Tag: disability

PSA

bioillogically:

if you’re living in the united states and have a formal disability diagnosis—including autism spectrum disorder and maybe even ptsd—you’re likely eligible to open an ABLE Account.

it’s a tax-advantaged savings account that is also exempt from means-testing, meaning that anything you put in there can’t be counted against you for medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or SSDI.

you can pay for a lot out of an ABLE account, including basic living expenses (rent, utilities, transportation), medical expenses (whether or not they’re related to your disability), and education expenses. this account is likely going to enable me to pay for my own grs. please look into it!

floozycaucus:

Saying that a disabled child or adult “will never live independently” is such a slap in the face. I think it’s unacceptable and I think it’s lazy. No one will ever live independently! No one is living independent of medical care, emotional support, and goods/services provided by others. Humans are a deeply interdependent species. Disabled people are sometimes rendered ~dependent~ specifically on a state or family apparatus in a way that makes them vulnerable to abuse or exploitation, but this isn’t the only way to experience “”dependency.”“

Some people are just told that they are “independent” because their lives and needs are normalized to such an extent that the enormous amount of support they receive is invisible.

unlimitedtrashworks:

the-daughters-of-eve:

atalantapendrag:

squidsqueen:

ladydrace:

Has anyone else noticed how, when you have a chronic condition of some kind, that there’s always the basic assumption from people around you that you’re not already doing everything you can?

It’s all about the illusion of control. People who are healthy like to believe they can always keep being healthy if they do the right things. They don’t want to think about how good people get struck with terrible circumstances for no reason.
So they keep assuming that if they got sick, they could do something to make it better.
And if you’re still sick, that must mean you’ve done something wrong or not done enough.

Nail. Head. The same attitude can be seen in how a lot of people talk about poverty.

And sexual assault. All they have to do is not go there not drink that not wear that not date them and they’ll be fine, right?

The Just World theory – that as long as I do everything right, I’m safe, and everybody who isn’t safe is at fault for not doing everything right – is perhaps the most harmful and widespread mindset today

if you ever see a conservative and wonder just how in the world they have so little compassion?  they are genuinely convinced that most – not all, but most – bad things that happen are the fault of the person affected, because then they don’t have to feel bad

somebody explaining this to me as a young adult was, quite literally, the start of me seeing the world in a new way and moving considerably to the left politically. by letting go of the just world mindset my conception of reality shifted considerably

lyrslair:

perksofbeingdisabled:

whatshehassaid:

Say it with me: people on disability deserve the equal amount as a full time wage 👏

Damn. Yes we do but I already hear coming the counter arguments in my head. That’s what happens when a brain (in this case, mine) was trained to see human worth through the eyes of workforce and economical value.

Fuck capitalism. YES, WE DO!

Edit upon suggestion of @androiddaydreams : TBH WE DESERVE MORE BECAUSE DISABILITY IS EXPENSIVE AS FUCK

I mean, the standard argument is that disabled people “can’t do as much” right? Well, I am gonna tell you I’ve had plenty of abled coworkers whose only fucking skill seemed to be avoiding work at all costs and you know what? They got paid full wages. So don’t ever let those assholes tell you your work is somehow worth less. That’s a fat load of crap and they know it, it just profits them to sell you that line of bullshit.

This is so true. My sister is abled and she does her work more efficiently than some of her co workers who half ass their job and they still get paid more. I think something about them being there longer from what I remember her saying.

darklingdawns:

bisexualpiratequeen:

bisexualpiratequeen:

Disability benefits should be the equivalent of a full time job on living wage. Things don’t cost less because you’re disabled – in fact you often have additional costs of living. You shouldn’t be forced into poverty because you are disabled.

Before anyone comes in with ’ but then ppl would lie so they didn’t have to work!’

Two responses

Universal basic income + better wages is the way forward

Who fucking cares? Not me. This insistence that ppl lie to get benefits and as a result benefits should be a fucking pittance that it’s humiliating to apply for just fucks over disabled people and is inhumane

Trust me, if I COULD work, I WOULD. Anyone who thinks that people would lie ‘so they didn’t have to work’ has forgotten what it’s like not to work for an extended period of time. Think back to the last time you were out of work – whether it was because you got laid off, because you quit, went back to school, health reasons, whatever. Yeah, sure, maybe at first there was a part of your brain that went ‘hey, nice to not get up at the crack of dawn’ but how long did it take for the depression to set in? How long before you started to go stir crazy because YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO?!? How long before you had to field that first ‘so what do you do?’ question and give your first fumbling answer afterwards? How long before you lost contact, little by little, with your social circle that had basically all been built at work?

The thing is, we live in a society where what you DO is largely who you ARE. So when you don’t have an occupation, you’re left floundering to figure out how to answer the question of who that makes you. Now. To all of those issues above, add in health problems, unrelenting pain, fatigue, and the judgment of society, friends, family, and doctors that says that ‘you’re just not trying hard enough’ to get past all of it when you CAN’T GET THE FUCK OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING.

And then tell me why the hell ANYONE sane would lie about being disabled.

If You’re Gonna Make Something Wheelchair Accessible, Don’t Make it a Thing

etherealastraea:

literaryfurball:

urbancripple:

Here’s some examples awkward accessibility being a thing:

Your at a hotel that has a lift to get you from one sub-floor to another, but the lift can only be unlocked and operated by one specific person that the hotel now has to go find. Sure, they’ve made the entrance to the sub-floor is accessible, but now it’s a thing.

The buses are wheelchair accessible but the driver has to stop the bus, take 30 seconds to lower the goddamn ramp, move passengers out of their seats, hook up the straps and then secure you in the bus. Sure, they’ve made the busses accessible but now it’s a thing.

The restaurant has an accessible entrance, but it’s past the trash room and through the kitchen. Sure, the restaurant is accessible, but now it’s an insulting thing.

Here’s some great examples of accessibility not being a thing:

The train to the airport pulls up flush with the platform. I board with everyone else and sit wherever the fuck I want. Riding the train is accessible and not a thing.

In Portland, I press a button the side of the streetcar and a ramp automatically extends at the same time the door opens. I board in the same amount of time as everyone else. This is not a thing.

I get that it is difficult to design for wheelchair accessibility, but folks need to start considering the overall quality of the experience versus just thinking about meeting the minimum requirements.

For the love of all things holy please pay attention to this

This is why universal design is so important. I had a great class that focuses on applying universal design aspects of architecture into teaching. Accessibility ideally should be integral to the design in the first place, not added on as an after thought.

Dwarfism awareness – thoughts on doing right by adult little people

jezunya:

kk-maker:

twerkcircus:

realsocialskills:

I wrote this post for Dwarfism Awareness Month (which was in October) in collaboration with a friend who is a little person. It wasn’t ready until now, so I am posting it now.

Here are some things worth knowing:

Adult little people are adults, but people often treat them


I agree w/ a lot of this but my house is still my house for me to live in and I’m not going to keep everything super low on the doors/walls/shelves bc of a slim chance that one little person might enter my house one day? Like if I have a friend then of course I’ll help them but I’m still not going to redesign my house by putting latches low on doors and keeping everything low on the shelves because I live there, not them

People should know what potential pitfalls are. ‘Here are accessibility issues you should be aware of’ and ‘common obstacles/attitudes that suck for little people’ doesn’t mean ‘rearrange your entire house immediately’. It means ‘have some sensitivity’. 

If you’re going to build or decorate a living space, then take care not to install obstacles. If you’re arranging a group meet-up somewhere, mention accessibility concerns. If you’re having guests, let them know they can ask you to help with accommodations they might need. If a group is disrespectful of someone else, don’t join in or let it slide.

Yes this ^

It’s also important to note that accessibility standards mentioned by the OP are generally about *public* spaces (bars, restaurants, shops, work places, government buildings, schools, parks, sidewalks, hotels, etc.) and only apply to private spaces (your home) when someone who needs those accommodations is frequently there (they live there or they come over a lot). To use myself as an example, I have a physical disability that prevents me from climbing stairs, but I can’t expect my friends not to live in their walk-up third floor apartments; we just make sure to not schedule gatherings there, and instead at places I can reach, with ground floor access, ramps, close parking, elevators, etc.

No one is saying that you have to shelve things down low or lower all the doorknobs in your home if you don’t even know any little people or anyone in a wheelchair or anyone with other height-related needs (though it would also be worth talking about how hard it is for disabled people of all stripes to find housing because almost any house you look at is designed for average-sized, able-bodied, healthy people). We’re talking about public spaces here, which, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (federal law, icydk), are supposed to be equally accessible for everyone and are supposed to provide accommodations for people with widely varying needs and levels of ability. Many public spaces *aren’t* accessible, though, in a multitude of ways, beyond just widespread bigoted, ableist attitudes, which is why we’re having this discussion in the first place.

Dwarfism awareness – thoughts on doing right by adult little people

spoonless-sunflower:

impotsiblelife:

Chronically ill young adult problems #10

Choosing a career path is a lot more complicated when you’re chronically ill. You have to consider your symptoms and physical limitations when choosing a job or major as well as your passions and interests. Some jobs may be too physically demanding for you, and some courses of study may be too mentally draining. As much as you don’t want your chronic illness to hold you back, you have to be realistic about what you can and can’t do for the sake of your health. 

And when you try to explain that to others, you have to listen to them tell you to “overcome your disablity.”

thatsexyspoonie:

“I wish mental illness was taken as seriously as physical illness!”

Okay, but what makes people think physical/chronic illnesses are taken seriously?

So true. See this is why I had to suffer through PE all through 9th grade and then with my mental health.. The adults and counselors were no help at all, rather who all accussed me of making stuff up as an excuse to skip school and threatning my mother with jail because I was absent a lot. Not to mention I couldn’t get help from doctors because each and every one of them would say I was perfectly fine and healthy.

Heck, I went to see a psychologist one time and they literally told my mother I was fine and like all the other kids my age. I was probably faking or something. Yeah, that’s why I felt sick to my stomach every day and felt more horrible and depressed as time passed. It was just pure hell.

One time I also went to see the counselor, because they said I could anytime I felt sick, and I just sat there awkwardly and they completley ignored me. They didn’t even acknowledge my presence at all. My mother even asked I be homeschooled, since the school had such a program. They refused to give it to me.

I had no idea what was wrong with me. I always felt sick everyday and struggled going to school. I hated the fact that despite all my absences, I still got high marks, while others who went everyday, wasted their time and got F’s.

It got to the point where the school made me sign a contract where I would be absent no more. I didn’t get my voice heard at all. I was ignored and shut down. I felt no one cared about me at all. I was silently suffering, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

It’s why I contemplated suicide. I would cry every single day and just didn’t want to live anymore. And I’ve never told anyone, but one time I grabbed a knife and just stared at myself in the bathroom. At most, I just self harmed, never enough to leave permanent marks, but I just wanted the pain to go away.

I honestly, don’t know how I got myself out of that hell. Because no one helped me, but myself.

And today, I finally know what I was suffering from – post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and agoraphobia that were causing hellish physical symptoms.

Experiences like my own are why mental health and awareness of disability (I am legally disabled) are so imoortant! Even today I still struggle with discrimination and an ableist world, just because ‘I don’t look disabled’. I left that shitty school and got myself enrolled in an amazing online high school, graduated, and earned my high school diploma. And today, while I still struggle going to a school on campus because of that horrible experience that just added to my fear and anxiety, I take college courses, via online. Been getting nearly straight A’s.

Again, living in a ableist world is not easy, but I am at least in a so much better place than I was all those years ago.