I see a lot of posts about how shitty it is to film disabled people in public and to make jokes when someone is having a medical emergency, and while in general I absolutely agree, there is a degree of nuance.
I have seizures, (most likely psychogenic/nonepileptic, I'm still going to be working with a neurologist to confirm my brain is intact though) and sometimes my friend @corypaws films them so that I can show my doctor. They have expressed guilt about doing this, but here's the thing: not only did I consent to this, it was my idea.
I had a seizure yesterday, and another friend, @thosegoodbois , made a joke about Caesar salad during it. They also felt guilty about this, but it was still incredibly helpful for me. On certain rare occasions, I'm fully conscious and aware for seizures. This was one of those times, so I heard everything. The people around me staying calm helped me stay calm too.
If a disabled person outright asks you to film them, you should really consider doing it. If a disabled person asks you to stay calm during a medical situation, you should at least try. Videos can be a very helpful diagnostic tool, and help make sure we are believed by doctors*. Freaking out when we have a medical problem might cause us to freak out too.
So basically I agree that in general filming disabled people and making jokes during medical emergencies is bad, but it's fine if you have consent.
Remember: disabled people are not a hive mind. At the end of the day, it should come down to what the individual wants.
*you probably shouldn't post it online though
I love to use my disability “as an excuse.” Fuck yeah my disability is an excuse. It’s the most valid excuse I have. I’m not helping you lift that box/etc because my disability would make it fucking painful. Not wanting to be in pain is a good enough reason. I’m not going to put myself in pain to comfort your sensibilities.
Yes I’m using my disability as an excuse because I refuse to hurt myself for you. If you’re mad about it you can cry! ❤️
A lot of people like to think that people with intellectual disabilities shouldn’t know about adult topics. Or that all of us aren’t able to consent, or that we shouldnt be allowed to be involved with adult topics, events, situations.
So here’s your reminder that yes, people with intellectual disabilities can consent. We can drink alcohol. We can talk about adult topics. We can do all these things.
I would also like to remind people that even though some of us can do these things, there are also some of us with intellectual disabilities who can’t. And that’s ok.
btw if you wanna see a blind character, the chief engineer on Star Trek: The Next Generation is blind. He has a thing across his eyes that helps him see
I have no idea if this is eugenics-supporting anon so I'll assume you aren't.
Yes, Geordi! Gods, I loved him growing up. He was such great representation, especially for the ti.e period.
⟢ Compulsive Liar 𓃉
A flag for those who are compulsive liars! This is intended for people with aspd and npd, but it can be used by anyone that it applies to.
— Requested by anonymous .
Have you ever been writing a disabled character and wished there was just one great source on as many pieces of adaptive technology, medical equipment, accessibility devices, and whatever else have you as possible? Have you ever spent hours scouring the internet trying to find a source with everything your disabled character might need?
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Consider checking it out.
(Disclaimer, I am endorsing this site as a writing aid, not as a place to buy medical equipment online. Please only buy equipment from sources you can trust to be safe.)
I wish there was a law against strobe bike lights. Last night i literally had a seizure because my boyfriends roommate got home when I was outside, and suddenly the yard was strobing.
Like okaay, TV rules were changed cuz of that one episode of pokemon that gave kids seizures right? So how come its chill that people can ride around through town with strobe lights attached to their bikes? What if a kid is in a car behind you and has a seizure? What if someone is walking down the street and suddenly your bile is the reason they are in the back of an ambulance?
As someone with photosensitive epilepsy, I've been taught my whole life to avoid the flashing triggers. When things are flashy online youre told to just avoid the internet, when stores have bad lights dont shop there, no clubbing or parties because there will be strobes. It feels so unfair that even when we go out of our way to avoid seizure triggers, people still will find a way to make your world smaller and smaller.
Even on a not epilepsy note, they are literally more unsafe for bikers because the strobing light makes it harder for night drivers to tell how fast and where exactly you are than a non blinking light......
Where are all the "slow" kids, the challenged kids, the burnouts from birth, the burden to have in class? Where are the autists who can't mask, who self harm, who are loud and can't stop stimming? The NDs with processing disorders, brain damage, brain fog? The ones with down syndrome, FAS, and other conditions that people treat like curses or defects. I hardly ever see them past 18 and I know they don't just dissolve once they become adults.
I see you disabled people who don't know your family medical history because your family members couldn't/wouldn't/weren't allowed to go to the doctor and never got diagnosed, or don't know your family.
I see you disabled people who didn't know you were disabled growing up, physically or mentally, maybe because your parents didn't have insurance and couldn't afford it/wouldn't take you seriously/didn't think it was a problem because they had it/doctors couldn't figure it out.
I see you disabled people who have bouts of an issue that you grew up with, that are/were infrequent enough that you never really thought about it and dealt with it on your own, and when you have one in front of people who weren't medically neglected, you wonder why they look so horrified as you describe it.
I see you disabled people who didn't/haven't had any amount of care or accommodation for their disability since it started, because you couldn't get diagnosed.
I see you disabled people who grew up thinking everyone had the same problem as you and that it was normal and so you accepted it, because you didn't understand how the human body worked and had no real frame of reference nor the language to ask for help, or the people around you saw it and just ignored it.
I see you disabled people only now understanding that what you experience is abnormal, and that there are things that can be done to help it, make it easier, or at least help you understand yourself better.
I see you disabled people that will never be able to get diagnosed or get the help you need, whether from being poor, lacking insurance, or any number of reasons.
This shit is hard, and there are people who will never quite understand your struggles. It doesn't seem to get talked about as much, but I wish it was. Please know I love you, and you aren't alone.
Raven, he/him, 20, multiple disabled (see pinned for more details.) This is my disability advocacy blog
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