#i also don't know how to include ids that aren't just visually very grating and detract from the humour of the meme

[thatswhatsushesaid]

also to be clear, there are also disabilities that can impact your ability to think and read critically! if the letters keep getting switched around on you while you're trying to read a sentence, of course you're going to have a harder time reading large or dense paragraphs. but, as with my probable dyscalculia, what this means is that thinking and reading critically may just be more difficult for someone to do with dyslexia--not that they can't do it at all. like, i figured out why that joke was funny; i just needed some help to do it. comprehension of the joke, like comprehension of complex themes acquired through reading, is not the problem.

critical reading and critical thinking are skills that you develop through practice and repetition. you can strengthen these muscles and become better at it over time.

don't ever let anyone tell you that your disability means you simply "aren't meant" to understand certain things. in fact, i'd go so far as to say that whoever is telling you that probably stands to gain from denying you access to any accommodations that could make understanding complex ideas easier for you.

there are of course certain posts circulating here that do indeed display the grim state of critical reading and thinking skills on this website. (i'm thinking specifically about the "taylor swift isn't bisexual" "don't worry, op isn't actually saying that taylor swift isn't actually bisexual" post that has been making the rounds for years. op of that reblog chain is probably still fighting for their life, thoughts and prayers, etc.)

then there are posts where there are, in fact, very reasonable and plausible explanations for why a large number of people on the 'neurodivergent with diagnosed and undiagnosed disabilities' website might struggle to understand what they're looking at right away. logic puzzles, jokes that rely on solving math problems in your head to unearth the joke, unreality bits, etc.

and i think it is actually very important to be able to distinguish between these two different types of non-comprehension before deciding to have a go at people for not understanding what they're looking at.