth

Don't Show frustration at the way someone communicates

Don't Make comments about how fast or slow we communicate

Also don’t…

don't Act surprised when we swear or talk about adult topics like sex, drugs, or violence. We are not pure uwu precious smol beans, we are normal fucking people

don't Assume what is “wrong” with us. There are about a hundred reasons for someone to use AAC and you probably aren’t the expert in any of them.

“OK, so what CAN i do?” im glad you asked! When interacting with an AAC user, DO…

Ask us how we prefer to communicate and support us as you are able

Assume that we are competent

Talk to us with the same respect, tone and vocabulary that you would for any one else

Give us money (this one is a joke)

Understand that AAC grammar isn’t perfect and we are doing our best

Is it rude if…

I can’t understand your device? Not rude! Misunderstandings happen all the time in any conversation, just be patient as you would normally. 

I want to complement your AAC? Not rude!

I ask to see your AAC and understand how it works? This isn’t rude if you are already talking about AAC, but don’t ask random strangers this. They don’t owe you an AAC tour. 

Thank you for listening! This post is for the community! If you are an AAC user, let me know if I missed something in the comments and I will pin it! I hope you are filled with peace and love and I hope something good happens to you today! End ID. 

[ozzist]

Introduction !!

⌗ My name is Ozzy and I mostly use the pronouns he/him

⌗ I am 19 years old physically

⌗ I am diagnosed with multiple conditions

⌗ I want to use this blog to meet more ppl like me and to practice my AAC

More about me :

I am diagnosed with level 2-3 autism (low masking), an IDD, severe dyspraxia, severe asthma and some other things like schizotypal personality disorder. I had a stroke three years ago and partially lost the use of the left part of my body so I often use my cane. I also suffer from a autoimmune disorder, which makes my immune system and my heart really weak. I am low verbal, I can only speak using a few words most of the time. My caretakers are my mom and one other carer. They have access to my social media accounts to keep me safe. (Hello)

I’m sorry if some sentences are oddly worded, I have a lot of difficulty with writing in general so I’ll often uses short sentences or weirdly written sentences. IRL I use Proloquo2Go to communicate, and my doctors recommended me to practice it more.

Boundaries :

⌗ please be patient if I don’t answer, it’s really hard for me to socialize

�� if u want to see my diagnosis u can ask for it (any)

⌗ i may seem slow but please don’t infantilize me

⌗ all questions are okay and I’ll love to answer

⌗ i do not support radqueers, transIDs, transphobics, etc

Notes :

I’ll mostly use this account to reblog things about AAC, for myself and to share my daily life if I have the courage to. And if I say something inappropriate or offensive please tell me.

Remember that you matter.