thesurfacetensionofbirds:

i think that people – and non-disabled people specifically – need to be more careful about how dismissive or judgemental they are about things people might do that seem “wasteful” or “buying into consumer culture” because there are lots of things that people do because they cannot “just make their own [whatever thing]” or do it a DIY way or even the cheapest way because doing so requires too much energy, too many kinds of skills (motor skills, planning skills, executive functioning in general, etc.) that someone might not have or might not have to spare on non-essential activities, etc. 

it especially sucks if the person wants to be able to do the thing in a cheaper/less consumer-based/more DIY way but actually just cannot. 

i think about this stuff a lot in trying to figure out some of the tensions between anti-capitalism and disability stuff. i’m against capitalism, i try to be really aware of (corporate) consumer culture, etc etc. but, i also am frequently really low on spoons, i struggle with certain kinds of “activities of daily living,” and i also have a really hard time planning and following through on most kinds of projects (which makes a lot of DIY stuff really difficult to do). 

example: i am bad at flossing my teeth. part of this is because i am bad at remembering to do it – though, i am also really sensitive to the feeling of food stuck in my teeth so that is usually how i get reminded. but, even when i really want to use floss to help with the bad sensory mouth feeling, i often cannot make myself do it because – wait for it – i don’t really know how. i’ve been “taught” many times, i’ve read about it on the internet, i mostly understand how one flosses…in theory. however, in practice, i struggle to figure out how to position the floss on my fingers, i can never figure out how to floss my back teeth, sometimes i get confused about how mirrors work and struggle to get the floss between my teeth because i’m going in the wrong direction. i’ve also injured myself flossing by doing it incorrectly and cutting my gums. also, i often cannot handle the sensory aspects of sticking my fingers in my mouth and dealing with slimy-feeling floss. 

but, i know that flossing is generally considered good for one’s oral hygiene.  i know that flossing can help prevent future tooth problems, making it cheaper and less of a complicated thing to deal with in the long term (i say *can* versus *does* because for some people tooth problems are genetic or due to certain health conditions, etc. so stuff like flossing will not automatically mean you have no dental issues…).  and, as mentioned above, i often *want* to floss as a way to help manage sensory stuff.

so, after debating about whether it was “too wasteful” as a thing, i finally just decided to buy those pre-threaded plastic floss pick things. and…i have actually been able to floss my teeth somewhat consistently since i got them. i have been rinsing them off when using them so that i can use them for more than just one or two teeth (apparently you are theoretically only supposed to use it once but that seems incredibly wasteful and also really expensive because you would go through a pack of 90 floss picks in like 3 days). 

another example: i keep wanting to make popsicles, but keep failing at doing so because for some reason it’s become some kind of executive dysfunction block and even though i know the steps go something like: 

1. wash popsicle tray thing

 2. buy juice

3. pour juice into popsicle tray thing

4. put tray thing in freezer

i am having a hard time making that happen. i even have juice! and the popsicle tray thing (actually i have several because i really really like popsicles and i like popsicle trays because they are fun shapes and pretty colours)!

but, for some reason this summer it has so far been too hard for me to figure out how to make my own popsicles. also there’s the part where i am literally not capable of pouring juice into the popsicle tray thing or transporting the popsicle tray thing without spilling juice all over the kitchen, so “making popsicles” for me also inevitably includes cleaning several parts of my kitchen (which involves a whole other set of motor, planning, and general executive functioning skills). 

so, recently when juice boxes were on sale at one of the grocery stores near my house, i bought some juice boxes and put them in the freezer. instant popsicles! cutting the top off the juice box is a little bit difficult for me and i do still make a bit of a mess, but if i can remember to do the thing over the sink, it’s a relatively mess-free endeavour. 

i don’t buy juice boxes very frequently at all. i know they are “wasteful” and have lots of packaging and ultimately are almost always more expensive than buying a big thing of juice. but, they are also convenient and don’t involve pouring juice out of a container and have meant that i can make popsicles without making a giant mess, giving up on doing so because i don’t have the energy, or having to ask for help from someone (yes, i know there’s nothing wrong with asking for help and yes i want to promote ways of normalizing asking for and providing help – but also ableism exists as does internalized ableism and sometimes i feel like a fucking helpless child for needing to ask a date or a friend to help me make some goddam popsicles). 

tl;dr: there are lots of reasons why disabled folks might not be able to do stuff the more “Do It Yourself” (DIY) or homemade ways, and lots of reasons why people might choose (or not even really have a choice) to buy something instead of making it (even if the thing is more expensive than making it oneself). making things and DIY things often involve a lot of time, energy, and functioning skills that disabled people may not have or may need to save to use on other things. this is important to take into consideration – especially by non-disabled people.