#its okay to be disabled

[disablednotdifferent]

no, i’m not saying i can’t go to the store because i’m lazy, i’m saying it because i can’t feel my legs because of how much pain they’re in

no, i’m not saying i don’t feel up to the mall because i don’t want to see you, i’m saying it because i’m too ashamed to tell you i can’t walk right now

no, i’m not saying i don’t want to shower because i’m “gross” or “lazy”, i’m saying it because i don’t think i’d be able to hold myself up in there or raise my arms to wash my hair

no, i’m not saying i haven’t changed clothes in a few days because i’m “being lazy” or “being nasty”, i’m saying it because i’m tired and in too much pain to change my clothes by myself right now

STOP CALLING DISABLED PEOPLE LAZY OR GROSS FOR THINGS WE CAN’T CONTROL!!!!

a little reminder that you are not gross or lazy because of any of these things, you are just struggling more than usual and you know what? thats okay. don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise, you can’t control how many spoons you have in a day and that’s okay too.

don’t forget to love yourself a little today <3

[willowshelter]

Let 👏 disabled 👏 characters 👏 be 👏 and👏 stay 👏 disabled 👏

[beckyg1016]

"Anything that impairs you from functioning or completing a basic life task without accommodation is a disability. Anything that makes you spend days in bed during a flare-up is a disability!"

Always feel bad when I see someone say something like "I don't have a disability but I have [something that is a disability but society doesn't treat like one]"

Migraines. Food allergies. GERD. Vision problems. Skin problems. For people that menstruate, conditions that cause irregular and painful cycles. Those are all disabling. Anything that impairs you from functioning or completing a basic life task without accommodation is a disability. Anything that makes you spend days in bed during a flare up is a disability! Not everyone experiences your symptoms and you're not being weak or whiny.

Mental illnesses that people treat as "mainstream" these days like anxiety, depression, or ADHD are still disabilities. Overcoming a massive struggle just to get out of bed, slow down your thoughts, or focus on what you need/want to do is disabling. Starting the day with less mental energy than most people is disabling.

For the migraine people: yes, everyone gets headaches, but no not everyone gets migraines. It's a condition that can be inherited in which our nerves are literally wired differently and more sensitive than someone who doesn't get migraines.

For the food allergy and digestive disorder people: if you eat something your body can't tolerate, you become sick. Doesn't matter if it's a trip to the ER or skin irritation for a few hours, that's a negative response in your body. Going hungry at social events because you can't eat anything, that's not something you just have to grin and bear. Prohibitively expensive or hard-to-find accessible food. Most people have the privilege of not worrying about eating.

For people with abnormal menstrual cycles: you don't have to suck it up because "lots of people get periods, no one likes them, but they all deal with it." Majority of people who get periods don't spend days in bed with debilitating pain or nausea. Your heightened struggle is real. Going months between cycles can increase your risk of health conditions down the line, and it's good to speak to a gynecologist if you have access to one.

If you are feeling discomfort on a regular basis in any part of your body, or if you usually feel unwell after eating, that isn't normal and you deserve medical attention and support

[canonkiller]

but you can't keep holding on like this.

[androdragynous]

I know i complained about the stardew valley penny and George cutscene at length but the it really is fucking. bizarre the lengths people will go to defend it because "the game lets you pick to side with him" (please do literally any reading about wheelchair use and realize why it's a problem that the game rewards you for moving someone without their consent.) or variants of that sentiment but then it's like. the rest of the cutscene is also So Weird

Like. Penny moves an old man in a wheelchair without asking him. He gets upset, she asks if you saw what happened The game prompts you to select from;

"I was. You did a kind thing there, Penny." (+50 friendship with Penny)

"I was. You should've asked instead of assuming George wanted help." (-50 friendship with Penny)

"I'm just taking a walk, minding my own business." (No effect on friendship.)

And these are the REVISED options. Before 1.4, the second option wasn't"you should have asked", it was "You should've left him alone. Now he's grumpy."

So already it's kind of shit. The person she's upset - who's entire existence in the game is experiencing inaccessibility, let's be real - because he was shoved without permission just for being in a wheelchair doesn't have his friendship level affected at all.

Regardless of which answer you pick, George apologizes (Penny does not apologize in every choice! But the guy she shoved does!) and says she was kind.

Once he's gone, she talks about how hard it must be to be old. It's worth noting, for what it's worth, that George has been using a wheelchair since a mining accident caused his immobility; it's not a result of age, and you learn about this whole he struggles with a bookshelf in his own home, where presumably he has been living with a wheelchair for at least two decades (given how he talks about his grandson), which is a whole different can of worms because why is this never addressed in a fictional community with multiple craftspeople who frequently do projects for each other?

Anyways. So Penny's like, damn, sucks that he's old. And the options the game gives you - all neutral in terms of friendship points - are:

"I'd rather not think about it."

"It's just a different part of life."

"That's why we should respect our elders."

"I'd rather die young..."

Like are you kidding me? You have a cutscene that's about being disabled - it's not about aging, because his disability was not caused by aging, it is explicitly and directly about the fact that he is in a wheelchair. And the game assumes your opinions will be "Not my problem,", "That's an old people thing,", and "I'D RATHER BE DEAD"? And this is something people just... don't remark on? Even in conversations ABOUT this cutscene? Like, George's mentions of being disabled are already Constantly Miserable -able-bodied writer standard quality - but the game is just like. Yeah you can say you'd rather be dead rather than express any positive sentiment about this guy surviving a traumatic mining accident. You can't say it's great that he's able to still be a part of the community in his chair, or renovate his house to make it accessible the way you can build ENTIRE HOMES for other characters. The community center you rebuild in the Good Ending for the community is only accessible by stairs. The path out of his home is dirt. It's the little things, y'know, like... obviously he wasn't thought about as his own character. The game's writing sees him as a source of conflict for others, and down to the very tiles of the terrain, he's irrelevant.

AND THEN THE TOWN DOCTOR DOES A HIPAA VIOLATION AND GETS SAD IF YOU SAY GEORGE SHOULD HAVE AGENCY OVER HIS OWN BODY. WHAT ARE WE FUCKING DOING HERE

[scissorcraft]

so. rescuing kittens, huh.

[hakusins]

T-The devil came and and she made me do terrible things and made me feel weird and and strange and maybe horny and she made me not focus on my work and gave me funny ideas and I want to draw them so bad and she’s bad right? And I had a little dooodle but I can’t attach it so uuuuuuuu

hang in there dollya !!! you can do it, you'll survive this !! i promise !!!

[salt-baby]

at some point in disability you stop wanting to "get better" and this is just really hard for able bodied people to understand for some reason

[pansyfemme]

my third ‘burst out crying for a reason i am unable to put into words’ event in two days

[flamingo--ing]

i was an alien this weekend !!! we led a parade!!

[disablednotdifferent]

It’s currently 11 pm, EST. I’m sitting on a barstool in my kitchen while i make myself dinner because my legs hurt (just finished a 6 hour standing shift) and i’m lightheaded, and yknow what ? accommodating myself like this really improved my day. just thought i’d share (:

[swordsonnet]

lately, i've seen more people in the online autistic community acknowledging the struggles of people with higher support needs, which is of course an important development. but for some, that seems to come with the implicit assumption that low needs autistics "have it easy" or experience no stigma at all, which is just wrong??? people with low support needs are still disabled by their autism and still face discrimination because of it. sure, they are impaired to a lesser degree than those with higher support needs, but that doesn't mean you can just erase their struggles, y'know?

[ditzydoodiary]

"its beneficial for you to watch other things in order for you to expand your horizons" no !!! go away !!!! i exclusively watch children's/animated media because it is one of the ONLY types of media/tv shows/movies i can process as an autistic person. everything else is too stressful. im perfectly happy watching only kids media idgaf dont tell me what to do if its something that unnecessary

[saturnniidae]

Why. Why do people think making AUs where Hiccup keeps his leg is a good thing..

[boycritter]

my disability really isnt a big deal for me. unfortunately my disability seems to be a really big deal for a lot of other people.

[dailykugisaki]

Day 335 | id in alt

Being desperate to end the fight might make you even worse off in the long run, Shoko.