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image description: ten slides with a light blue background, rainbows, clouds and stars. text reads:

a note on "going nonverbal"

nonverbal refers to a permanent state of not talking. it means months, years, decades of no talking.

not being able to talk for a few minutes to hours at a time is not nonverbal. i don't want anyone to feel dismissed by saying this. not being able to talk is distressing. it is frustrating and scary. if not being able to talk for short periods is distressing, imagine how nonverbal people feel 24/7.

to quote one of my favorite movies "you keep using that word. i do not think it means what you think it means," the princess bride (1987).

when nonverbal people try to talk about their experiences, it is flooded with people talking about 'going nonverbal'. our voices get drowned out in our own community. it feels incredibly isolating and makes it really hard for us to be listened to or even find others who are nonverbal.

also, we have been saying this for YEARS. but every time we bring it up, y'all act like this is a new concept. that just tells me you have not meaningfully interacted with the nonverbal community, or the MSN/HSN community. it is not new, y'all just don't listen.

what to say instead of "going nonverbal". speech loss / losing speech / speech loss episode. vocal rest. verbal shutdown / vocal shutdown. words are offline. verbal loss. PS - vocal rest is GREAT if you don't want to mention why you can't speak, or have to mask. musicians say they are on vocal rest all the time to protect their voice before performing.

"But Chrome! that doesn't sound as serious as "going nonverbal!" people won't take you seriously either way, sorry. i have had periods of my life where i can talk sometimes and periods where i can't ever. they aren't going to take you seriously if you use our language because they don't take you seriously at all. because of the ableism.

"my therapist / SLP / doctor says 'going nonverbal, though -" that doesn't mean it's ok. professionals don't always listen to the people they are attempting to serve. they should, but they don't. because of the ableism. and racism, sexism, etc.

the autism community already has a problem with driving out higher support needs autistics, nonverbal autistics and especially autistic people of Color. you can be part of the solution. you can support marginalized autistic voices and make your community safer and more inclusive. but first you have to listen.

thank you for listening. i hope something good happens to you today!

with love, chrome.

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when jorge luis borges wrote in a copy of beowulf that he was working on translating, “beyond my anxiety, beyond this writing, the universe waits, inexhaustible, inviting.”

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Quote of the day

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sometimes reddit is good

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couldn’t stop thinking about this post

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young lady with a hearing aid 🍊🦻🏾 [ko-fi / prints]

[ID: a digital drawing of a black girl in profile from the neck up. Her hair is in many small braids, each ending in round yellow beads with green stems that resemble oranges. She has an orange-coloured over the ear hearing aid and a large earring shaped like an orange. end ID]

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[ image ID: the “I wish all a very pleasant” Bugs Bunny meme edited to say “I wish all LGBT+ folk who live in countries where pride is banned, illegal, or unwelcome, a very I love you, stay safe, happy pride.” Followed by a row of rainbow hearts. End ID ]

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Hi, I know this is off topic but my friend is trying to raise funds to get a visa to stay in the US and could really use some help. Their story and everything is here, and I know there are more pressing matters but if you or your followers could spare a few dollars I know it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-broke-ass-habibi-stay-in-the-us-legally

Artist's website is here: https://www.obadahaljefri.com

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I've been getting into captioning/image description lately and can't find this answer anywhere so I wanted to ask: how would I tag posts that are text-only, but use an inaccessible font? Would that also go under "undescribed"? Sorry if this has been asked before and I just didn't see it.

Hello!

Tags I have seen for this include “screenreader unfriendly” (or “screen reader unfriendly”) and/or possibly “eyestrain” if applicable. And then if you copy the text in an accessible format (no decorations and default font), this is called plaintext and could be tagged as such.

If anyone else knows how these are tagged, please comment below.

Thanks for the ask!

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[Image descriptions, copied from alt text:

A 10-panel digital comic drawn in black, red, and blue on a white background. Panel 1: a sketchy forearm and leg are show radiating marks that indicate pain. Surrounding are the words ‘You are not disabled under our rules. Your body may be in constant pain.

Panel 2: a sketch of a spine drawn to indicate scoliosis at the top, and one a humanoid figure at the bottom being pulled through a taffy press. Surrounding are the words ‘your back may bend in all the wrong ways and your muscles may feel like sunburned taffy in a press.’

Panel 3: sketches of the lower body of someone using a cane, a person with their head in their hands as if crying, a person laying in a bed under a blanket, a brain with radiating red emphasis marks, and a broken heart. Surrounding are the words ‘you may be too dizzy to stand or sit for more than a few minutes at a time. You may have chronic migraines and chronic fatigue and a chronic sadness from a childhood lacking love.’

Panel 4: sketches of a thyroid gland, a pair of eyes filled with red spirals in place of irises, a tired face with closed eyes and eye bags, and a wheelchair. Surrounding are the words ‘you may have a dysfunctional thyroid and dysautonomia. You may have to sleep more than you are awake and you may have to use a wheelchair or cane any time you are able to leave the house.’

Panel 5: a sketch of a sideways pill bottle is at the top of the page with different pills pouring from it down the rest of the page. Surrounding are the words ‘but aren’t you aware the medications you take to make your pain more bearable can also make you sleepier?’

Panel 6: a sketch of a person leaning against a counter with their head bent down and forward. Blue tears fall downward then turn red and pour into an open mouth like blood. Surrounding are the words ‘aren’t you aware that everyone wants an excuse to not do the dishes and your extreme back pain is laughable?’

Panel 7: a sketch of a smiling mouth with sharp teeth and dripping blood is at the bottom. Above and below are the words ‘aren’t you aware your life is expendable? Aren’t you aware that we don’t care about you at all?’ with the word ‘expendable’ written to look like a stamp.

Panel 8: sketches of bloody and scraped hands and a person struggling to crawl while crying. Surrounding are the words ‘you are able to work some; you are able to work more. Just adapt. Just push yourself more. Just break your body more.’

Panel 9: a hand reaching up as it is pulled down into darkness by black tendrils. Surrounding are the words ‘just be a good little number on a screen and stop screaming as we churn you through the system and beat you to a pulp.’

Panel 10: sketches of a man in a suit with hands together covered in blood, one of black demon eyes, and one of a royal crown topped with the USA social security administration logo. Surrounding are the words ‘this is because you are not disabled under our rule.’ \End description]

[OP plain text: I got denied for disability after waiting 2 ½ years for a response and the wording in the letter pissed me off. So I wrote a poem about it.

Image id in alt text

Poem transcript under the cut \End PT]

I got denied for disability after waiting 2 ½ years for a response and the wording in the letter pissed me off. So I wrote a poem about it.

Image id in alt text

Poem transcript under the cut

You are not disabled under our rules.

Your body may be in constant pain. 

Your back may bend in all the wrong ways and your muscles may feel like sunburned taffy in a press. 

You may be too dizzy to stand or sit for more than a few minutes at a time. 

You may have chronic migraines and chronic fatigue and a chronic sadness from a childhood lacking love. 

You may have a dysfunctional thyroid and dysautonomia. 

You may have to sleep more than you are awake and you may have to use a wheelchair or cane any time you are able to leave the house. 

But aren’t you aware the medications you take to make your pain more bearable can also make you sleepier? 

Aren’t you aware that everyone wants an excuse to not do the dishes and your extreme back pain is laughable? 

Aren’t you aware that your life is expendable? 

Aren’t you aware that we don’t care about you at all? 

You are able to work some; you are able to work more. 

Just adapt. 

Just push yourself more. 

Just break your body more.

Just be a good little number on a screen and stop screaming as we churn you through the system and beat you to a pulp. 

This is because you are not disabled under our rule.

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Don't fuck around with hardcore kink if you won't take it seriously.

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Seen today on walk peace and love on planet earth

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THIS

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here's a fake interview about my me & my girlfriend that i transcribed from my head. enjoy!

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Representation matters.

Happy Star Trek Day!

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List of Gaza fundraisers who have reached out to me recently. Links taken directly from the cited vetting spreadsheets.

Nazmy Aboouda

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-nazmy-fight-for-safety-and-health

€1124 of €10K target

vetted by GazaVetters #380

Areej Kassab

https://www.gofundme.com/f/emergency-aid-to-help-areejs-family-survive

$11,520 USD of $60K target

vetted by The Butterfly Project #355 (link)

Abedmajed Dirawi

https://chuffed.org/project/124058-help-abdelmajed-escape-gaza-and-rebuild-his-life

vetted by GazaVetters #537

Jehad Khaled

https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-save-khaled-and-nanas-family-in-gaza

$6,544 USD of $100K target

vetted by GazaVetters #523

Naser Atiya

https://chuffed.org/project/123822

vetted by GazaVetters #586

Ahmed

https://gofund.me/b7dcc15f

$25,340 USD of $75K target

vetted by GazaVetters #329

Marwa Nasla

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-build-girls-futures

£2,945 raised of £20K target

vetted by Bilal Sala7 #13

Noor Family

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=D6VF4AWMHHZQQ

vetted by GazaVetters #120

Links to vetting spreadsheets:

Gaza Vetters: link

The Butterfly Project: link

Bilal Sala7’s list: link