“Miso Kwak’s attempts to vote in Tuesday’s primary election turned into a…morass as L.A. County voting machines designed to help blind voters repeatedly failed to work at one polling station after another — thwarting Kwak and… poll workers alike.”
“There’s no reason that accessibility and environmentalism have to be in conflict, but we may have to be a little more creative instead of imposing paternalistic bans.“
I’m confused. Biodegradable straws that are otherwise indistinguishable from regular plastic exist; why is this still a thing?
A lot of the biodegradable options can’t be used for different reasons.
Also, as mentioned in the article, besides being relatively expensive? the biodegradable plasticky types may pose a problem for people with food allergies/celiac. Those materials tend to be made from starch, which could be bad with the number of people who can’t handle corn or wheat. (Depending on what’s the cheapest source where they’re made.)
Dealing with celiac, I would really hesitate to use starch-based biodegradables around food.
not to sound glib but it’s important to support “ugly” cripples, too. those of us who can’t or don’t want to dress up, do makeup, etc. those of us who aren’t conventionally attractive. those of us who don’t have an “aesthetic”
it’s easy to ooo and aah over disabled people who also model, who have perfect makeup all the time, who have a congruent aesthetic all the time- but able bodied people need to also give the same support too those of us who don’t always “look 100%.”
it’s not just with disability, either. conventionally attractive people are always recived better.
also don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a knock on anybody, it’s a knock on a society that thinks beauty = value. but that’s not that fault of any one person!
somebody who doesn’t have on good makeup, who isn’t dressed up- that person is just as valuable as a model.
Not just “not conventionally attractive” either. People with food stains, skin conditions, drool, ratty old clothes, unusually shaped faces or bodies. People who clearly haven’t shaved or had their hair cut or washed in a while. People who stim or don’t make eye contact or speak with a lisp or stutter or not at all. And people who are very fat, and other things that aren’t coming to mind right now.
Not all of us can manage “normal”, let alone dressed up. And the ones who can’t are usually the ones most in need of support.
(I usually can manage “normal”, albeit with a lot of energy I’d rather spend elsewhere. But I know what a difference it makes to how I get treated. This also ties in with gender presentation, race etc)
I remember one time I went for a psych evaluation, and the doctor was utterly sure I had severe depression and anxiety… Right up until she figured out I was multiply disabled and my answers to those questions were firmly based in reality, and statistics backed up my concerns to the point that it was a little unreasonable that I wasn’t more worried about it.
Which is to say, here’s your reminder that certain kinds of psych testing are explicitly inapplicable to physically disabled and chronically ill people, and if you have an invisible disability, it’s worth reminding your shrink.
“With these reductions in services, families will struggle to care for children and adults with disabilities who will have fewer opportunities for employment and education, and as a result, it will be harder for them to remain free of institutions.”
Antichoice propaganda about aborting disabled fetuses–for example, the “there arent any babies born with down syndrome in Iceland anymore!” myth–arent about giving a shit about disabled people, it’s about spreading the idea that women are so inherently evil, vicious, and selfish that only the law would stop us from gleefully murdering every single baby we feel would be slightly inconvenient. That’s it, antichoicers don’t give a single hot shit about the dignity and well-being of disabled people, and they and their arguments should not be dignified as if they do.
For God’s sake, look at how many people in antichoice movements (particularly in the US) also vehemently oppose universal healthcare and support for disabled people. On top of that, look at how antichoice propaganda does treat disabled people–it often focuses on the mother, and how she’s such a saintly, properly feminine martyr for suffering through caring for her Trouble Baby (unlike all those evil slags who’d cut a baby’s throat if it so much as broke a bone).
hey before you call something wheelchair accessible just go ahead and invite a wheelchair user or two over because I almost guarantee you that an able-bodied person is not capable of guessing what is accessible without having ever used a wheelchair solo before
some but not all cool things nobody ever thinks of:
put hand sanitizer or a sink in the accessible bathroom stall, or alcohol wipes outside of it. people who cannot use their legs have to use unwashed hands to roll to the sink, and people who can use their legs are afraid to walk out of stalls because they get harassed and even assaulted.
enough space for wheelchair in doorway…AND ARMS. HOW DO YOU THINK THE WHEELCHAIR MOVES! if I cannot roll through it without scraping my arms it is not accessible
brick paths suck the end
gravel paths suck. make it smooth
a ramp is not accessible if it is too steep. not every wheelchair user is ripped enough or capable of using muscles enough to propel themselves up a steep angle safely. some wheelchair users have heart issues. you want heart attacks? this is how you get them
perfect 90 degree turns suck and are often impossible to turn through
some wheelchairs have foot rests. account for them
wheelchair accessible means wheelchair accessible while alone. if you expect someone to have to be helped out to use your facility, that is not acceptable or accessible
yeah
also pay them. this is called an “accessibility audit.” it’s work and they deserve to be paid for it
do u ever feel like you’ve accidentally tricked certain people into thinking you are smarter and have more potential than you actually do and do you ever think about how disappointed they’ll be when you inevitably crash and burn
Fun fact: Impostor Syndrome is ridiculously common among high-achievers, particularly women. If you identify with this post, odds are pretty good that you’re exactly as smart as people think you are, and the failure you’re afraid of isn’t inevitable at all.
and don’t forget this is one of the psychological barriers placed in by thousands years of patriarchy and male supremacy.
My computer science professor actually talked about this on the first day, it was really cool.
Fun brutal fact: in addition to the existence of imposter syndrome, being “twice exceptional” (also known as 2e) is also a thing. That means being intellectually gifted AND ALSO having a disability that affects your ability to succeed at study or work. Such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, etc etc etc. A lot of people believe that it’s not possible to be both, but it very much is.
Society tends to have very high expectations for how well gifted people will perform. Society tends to have low expectations for how well disabled people will perform. Society tends to attribute invisible disabilities, including mental illness, to a failure of willpower or effort or a bad attitude.
So if you read this post and went “no, but seriously, this is not just low self esteem on my part, people keep thinking I’m smart and then I keep crashing and burning and disappointing them and they can’t understand why I didn’t live up to their expectations, it happens again and again and when I tell someone how I feel and ask for help, they just tell me to stop being so hard on myself and that I’ll succeed if I have more self-confidence,” it is not just you.
(Also, one of the previous posts in this thread buried the lede a little. Imposter syndrome is ridiculously common in people from underrepresented groups in academia and other high pressure/high status fields, particularly women and people of colour. Maya Angelou did not only feel out of place because she was a woman.)
This essay also totally changed my view on the intersection of impostor syndrome and mental illness.
“Excuse me,” I say. “I have a class in quantum mechanics in half an hour. How do I get to the physics building?”
“Oh,” the registrar says, “that’s easy. You just need to take a right here, and then to get into the building you jump fifty feet into the air.”
“…I can’t do that.”
“Are you sure? Have you tried?”
“I’ve tried jumping before, yes–”
“And you jumped higher when you tried harder, right?”
“Well, yes–”
“So are you really sure you don’t just need to try even harder?”
“Look, I don’t know exactly how high is the most I can jump, but I promise you, no matter how hard I try, I am not going to jump fifty feet in the air. I literally can’t.”
“Excuse me,” I say. “How do I get to the physics building?”
“Oh, that’s easy. You just need to levitate to reach the door.”
“…I can’t do that.”
“Have you tried?”
“That is not a capability I have. There is no action I can take which would even constitute trying. I literally cannot levitate.”
“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”
“It’s right down this path. But the mad science building does give off some fumes, so you will need to hold your breath for ten minutes on the way there.”
“…I can’t do that.”
“Have you tried?”
“Sure. I can only hold my breath for, like, two minutes maximum before I have to start breathing again.”
“You know, you say you have to, but it seems more like you just get uncomfortable and choose to start breathing again. I think you just need to learn to put up with a little discomfort.”
“…that’s not really–”
“Are you saying that you can’t grit your teeth and put up with the discomfort and keep holding your breath when you want to stop?”
“–I mean, yes, I can do that, but–”
“So what’s the problem? Sometimes people have to do things they don’t like. That’s not the same as not being able to do them.”
“I literally cannot hold my breath for ten minutes!”
“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”
“It’s right across that tightrope.”
“…I can’t walk a tightrope.”
“You’re being ridiculous. Look at that girl walking it right now. Which of the things that she’s doing are you unable to do?”
“…walk … a …. tightrope?”
“Are you saying that you can’t put one foot in front of another?”
“Walking a tightrope involves balancing!”
“Oh, so you’re saying you can’t shift your weight from one side to the other?”
“I’m saying I literally cannot walk a tightrope!”
“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”
“It’s just through that pit of ravenous crocodiles.”
“…I can’t get through a pit of ravenous crocodiles.”
“I saw you do it just the other day!”
“Right, yes, when I tripped and fell into the pit of ravenous crocodiles, I did manage to sprint across to the ladder and climb out without getting eaten–”
“So you admit you can do it.”
“I did it once.”
“Is there some reason that you won’t be able to do it next time?”
“I might be able to do it next time! I don’t know for sure! But my physics class meets three times a week, I’m going to get eaten by the end of adds-drops! I cannot cross a pit of ravenous crocodiles!”
“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”
“Through the field of eternal fire.”
“…I can’t cross the field of eternal fire.”
“Really? Are you sure you don’t just need to try harder?”
“I am pretty sure I can’t cross the field of eternal fire, yes.”
“I bet if you really wanted to you could. What if the world depended on you crossing it?”
“…if the world depended on me crossing it, I would try, but I would end up covered in third-degree burns and with my feet burned off and on fire and dying.”
“So you admit you can cross it.”
“No! I cannot cross the field of eternal fire!”
“Excuse me. How do I get to the physics building?”
“It’s right across the street.”
“The gate’s locked.”
“Yeah, you just need to unlock it.”
“…I can’t.”
“All you need to do is push buttons. You’re perfectly capable of pushing buttons.”
“I don’t know the combination! I cannot unlock the gate!”
This is exactly what being disabled is like.
Add in the part where you’re inconveniencing everyone else and/or having someone get aggressive/abusive with you…
The Medicaid Expansion increased health coverage for people experiencing homelessness. Autistic people are statistically far likelier to experience homelessness. Work requirement proposals may destroy those coverage gains.
Urocyon's Jaunts 2.0 
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