#stop going after disabled people

[majaurukalo]

So, let me get this straight: disabled people are the ones being punished for the economy not doing well, for inflation, for lack of resources, for poverty rising and whatever other kind of reason you can come up with (I am referring to the Uk situation but this concerns the whole Western society) because they aren’t working, they need benefits, they need money for “free”, they need healthcare and so on.

It’s always them who are sacrificed when there’s a crisis (we have seen it with Covid). Cut the benefits, cut the healthcare, cut accessible spaces. Now, force them to go to work. And if they don’t work then no money because you aren’t contributing to the prosperity of society and if you don’t contribute you don’t deserve to live apparently. As if one has value only through labor and work and how much money they make for the country.

But why I have never heard a politician going after the tax evaders, the billionaires, the corporations? You see? There’s a pattern here.

The fact is — and it’s a tragic and scary reality — that we are governed by people who still think that there are humans who are more worthy and humans who are not. This is slowly and easily becoming the rhetoric of the survival of the fit, the only kind of human who can bring prosperity is the healthy, the able, the skilled…

Moreover, it’s not like disabled people don’t want to work. We want to. But, what about accommodations? What about accessible workplaces? What about the ableism that still persists? And then, yes, there are disabled people who are so unwell, whose mental health is in shambles that it is impossible for them to work (or work for long periods of time). You seriously want to tell me they don’t deserve to live? Because if you cut them the benefits how are they supposed to survive in a World led by money?

This is capitalism at its peak. And it disgusts me. Before thinking in terms of wealth and economy, we should seriously remember that we are human beings first and foremost. And yes, we can flourish without sacrificing anyone.

[nonconstories]

Someone pissed me off a couple of days ago

So! Below are several links to programs and foundations that promote adult literacy! Hundreds of millions of adults world wide were failed by their education system and now must fend for themselves while trying to read contracts and hospital bills and infographics from the CDC. But they don't have to be alone, and it is never too late to learn!

ProLiteracy: A network of educators, researchers, and advocates which provides research reports, learning materials, and other support to adult education programs. They assist with connecting volunteers to local programs and provide guidance and support to community leaders trying to use their programs' findings to advocate for social and political change.

Adult Literacy League: An adult education program in Central Florida, which aims to provide students with one on one attention to foster growth and confidence. It also offers English Second Language courses and job skills training, and each new student receives a comprehensive assessment to determine the best plan for them.

Saint Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center's Foundational Skills Program: A 100% free adult education program aimed at adults reading below a fifth grade level. It operates year round and is either in person or remote, and they now have a GED testing center that is open to students and the public alike.

Washtenaw Literacy: A free network of trained tutors for adults in Washtenaw County, Michigan.

Adult Learning Program (Las Vegas/Clark County): Free education classes to those lacking a high school diploma, those seeking to learn ESL, and adults who read below an eighth grade level. Also assists in students' search for gainful employment. Nevada got so fucked by COVID and the education/literacy numbers in the South West are grim. Please help these guys.

Hawaii Literacy: In addition to helping adult residents of Hawaii Island learn to read and write AND bridging the education gap in Hawaii's underserved children, they offer computer literacy classes, ESL classes, and a bookmobile. 1 in 6 Hawaiian adults struggle to read and write.

[rabbithaver]

every so often i will see a post from a leftist on this website that is so egregiously ableist that i remember that like. oh yeah the userbase of leftists on this website is violently anti-disabled people and will jump at any chance to demonize any of us for any reason. i just forget that fact because i'm extremely dedicated to curating my space

i'm paraphrasing here but i saw a post that said, "every time i see an American [disabled person] mention being scared about the election because they're afraid of losing their benefits i have to laugh. anybody who wants blood-soaked money from the US government deserves to starve" which. like. goodness that's a lot to unpack. i think we should burn the whole suitcase instead !

[mantisgodsdomain]

We ought to write more Pokemon fic some time. We want to recreate the Pokemon Manners/Human Manners cheat sheet that we made a few years ago we think that this site would like the Sliding Scale Of Politeness When Greeting A New Pokemon You've Never Met Before.

[diningpageantry]

transphobes attacking me on insta for taking HRT after i literally explain that T saved my life by stopping my near-constant menstrual linked-hormonal seizures that i've been having since i was abt 16ish.... they don't actually care if it literally is keeping you alive in a medical sense they want you dead because you don't hate that you're not cis regardless

[cruelsister-moved2]

that thread i rbed like ages ago about men's urge to disagree/object to/obstruct women for no reason has seriously reset my brain its so crazy but i think actually one of the rare things that actually might represent a way forward for how men engage with women. like there's always going to be the rightwing ardent misogynists who don't care that they're doing this but for all the men in the middle that do on some level want to be better it represents 1. fairly confronting evidence that your position in the patriarchy actually affects how you relate to women much more than you realise it does even if you think of yourself as self-aware and 2. a genuine example of something that makes us all suffer because the fact you niggle on every single issue like what flavour of ice cream to buy is unhealthy for relationships (of any kind) AND introduces unnecessary amount of background strain to your life for no real gain. maybe im being an idealist but i love the idea of a man experiencing a certain amount of horror upon recognition of this as a catalyst to other more meaningful recognitions and changes both in how he evaluates the competence of women but also in recognition of the subjectivity of he perceives things i.e i think one of the biggest barriers to confronting the housework gap is often that men don't SEE how much women are doing and also don't SEE things that need to be done, to the extent that ive seen men argue that the solution is just for women to not care about being surrounded by mess. anyway no conclusion but i cant stop thinking about that thread both super horrifyingand also kind of hopeful

[harlstark]

[yououghtaknow]

they weren’t lying, that going outside, talking to people, going on a walk to get a little drink from the gas station really helps your mental health

[oc-cinematic-universe]

Give me some awesome Joe facts!!! I love Joe I think about Joe a lot.

JOE TRIVIA POWER HOUR

joe was going for an art history major before he dropped out of college. even tho he has managed to repress the adhd for a very long time, if people were to show him a painting and ask for more info about it he would basically become a wikipedia article for it. its the one thing he cant resist infodumping about

joe and lily became friends when they were 4 years old and were just inseperable ever since then, so now they see each other as siblings c:

joe could probably kill god if he wanted to. but only once

joe is associated with chrysanthemums in a way where it was just a fun fact and then it. spiraled. and now has actual symbolism in the comic. i just decided it was his favorite flower cause they could be pink and i liked the word chrysanthemum how did it come to this

there are 1 billion joe focused aus in my brain that vary his characterization wildly but the thing is, they are all still in character. in the mermaid au he is perfectly sweet and innocent and kind, in the horror game au his primary personality trait is Loves Killing And Violence. joe is just. like that. if you give him a role to play he will shift to fit it and this is all in character. ask me about all my aus if you want me to disappear for 50 hours and come back with a thesis of info

he's the worlds most specialest boy

this is not a good thing for him

[femmesandhoney]

okay but pick up groceries and other stories shouldn't be what people with anxiety use. youre not actually helping your anxiety your feeding it. go inside the store i promise it wont hurt you.

[a9saga]

do you guys know that your likes are appearing on people's dashboards now? not in large numbers or anything. i've been seeing smutty fanfictions on my dash and i mean i'm not judging you, but i do wanna give fair warning that it may just appear on there for other people.

[lilgynt]

i want to blow up my coworkers BRAIN

[horce-divorce]

welp. For whatever reason I did not expect to wake up and see people defending Dr. Fucking Kavorkian before 10am on a Sunday in a random FB group that I am in, but that just goes to show I was a fool

[sapsolais]

.

[faggotisaacfloofs]

the person who helped today when I fell out of my wheelchair actually did a really great job, so I want to share in case other people wonder what to do. [Note: this is not universal, this is merely a suggestion from one person, every wheelchair user's needs are different! I am a person who uses a manual chair usually pushed by someone else who is also disabled.]

Scenario: you see someone in a wheelchair fall out of their chair, and you have the ability to help.

1. Approach and ask "are you okay?"*

2. Next question if they say no, are vague, or open to continuing conversation** is, "is there anything I can do to help?" Or "what can I do?"

If they say no to help, then that's the end, just leave and go do whatever you were doing!

If they ask for help or say they are mildly injured, ask "what would you like me to do?" And wait for an answer before doing anything! If they seem dazed or confused, they might have hit their head or had another medical event*, or they might just be like that due to regular disability. Be patient.

Do not touch the person unless they say to, or they are like, unconcious in the middle of the road, ya know?? Wheelchair users usually have conditions that mean being handled improperly can severely injure us, you could cause much more damage than the fall.

Some things they might need you to do:

Bring their wheelchair closer (mine went about 5 feet away after it dumped me)

engage the brakes of the wheelchair

hold wheelchair steady if it's an unsteady surface (mud, hill, ramp, wet, etc)

offer an arm for them to hold onto to get up (them grabbing you, not you grabbing them) or move another solid item closer for them to use (i.e. a chair) [only do this if you physically have the ability to!]

If the terrain is rough (i.e. a parking lot), they *might* ask you to push their chair to a more stable area once they are back in their chair

nothing

Something else

Do what they ask, NOT what you think would be helpful. If for some reason you have to do something (i.e. you can't stop oncoming traffic and need to get them out) ASAP, tell them what you plan to do

Keep in mind they might also be D/deaf, have a communication disability, be stunned after the fall, have a head injury, not trust other people, etc. Be patient and treat them as a person with autonomy and agency! They might need to just sit on the ground for a few minutes to recover before trying to get back in their chair. They might want everyone to leave them alone. They might ask you to call someone specific. Their chair might have broken and that can be extremely distressing. All of this is like if your legs spontaneously stop working when you're out and about!

A lot of wheelchair users (NOT ALL) have ways to get into their chair on their own once the chair is close enough and brakes engaged (but it's hard from the ground!). Here's what brakes look like on a lot of manual wheelchairs, in case they ask you to lock the brakes. They're levers on each side and pushing the lever pushes a bar against the wheel to hold it still.

ID: A manual wheelchair with the brake levels circled in red and labeled "user brake levers"

*There is also the possibility of course that a person fell out of their chair due to a seizure or other medical event, so that is why it is important to ask if they are okay. If you saw them hit their head, tell them so. If they had a medical event, follow protocol for that, I'm not gonna get into it here (thought I could).

**sometimes a person will be clear after the first question i.e. "I'm all good thanks" clearly means they do not need you to ask another question, you can just leave them alone. Keep walking and don't stare. A lot of the time people will be a bit banged up but be totally fine and able to manage on their own.

TLDR: Ask the wheelchair user if they're okay, then what they need, and then do exactly that, including leaving them alone. Thanks!

[werewolfcave]

tags by @bumblebeerror

"Cinderpelt should've been a warrior, cats can function perfectly fine with 3 legs" "Jayfeather could've been a warrior, blind cats navigate well with their other senses" "Briarlight could've gone on patrols, have you seen how well cats with paralyzed legs get around?" OK but that's not the point at all. Let's stop talking about that. It doesn't matter if it's technically true. The books present us with these situations where we, as readers, are meant to understand that these characters are unable to fulfill the same duties that their able bodied Clanmates can, regardless of the accuracy to real cat biology. The lens we need to use to examine disability in Warriors isn't "can they function like abled cats?" It's "If they can't function like abled cats, what are their choices and what does their quality of life look like? How are they treated?" Because that's where the real issues are.