#disability activist

[crippled-punk-guy]

Realized I should probably add an introductory post so

Welcome to the blog

My name is Adonis, he/him.

All disabled people are welcome, but this blog is specifically for and about physical disability.

As of right now my main diagnosis is hypermobility spectrum disorder or HSD, suspected Ehlers Danlos but I haven’t gotten testing yet. My legs also just didn’t form correctly. I’ll probably go into that more later but the deformity and HSD kinda just make each other worse.

Because of this I have joint degeneration from repetitive motion injuries I’ve received through my life as well as many comorbid conditions, frankly too many to list here.

Yes, I was the child who always had something wrong with them. Took way too long for doctors to realize these problems aren’t normal and actually take me seriously. So pardon me if I seem a bit bitter /s.

If you’re not comfortable with disability talk, this is not the blog for you. If you’re not comfortable with cussing, slur reclaiming, “harsh” language, queerness, and medical conversation in general, this is not the blog for you.

I’m a semi ambulatory manual wheelchair user, soon to be either a power chair or mobility scooter user, forearm crutch user.

I’m a queer and disability rights activist with an organization here in the Midwest. I won’t say which for safety and privacy reasons, maybe in the future if I feel more comfortable.

Proud pagan. Those themes will crop up sometimes as I worship Hephaestus who is often viewed as the god of disability (obviously among other things lol).

I’m also autistic but like I said that really won’t be the main focus here.

Disabled people, have a great day. Hope you enjoy the blog and can find some solidarity, community, or useful resources from it.

Also my cat is being very cute

#disability #wheelchair user #crutch user #hypermobility spectrum disorder #disability activist

[bumblebeeappletree]

‘One of the biggest divides in the disabled community is race’ — Activist Ola Ojewumi says it’s time for the white disability community to confront its racism

For more videos on disability rights, subscribe to NowThis News.

#disablilityrights #beyonce #intersectionality #Politics #News #NowThis

#now this news #now this #solarpunk #activist #Ola Ojewumi #disability #disability activism #disability activist #race #black activist #black women #Beyoncé #Youtube

[shannonlesliebyrne]

#ndis #founder #ecommerce #disability activist

[mondieuwordnerd]

Watch Last Week Tonight's intro and notice they have an image of Judy Heumann right at the end for the first time. It's a small way to acknowledge her and her impact.

#judy heumann #last week tonight #disability activist

[gwydionmisha]

#Judy Heumann #Americans With Disabilities Act #Disability Activist #May Her Memory Be a Blessing #News

[many-sparrows]

If you want to advocate but can't protest, are under voting age, want to do more, whatever, my roommates and I made a bunch of solidarity stickers. Palestinians are begging us to not look away, to force awareness-- we made these to easily and quickly stick up everywhere that people might see them. I'm talking Starbucks windows, light poles, crosswalks, electrical boxes, street signs, bus stops etc to keep this on people's minds. They also make easy post cards-- stick one on an index card and mail it to congress.

I bought 150 mailing labels from Staples for about $15, but you could also use scrap paper and clear packing tape. I also tried to use some different phrasing-- a lot of people shut down when they read "free Palestine" or "from the river to the sea" so I tried to bypass the "pOLiTiCaL" angle and appeal to the humanitarian one.

Also also, if you want to contribute and have some time, sending physical mail to representatives is a good thing to do. For this issue, it doesn't even have to be long or complicated letters, it can literally just be a note that says "cease fire now xoxox, your constituent, [name]" or whatever. It can be easy to ignore Twitter and brush off voicemails left with their staffers, it's time to get stuff in their desk.

#free Palestine #israel #palestine #activism 101 #disabled activists #advocacy #all eyes on gaza #all eyes on palestine #arizona #arizona politics #ceasefire #ceasefire now

[decolonize-the-left]

Idk if any of y'all saw this video yet, but rn there's a tik tok going viral of of this white woman who confronted her parents bigotry on Christmas and got sent home. She's an upset mess about but not in a white savior/validate me way which I can respect.

And as always I have something to say about it.

So she says she starts a war after she reminds her parents that people are people and that she

"probably shouldn't have said anything to begin with because there's no point"

And I've seen this sentiment of "there's no point" a LOT among allies. Not just white allies to BIPOC either but with allies across the board, queer allies, ND allies, etc.

To clarify by "that sentiment" I mean the idea that your personal effort to correct, inform, or speak up on an issue is not Worth it unless it will cause a Change in the person/people you're addressing that You will be able to see reflected. Because if they won't change then you're just putting up with their vitriol, hostility, and ignorance for nothing, right? And why put up with that for nothing. You're a person with feelings and limited patience so if you're gonna experience something awful, it should be for something, right? Especially if it's someone you have to put up with see regularly like your parents.

And besties...

The point is trying. The point is challenging bigotry and ignorance wherever it exists. The point is to show bigots that their ignorance isn't tolerable. It's to show them that their bigotry isn't tolerable. And as many times as they will be harmful, you will rise to meet their challenge.

The point is to challenge bigotry because it is bigotry and there's no room for it in the future we're building.

And as awful as it feels to have your family disown, belittle, and berate you there are So Many people going through this. BIPOC, immigrants, queer folk, Muslims, etc. We know what it's like to have people who should love you treat you badly, what it's like to lose community and support. You're not alone in this feeling, you know?

But everyday we still talk to our families and communities and strangers online and we still challenge their bigotry and yeah it hurts sometimes but we do it anyway so the next generation of our community won't have to.

Because they may not be here yet but we are.

In my tribe we have this concept of 7 generations being deeply significant. Part of that belief is that you and your choices will impact the next 7 generations of your descendants. And I want to be a good ancestor. Not just to the generations of my family that don't exist yet but to yours too.

I want to be a good ancestor to family I'll never meet and the friends I'll never get to drink with.

To queer kids that never had to answer to anyone for their love, to Muslim and Black boys who never had to be mindful of the toys they played outside with, to the loud brown girls who never felt out of place, to the disabled lady up the road who is the First and only voice her doctors listen to.....None of these people exist yet, but they will as long as I'm doing what I can for them today.

And absolutely everything I do is for them. It's for the future I won't get to see. For a world I'll never get to walk on. For laughter I'll never hear.

THATS THE POINT

#society #mutual aid #ndn #direct action #indigenous #lgbt #disabled #neurodivergent #bipoc #oppression #bigots #Tumblr #leftist #activist #activism #protest #capitalism #liberal #allied #commentary #criticisms #idk

[jademaomi]

in honor of Long COVID Awareness Day and the Ides of March today, i think Long COVID havers should get to stab someone

#Long COVID Awareness Day #Long COVID #Ides of March #disability #disability justice #gretchen weiners LC activist queen #我的 #字

[whereserpentswalk]

Bigotry is not hatred. You need to recognize elements of bigotry that aren't hateful or mean. Bigotry is believing and enforcing someone's status as marginalized. But you don't have to hate someone to believe that they're lesser then you, or desevre less rights.

There are bigots who will treat you as a child that needs protecting, and who can't be trusted with your own freedom. They won't be mean to you, but they think of you as lesser then them none the less. This is especially common with bigotry twords disabled people and twords people society views as female.

When looking to see if someone is bigoted asgisnt a group, don't ask weather or not they hate them, as weather or not they think they deserve less rights.

#196 #my thougts #leftist #leftism #activist #activism #my thoughts #queer theory #queerness #queer liberation #queer community #disability rights #disabilities #disabled #feminism #trans rights #racisim #sexism #ablism

[neuroticboyfriend]

people care. i promise. there are so many people around you that care, so many people you don't even know that care. every activist is thinking of you, you, you, even if not specifically. i care. the people interacting with this post care.

you are not forgotten. you are loved. i promise, and i don't make promises i can't keep. ♡

#softspoonie #postivity #mental health #mental health reminders #gentle reminders #gentle reminder #positive reminder #mentally ill #mental illness #hopepunk #activism #activist #disability activism #disability #disabled #chronic illness #chronically ill #love #hope

[yourdailyqueer]

Tari Ito (deceased)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

DOB: Born 1951

RIP: 22 September 2021

Ethnicity: Japanese

Occupation: Performance artist, activist

Note 1: She was one of the few out lesbian artists in Japan

Note 2: Had ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)

#Tari Ito #lgbt history #lesbianism #bipoc #lgbt #female #lesbian #1951 #rip #historical #asian #poc #japanese #artist #performance artist #activist #disabled

[johnnyiscaged]

anyone else feel like people who preach "if you buy from amazon/chains you're a poser" is sort of classist and ableist? we're living in a society run on capitalism where these could be someone's only way to be able to afford things for hobbies or just to make life easier

also if you're a punk kid who's parents use amazon there's no need to feel guilty for also buying off of it if there aren't better options. i always say buy second hand or diy but if there isn't any other options you're not a bad person man

this isn't the 70s anymore and amazon is worth 1.81 trillion. keep your mental health safe and focus on what's important: standing up for those who can't

reminder of your palestine daily click

#cpunk #cripple punk #cripplepunk #diy punk #trans punks #trans punx #crip punk #c punk #crust punk #punk #disabled #ableism #classism #from the river to the sea palestine will be free #palestine #anarchy #anarchist #activist #activism

[spookysalem13]

🐝 I'm a queer, physically & mentally disabled mixed indigenous person living in the United States.

I truly couldn't have said this better myself. This is exactly why I don't celebrate the 4th of July or anything patriotic.

#tiktoks #tiktok repost #tiktok #4th of july #activism #mentally disabled #physically disabled #queer #this country is a fucking nightmare #this country is shit #this country is a joke #fuck the usa #nothing to celebrate #fourth of july #indigenous #native american #activist #lgbtqia+ #lgbtq #queer community

[shannonlesliebyrne]

#disability activist

[thecreativemillennial]

This brings back some uncomfortable memories. Credit to @neurowild

#neurodiversity #neurodivergent #neurodiverse stuff #neurodivergence #its the neurodivergency #actually neurodiverse #neuro punk #actually autistic #autistic rights activist #autistic rights movement #autistic rights are civil rights #autistic rights are human rights #disability rights activist #disability rights movement #disability rights are human rights #equity

[trans-axolotl]

Notes on the Radical Model of Disability

I'm seeing a lot of discussion today about different models of disability, and wanted to share my recent reading notes on the radical model of disability, which for me has been a super helpful model for understanding how disability works.

"The radical model defines disability as a social construction used as an oppressive tool to penalize and stigmatize those of us who deviate from the (arbitrary) norm. Disabled people are not problems; we are diverse and offer important understandings of the world that should be celebrated rather than marginalized."

Source: AJ Withers, Disability Politics and Theory. "Looking Back But Moving Forward: The Radical Model of Disability"

Key Points:

The radical disability model was developed by many disability justice activists (including Sins Invalid and the 10 principles of Disability Justice), and was inspired by many different models, including the social model. Withers points out that there are a lot of valuable parts of the social model, but also lots of limitations.

The radical disability model is not the same thing as the social model of disability. It rejects the strict social model separation between "impairment" and "disability." Traditionally, in the strictest versions of the social model, people use "impairment" to describe someone's individual limitations--generally considered the "biological" part of disability. People often use things like chronic pain and hallucinations as examples of "impairment." In the strict social model, disability is described as oppression added on top of the "impairments" people are living with. People usually describe things like inaccessible buildings and strict social norms as examples of the disabling impact of society. Withers points out how sometimes, the social models ideas about the separation of impairment and disability can leave many disabled people feeling excluded and like their experiences aren't represented. This article by Lydia X. Z. Brown talks a little bit more about those topics--using the terms "essentialism" to describe the impairment view and "constructivism" to describe the social view.

Instead, the radical disability model argues that you cannot easily separate impairment and disability, and points out that both "impairment" and disability are always socially contextual. Disability must be analyzed in context to the society we are currently in, both so that we can understand the experience of oppression and so that we can understand the impact it has on our bodies and minds. For example, someone living with chronic pain will still have chronic pain no matter what society they live in. But things like whether they can sit while they work, whether they have to work at all, if they can afford assistive technology, if there is easy access to pain medications, etc, all affect their body and lived experience of pain in a very real way. Ending capitalism would not suddenly take away all the pain they are experiencing, or make them not disabled. But it might change their ability to cope with pain, what treatments are available to them, and what their bodily experience of pain is like. Similarly, someone's experience with hallucinations can be dramatically shaped by the context they are in, whether they are incarcerated, if their community reacts with fear, whether they have stable housing, and more. The radical model of disability looks at how the different contexts we live in can affect our very real experiences of disability. Instead of the medical model, that only looks at disability as a biological, individual problem that can only be fixed through medicine, or the strict social model, which focuses on changing society as the only solution for disability, the radical disability model looks at how different societal contexts change both our biological and social experiences. It acknowledges that disability is a very real experience in our bodies and minds, but looks at how the social environments we live in shape all parts of "impairment" and disability.

Intersectionality is a key concept for the radical disability model. Withers points out how disability studies often ignores intersectionality and only focuses on disability. "Disability politics often re-establish whiteness, maleness, straightness and richness as the centre when challenging the marginality of disability. Similarly, when disability studies writers discuss other oppressions, they often do so as distinct phenomena in which different marginalities are compared (Vernon, 1996b; Bell, 2010). When oppressions are discussed in an intersectional road it is commonly treated like a country road: two, and only two, separate paths meet at a well-signed, easy-to-understand location. Intersectionality is a multi-lane highway with numerous roads meeting, crossing and merging in chaotic and complicated ways. There are all different kinds of roads involved: paved and gravel roads, roads with shoulders and those without and roads with low speed limits, high speed limits and even no speed limits. There is no map. The most important feature of these intersections, though, is that they look very depending on your location." (Withers pg 100.)

The radical model of disability is inherently political. The radical model of disability looks at who gets labeled as disabled, how definitions of disability change, and how oppressors set up systems that punish disabled citizens. Oppressors set up systems of control, violence, and incarceration that target disabled people, and shift the definitions of disability based on social and economic changes. Withers shares examples of this, talking about the eugenics movement in the United States as an explicitly white supremacist movement that defined "disability" in a way that targeted racialized people, how homosexuality was added and then taken out of the DSM, and many other examples of the way certain people are labeled as "deviant" and impacted by ableism. Disability becomes weaponized by oppressors as a tool of marginalization, and affects many different marginalized groups. This interview of Talila A. Lewis is a really great article that explains more about a broader definition of ableism, and expands on a lot of the topics mentioned here.

Disabled is not a fixed, one-size-fits-all, never changing identity. However, it is an important personal and political identity for many people, because our experiences of disability are real and impact our bodies, minds, and social experiences in many ways. Withers argues that in disabled community, we need to have room to celebrate and have pride in our disabled identity, as well as being able to recognize the pain, distress, and challenges that being disabled can cause us.

Within the radical model of disability, we should work collectively to build access and actively fight to tear down the systematic barriers that prevent a lot of disabled people from participating in our communities. Withers argues that we need to think beyond just changing architecture (although that's important too!) and understand the way things like colonialism and capitalism are also access barriers. Going back to the first point about disability in context, Withers explains that we must also think of access in context--there is no one "universal" way to make some accessible, and we need to be able to adapt our understanding of access based on the political and relational context we are in.

TL;DR: The radical model of disability is similar to the social model of disability, but instead of viewing disability as being only caused by society, it looks at how our real experiences of disability are always shaped by whatever social context we live in. It acknowledges that our disabilities are embodied experiences that wouldn't just suddenly go away if we fixed all of society's ableism. The radical model of disability is a political model that analyzes how definitions of disability shift based on how oppressors use systems of power to marginalize different groups of people. It offers us a framework where we can feel real pride in our disabilities, but still acknowledge the challenges they cause. It points out the importance of organizing politically to dismantle all kinds of access barriers, including things not traditionally thought of as access issues, like colonialism, capitalism, and other forms of oppression. Here's a link to another great summary by Nim Ralph.

other reading recommendations for understanding the radical disability model: “Radical Disability Politics Roundtable.” by Lydia X. Z. Brown, Loree Erickson, Rachel da Silva Gorman, Talila A. Lewis, Lateef McLeod, and Mia Mingus, edited by AJ Withers and Liat Ben-Moshe.

"Work in the Intersections: A Black Feminist Disability Framework.” by Moya Bailey and Izetta Autumn Mobley

"Introduction: Imagined Futures" from Feminist, Queer, Crip by Alison Kafer.

#personal #disability #actually disabled #disability justice #disability studies #chronic illness #radical model of disability #social model of disability #so grateful to all the disabled activists linked here!!!