im begging for help at this point.. my name is snow. i am autistic and disabled. i have been in the shelter since july 2024. before being in the shelter i have moved from place to place. my mother couldn't help as much since her place is pretty small, and she takes care of my little sister. my grandmother can't help either, due to being disabled herself, and living & staying with the person who had done things to me as a child. she doesn't believe my trauma so she chose him over me. things have gotten pretty difficult since i came into the shelter, as i no longer can work due to being both mentally and physically disabled, so paying this debt off for both banks has been a struggle. yes, i said BOTH. discover AND bank of america. i barely eat or drink so i sleep all day to avoid spending my food stamps. i barely make it passed the 15 of every month. i have had jobs in the past, and all have just got rid of me or fired me due to constant physical illnesses. this shelter does not help with laundry needs, feminine products or soap; so the cash i get every month goes to that rather then food or drinks, and even paying my cards off. the food here is never properly cooked, and the milk we get is always expired before it's time. anything helps. please. i even have a paypal which can be sent money. anything helps such as money for food and drinks.
nothing makes me happier than knowing that young disabled kids are going to watch pjo and find themselves in these characters and in this world the same way i did when i was young and undiagnosed
I just remembered something my doctor said when he recommended crutches for me. my mum was there and she also used crutches but she had decorated them since she didn't like using them and having them look funky made her feel better. he said (and I'm paraphrasing here since I have an awful memory and I've only just now recalled this appointment lol): "but don't let them do that, we don't want to encourage them to use the crutches". what would I need them for if not to use them??? and I was bullied at school whenever I used mobility aids. having them look cool in my eyes made it just a little bit better.
moral of the story tho: decorate your mobility aids if that's what will make using them more comfortable for you. your mobility aids are there to help you and you're not "giving up" or "being lazy" for using them. put the cool tape on them, pin badges to them, add keyrings, whatever brings you a little joy.
I think a fair number of (able-bodied) people don’t understand that cripple is a slur. It’s a slur. It’s offensive. Physically disabled people can reclaim it *if they want to*, but they don’t have to. They can be offended by it if they want to as well. Both are valid.
Also, you can reclaim it FOR YOURSELF! You don’t just get to call other people cripples because you decided to reclaim it. That’s personal. Saying “oh, I can say that because I’m physically disabled” only applies if you’re referring to YOURSELF that way. You do not get to tell other people in your community what they should and shouldn’t be comfortable with.