#disability equality

[roamwithahungryheart]

Let's talk about disability equality.

It's only in the last few years that public spaces have begun to recognize invisible disabilities and make reasonable adjustments to accommodate wheelchair users. From signs in public bathrooms to ramps and rails, things are starting to change.

But there is still a lot of work to be done.

Disabled and chronically ill people in both the US and UK are at risk of losing their disability benefits when they move in with a partner. If you're able to live alone but require a health visitor, you're eligible to receive benefits. If you have a live-in carer, such as a family member, you're eligible to receive benefits. But if you're living with a partner, or are married/civilly partnered, you lose access to those benefits.

It's hard enough to access treatment already, why should we have the right to receive external help taken from us just because we're in a legal partnership? Why should we be forced to put extra pressure on our partners to be our sole carers? It's entirely unfair. It doesn't make sense.

Our government needs to do better.

We will only truly be treated as equal when we can cohabit, marry and access treatment without losing out on the help we need to survive.

#disability equality #disability rights #disability representation #disabled community #Rare Disease Day

[usernamesarehard1]

July is Disability Pride Month

This is the updated version of the disability pride flag. The black background reprisents the poor treatment of disabled people by those who are not disabled and all of the suffering and hardships that can come from that. It can also represent protest against that treatment. There are then five diagonal lines going from the upper left hand corner to the lower right hand corner. These lines were originally zig-zagging to represent the unique ways that many disabled people have to navigate the world. However, the sharp zig-zags and the original bright colors were not accessible to the entire disabled community as they were found to cause seizures and migrains in photosensitive people. Therefore, the flag was changed to make the lines straight and make the colors more pale. The lines, from top to bottom, are green, blue, white, yellow, red. They each represent a different type of disability and how diverse the disabled community is. According to an article I read online, these five stripes represent mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, invisible and undiagnosed disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory disabilities.

Happy Pride Month to the disabled community. You are valid and worthy, and are in no way less than abled people because of your disabilities.

Let's all remember this pride month so we can help disabilities be better understood and better treated by society

#disabled #disability #pride month #disability equality #disability pride month #disability pride #equality #july #summer #pride #july 1 #positvitiy #reminder

[neuroticboyfriend]

IM GOING TO CRY THEY MIGHT INCREASE THE SSI ASSETS LIMIT TO $10,000.

it's a bipartisan bill too! and for anyone unaware, people on SSI (which is different from SSDI), can only have $2,000 in assets (unless they have an ABLE account, which comes with its own rules). this assets limit has been in place for FORTY YEARS and is a giant part of why being on SSI keeps people incredibly impoverished.

i've also heard they might remove the marriage penalty but i don't have the spoons to read or explain it so someone else please add on!

this is huge! please spread the word and do what you can to help ensure this happens!

#softspoonie #disabled #disability #disability rights #disability advocacy #disability activism #disabled rights #disabled community #marriage equality #equality #usa #us politics #us congress #usa politics

[plague-parade]

reminder this pride month that disabled people in the US on SSI and some forms of SSDI* do not have the same marriage equality as people not on SSI and SSDI. its called the marriage penalty.

by getting married, a disabled person can lose their income, benefits, and health insurance.

if a disabled person marries an able bodied person, and combined their assets are $3000 or over they will lose all benefits, including medicaid (health insurance).

if a disabled person marries a disabled person, their assistance is lowered 25%.

we don’t have marriage equality until all disabled marriages are equal.

*SSDI title II (disabled adult child) does fall under the marriage penalty, regular SSDI does not.

sources x x x x

#pride #pride month #marriage equality #ableism #disability #actually disabled #lgbt #lgbtq #queer #lgbt rights #disabled rights #inequality #cripple punk #cpunk #cripplepunk

[crazycatsiren]

Disabled people deserve to fall in love. Disabled people should be able to marry without repercussions, without losing anything. It's almost 2023 and why is this still a hot take.

#disabled #spoonie #cripple punk #disabled rights #marriage equality #ableism #disabled community

[natashahirst]

This was a wonderful story to research and write about. It's disappointing that the same barriers I was fighting at University still haven't shifted much but there is an emerging generation of activists doing brilliant work - take a read to see what Chris Laing has been able to achieve within the world of architecture.

#disability #deaf #blacklivesmatter #architecture #inclusion #disability equality

[ryanjudgesthings]

There's a mistake I see a lot of people in the mental health community make and in all honesty, it's one I've made myself. But I think we should really work on it. And that's saying "if this were a physical illness, wouldn't you care?"

I've learned that no actually, people wouldn't care. Katelyn Weinstein (theADHDprincess on Twitter) is a neurodiversity acceptance activist who really put this in perspective for me. She said that it's actually more an issue of longevity than physical vs mental health.

If you're having a bad day people will generally be understanding. But when you're experiencing chronic depression and you have many bad days people lose sympathy.

In the same respect people may be understanding when you've broken a bone that will heal properly or when you have a cold that will go away soon in ways they simply won't understand when you have chronic pain or need to use a wheelchair. They may send chicken soup for a temporary situation, but when you need consistent accomodations it's an entirely different story.

I understand that from our perspective it looks like people care more about physical health than mental health, but it's good to remember that our own perspective is also limiting. Facing ableism doesn't mean you can't be ableist. And I know so many people are not ill-intentioned when they say this. I know I wasn't. But we can't discount the lived experiences of physically disabled people. If we want true equality we need to be united and we need to listen to those with physical disabilities and illnesses. And those with physical disabilities and illnesses (some of which are also invisible) have said that they are not given proper accomodations either.

So let's be united and fight for equality and accomodations for everyone, no matter what their illness or disability may be.

#fuck eugenics #ableism #ableism tw #mental health #neurodiversity #neurodivergent #actually adhd #adhd #actually ocd #ocd #mental illness #disabilty #disability rights #disabled rights #equality #allyship

[inkskinned]

you have to go to work so you can pay for your doctor, who is not taking your insurance right now, and if you say i can't afford the doctor's you are told - get a better job. it is very sad that you are unwell, yes, but maybe you should have thought about that before not having a better job.

(where is the better job? who is giving out these better jobs? you are sick, you are hurting - how the hell are you supposed to be well enough for this better job?)

but you go to the doctor because you had the nerve to be hurt or sick or whatever else. and they tell you that it is because you have anxiety. you try your best. you are a self-advocate. you've done the reading (which sometimes pisses them off worse, honestly). you say it is actually adding to my anxiety, it is effecting my quality of life. so they say that you are fat. they say that all young people have this happen to them, isn't it a medical marvel! they say that you should eat more vegetables. they say that you probably just need to lose a little more weight, and that you are faking it for attention.

(what attention could this doctor possibly give? what validation? that's their fucking job, isn't it?)

there is always a hypochondriac, right. someone always tells you about a hypochondriac. or someone who is unnecessarily aggressive during the worst days of their life. or someone looking "for a quick fix". or some idiot who wasn't educated about how to properly care for themselves who just abandons their treatment. and again, the hypochondriac, the overly-cautious hysteric. these people don't deserve to be treated like humans (right), and since you might be one of these people, you also don't get treated like a human. because those people can really fuck with the system, you now have to pay for it. and besides. you're actually probably faking it.

(more often than not, you find a 2:1 ratio of these stories. for every "hypochondriac", there are 2 people who knew something was wrong, and yet nobody could fucking find it. the story often ends with pointless suffering. the story often ends with and now it's too late, and it's going to kill me.)

you are actually just making excuses. someone else got that procedure or that diagnosis and he's fine, you should be fine too. someone else said they watched a documentary about other inspirational people with your exact same condition, maybe you should be inspirational, too. you're just too morbid. your pain and your experience is probably just not statistically concerning. it is all self-reported anyway, and you're just being a baby.

(once, while sitting down in the middle of making coffee, you had the sudden, horrible thought - i could kill myself to make the pain stop. you had to call your best friend after that. had to pet your dog. had to cry about it in the shower. you won't, but that moment - god, fuck. the pain just goes on and on.)

you know someone who went in for routine surgery and said i still feel everything. they told her to just relax. it took her kicking and screaming before they figured out she wasn't lying - the anesthetic drip hadn't been working. you know someone who went in for severe migraines who was told drink water and lose weight. you know someone who was actively bleeding out and throwing up in the ER and was told you're just having a bad period.

in the ER there are always these little posters saying things like "don't wait! get checked today!" and you think about how often you do wait. how often the days spool out. you once waited a full week before seeing the doctor for what you thought was a sprained wrist. it had actually been broken - they had to rebreak it to set it.

but you go into the doctor. the problem you're having is immediate. the person behind the counter frowns and says we're not taking your insurance. you will be paying for this out-of-pocket.

they send you home with tylenol and a little health packet about weight loss or anxiety or attention deficit. on the front it has your birthday and diagnosis. you think about crying, and the words swim. it might as well say go fuck yourself. it might as well say you're a fucking idiot. it might as well say light your money on fire and lie down in it. and the entire fucking time - the problem persists.

it's okay. it's okay, it's just another thing, you think. it's just another thing i have to learn to live with.

#spilled ink #warm up #can you tell what i'm mad about today specifically #i will say that there are a LOT of things that go into this. like a lot. this is ungendered and unspecific for a reason #it isn't just sexism. it's also racism. and ableism. and honestly classism. #and before a healthcare professional reads this as a personal attack: i understand ur burnt out #we are ALSO burnt out. your situation is also dire. this is not an attack on you. #this is a commentary on the incredible amounts of bigotry that lie at the heart of capitalism #where people have to pay money out of pocket to be told to fuck off. #your job is important. so is our humanity. and if you cannot accept that people are fucking mad as hell #at the industry - you are probably not listening . #anyway at some point im gonna write a piece about sexism specifically in medical shit #but i don't want terfs clowning in it bc they can't understand nuance #> it is true that ppl w/a uterus are more likely to experience medical malpractice & dismissal globally #> it is also true that trans people experience an equally fucked up and bad time in the medical field #> great news! the medical industrial complex is an equal opportunity life ruiner :) #(if you find it necessary to go into a debate about biology while discussing medical malpractice #i want to warn you that you're misunderstanding the issue. because guess what. #cis MEN might experience this. particularly black men. particularly disabled men. #so YES having a uterus can lead to more trouble for you. but this happens a LOT. #instead of fighting those ALSO experiencing your pain.... try working WITH them. #which btw. is like. actual feminism.)

[tekra-brings-the-rain]

There is no marriage equality until disabled people can marry without losing benefits.

There is no wage equality until disabled people cannot be paid below minimum wage.

Equality is only equal when it is equality for all.

#disabled rights #marriage equality #wage equality #disability #disability rights #disabled

[crippledasinfuckyou]

sometimes a healthy relationship isn't 50/50 because it can't be, and that's okay.

disabled people who cannot take on an equal portion of the work in a relationship deserve to be loved too, if that's what they want. and as long as their partner is getting the support they need, and is happy to take on that work, then what's the issue? it's nobodys business but your own the way that works in your relationship.

if you or your partner are disabled, and you can't split the work in the relationship 50/50, that's okay. you're not abusive, or a baby, or unloveable because of that. I promise

#inspired by: yet another post saying with absolutely no nuance that if ur partner doesn't do 50% of the work in the relationship u should #leave them. which fucks me off supremely #my husband has hemiplegia among other things #and literally CANNOT do about 85% of the stuff that needs to get done #and that's okay! because I am happy to take that on! #equality in relationships doesn't have to mean splitting things 50/50 #it can mean having an honest conversation about your needs and abilities and making it work #disabled people deserve love if they want it #disability #actually disabled

[roamwithahungryheart]

Rare Disease Day 2023

I'd like to start by saying a huge thank you to everyone for your support and love after my recent surgery, it truly means so, so much.

As it's Rare Disease Day once again, I want to share my experience in the hope that it helps someone out there to not only understand what it's like to live with a rare disorder, but also to feel a little less alone. So, let's get down to it.

For those of you who don't already know, I was born with a Dandy-Walker malformation and an atrioventricular septal defect specifically known as Tetralogy of Fallot. ToF is characterized by four defects, and according to my current surgeon, my case isn’t textbook. God's plan was to make me as unique as possible!

I had corrective surgery at just 5 weeks old, and my second repair in October 2022. I’ll need further surgeries in the future.

While ToF is one of the more commonly known conditions, DWS is largely unrecognized. Even the specialists I’m under don’t know everything about DWS. That’s the trouble with a disorder with so many variants.

According to statistics from the Dandy-Walker Alliance, 1 in 10,000 children are born with DWS. It’s also more likely to affect women than men. Some people don't live past the age of 40.

My malformation and co-existing symptoms are milder than they could have been. I’m one of the lucky ones who won’t need a hydrocephalic shunt, or end up in a wheelchair, but for some, that’s the reality of living with DWS.

The defining trait of Dandy-Walker Syndrome is an abnormality of the cerebellum, forming a cyst at the base of the skull, and complete absence of the cerebellar vermis. In severe cases, increased cerebral fluid is present. Children born with DWS will have delayed development and poor motor control. My hands mirror each of their movements, and I occasionally experience myoclonic jerks.

Another side effect of DWS is epilepsy. I've had a lifetime of headaches, dizziness and seizures. There are 41 different types of seizure, and I can experience any one of them at any given time. So in short, it's sometimes a real chore to get through the day! But in spite of it all, I've managed to live a reasonably normal life.

I turn 30 this year, and I've been thinking a lot more about my future goals, because as I'm sure you know, women face a lot of pressure to have their shit together by the time they turn the big 3-0. I’m a woman who would love to have children, but know that because of my health, it might never happen. Or if it does happen, there’s a significant chance my child could end up with all the same health complications I have. I can’t count the times I’ve kept myself awake at night, sometimes even cried because of it. Sometimes it’s scary having to admit and accept that. However, I'm a big believer in the old adage 'where there's a will, there's a way'. It's gotten me this far, and I don't intend to let anything stop me from living the life I deserve.

If you're reading this and you have a rare chronic illness or disability - or any disorder - I hope you take a little time today to remind yourself of how unique and wonderful you are. Take pride in being perfectly imperfect.

You are seen, you are loved, and you are stronger than you believe.

#Rare Disease Day #Dandy-Walker Syndrome #Dandy-Walker malformation #Dandy Walker syndrome #Tetralogy of Fallot #heart month #disability equality #disability rights #disability representation #disabled community #personal

[andthebeanstalk]

Me: hm, I want something to put on the TV as background noise... Huh. Looks like YouTube is recommending something called The Last Unicorn. That's perfect, it's probably some old shitty animation that has aged poorly! I can watch it ironically!

Me, 2 hours later as the credits roll: *crying, cheering, buying the book, composing the songs*

Me, 2 weeks later: So I have compiled all of the quotes from the book that I think could make good tattoos, and also, HOW HAVE I NEVER LEARNED ABOUT HOW THE LAST UNICORN FUCKING SLAPS??? This gay-ass little fairytale fed my soul! Watered my crops! Transed my gender! Can't believe I heard of this story from youtube recommendations, of all places!!

#original #the last unicorn #tlu #peter s beagle #molly gru #schmendrick #schmendrick the magician #two of my favorite characters in anything right there in the center of the story! and I'm glad I saw the film first! #my reading ability has diminished due to trauma disability etc. but it seems like having a visual reference actually really helped! #no wonder i only ever want to read fan fic! turns out reading is not actually Superior to other types of Storytelling. it's just different. #to say otherwise is snobbishness I have been eminently guilty of in my life! #but like it is easier for me to consume tv and movies and that is fine actually. also that's why I'm doing a graphic novel lol #because i wanted to make something i would actually be able to read if i found it at a library. altho the audio book IS gonna be bomb #the audiobook is for visually impaired readers and anyone who wants or needs it! accessible stories for everyone! yeah!! #my gender was already transed but now I've gained an ADDITIONAL gender! which one? I'll never tell 😘 #i am so powerful i have so much fuckin gender. my wife has no gender. and she is equally as powerful. #and also she has STUDIED THE BLADE #mostly zoro's blades from One Piece #normally YouTube recommends me shit movies like idiocracy or smth this is like if every day ur cat brought you a piece of rotten food and #then one day it brings you a BEAUTIFULLY ANIMATED TALE FEATURING MY BELOVED TWINK FUCK-UP WIZARD FRIEND AND MY ALL-TIME HOMEGIRL MOLLY GRU #and also it's soft and beautiful and funny and fucking weird!! i wrote melodies to the songs in the books on my ukulele

[switchcase]

Since it's pride month, just a little reminder for everyone that disabled people cannot flee their respective countries as many people are suggesting in response to recent legislations in USA and Russia--and not just because of the high cost of doing so!

When you want to permanently immigrate to another country, the embassy interviews you. People on any sort of disability payments and visibly disabled people are usually rejected outright because most countries have laws against disabled people immigrating. Even if you have a job now, but are visibly disabled or they can see you were on disability in the past, they may still deny you.

For disabled Americans, if you want to even visit another country for more than 30 days, if you are on SSI your payments will stop. If you're on SSDI you can only visit certain countries and still get your SSDI payments.

#pride month #cripplepunk #disability #.log #there's also the whole marriage equality thing but that one is USA specific and the immigration issue is not #pride

[kropotkindersurprise]

September 26, 2022 - Congratulations to the Cuban people for voting in favor of the Family Code! [article]

The new code guarantees the right of all people to form a family without discrimination, legalizing same sex marriage and allowing same sex couples to adopt children. Under the new code, parental rights will be shared among extended and non-traditional family structures that could include grandparents, step parents and surrogate mothers. The code also adds novelties such as prenuptial agreements and assisted reproduction.

The Code promotes equal distribution of domestic responsibilities amongst men and women and extends labor rights to those who care full-time for children, the elderly, or people with disabilities. The code establishes the right to a family life free from violence, one that values ​​love, affection, solidarity and responsibility. It codifies domestic violence penalties, and promotes comprehensive policies to address gender-based violence.

The Code also outlaws child marriage and corporal punishment, stating that parents will have “responsibility” instead of “custody” of children, and will be required to be “respectful of the dignity and physical and mental integrity of children and adolescents.” It also asserts that parents should grant maturing offspring more say over their lives.

The new code also expands the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities. It recognizes the role of grandfathers and grandmothers in the transmission of values, culture, traditions and care.

#cuba #marriage equality #social justice #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia+ #gay rights #elderly #socialism #rainbow flag #flag #gif #2022 #feminism #women's rights #disability rights #referendum #family code #gay marriage #communism #children

[lavcommunicatez]

i love you nonspeakers. i love you nonverbal people.

i love you nonverbal people who prefer to be called nonverbal. i love you nonspeaking people who prefer to be called nonspeaking. i love you nonspeaking nonverbal people who tired of debate about terminology or can’t keep up with it and just want be heard and communication rights respected.

i love you people who not speak ever since birth ( hi! ). i love you people who use to speak but experience regression / catatonia / burnout or with degenerative physical disabilities. i love you nonspeaking nonverbal people with acquired disabilities.

i love you multimodal communicators. i love you people with complex communication needs. i love you apraxic people who are unreliably speaking. i love you minimally verbal people. i love you semiverbal people. i love you speaking people with selective mutism with intermittent speech ( who listen to us and not speak over )

I love you nonspeaking nonverbal autistic people. i love you nonspeaking / nonverbal people with other intellectual & developmental disabilities. i love you nonspeaking / nonverbal people with apraxia / dyspraxia ( full body or apraxia of speech ) . I love you nonspeaking nonverbal people with brain injury with stroke with aphasia with genetic disorders. i love you nonspeaking / nonverbal people with mental health disabilities that affect language ( eg schizophrenia ) .

I love you AAC users. I love you users of text based AAC. I love you users of picture based AAC. I love you users of low tech AAC. I love you people who can’t afford the big expensive robust systems and rely on free apps or low tech for that reason. I love you people who need small grid size. I love you people who need visual accommodations to AAC like high contrast. I love you people who need alternate access like switch , eye gaze , head track , joystick , partner assisted scanning to make AAC accessible. I love you nonspeaking / nonverbal people who use sign languages. I love you PECS users. I love you letter board users. I love you people who need human support to use AAC , people who use methods like FC and RPM and S2C and all the “ discredited ” method that are constant at risk of being take away from you.

I love you nonspeaking nonverbal people who haven’t found a way to communicate with words that works for them yet. i love you people who communicate mostly or entirely with behavior with gesture with pointing with vocal sounds not words. i love you people who only way communicate is what the system calls “challenging behavior.” I love you people who communicate through violent meltdown, who SIB and hurt others , run away unsafely , destroy property etc and who are punish institutionalize incarcerate or other abused oppressed instead of helped find other way to communicate. i love you nonverbal nonspeaking people who won’t ever see this post, who under institution control or informal more subtle control and don’t have access to social media , or who disability make social media hard , or who just don't like / have interest in being on here (was me for a while !)

I love you nonverbal and nonspeaking people who have found a home in the nonverbal / high support need community on here and who feel like experience is represent. i love you nonverbal and nonspeaking people who have found a home in offline AAC / nonspeaking world like CommunicationFirst and the spellling to communicate conferences. I love you nonverbal and nonspeaking people who not find their " home " in the disability / nonverbal nonspeaking community yet , who not see own experience represent anywhere.

i love you nonspeakers of color. i love you nonspeaking nonverbal queer and trans people. i love you physically disabled nonspeaking / nonverbal people. i love you mentally ill / Mad nonspeaking nonverbal people. i love you poor nonspeaking nonverbal people. i love you nonspeaking / nonverbal people not from global north.

i love you nonverbal people. i love you nonspeaking people. we are great and we deserve to be heard.

#sorry if post sound bias / prioritizing nonspeaking term over nonverbal by writing it first or sometimes forget write both #prefer nonspeaking and instinct is write first but both equally good! #institution mention #long post #nonspeaking #nonverbal #semiverbal #autism #i/dd #disability #lav talkz

[loubatas]

Holy fuck, I have just learned that starting from today, your Allocation Adulte Handicapé (French state's allowance for disabled adults who can't work) is no longer tied to your partner's income!

This means disabled adults can now live with their partner and even get married without losing part or all of their allowance, as it was before!

This will help so many of us. So many of us who had to live with their partner because they needed their help everyday and so couldn't get governmental financial help and had to scrap on with only one person's income. So many of us who had to stay with their abusive partner because they didn't have any income of their own. And so many of us who had to live alone because we couldn't afford to lose our allowance

That's the best news I've heard this year. Disability benefits being tied to your partner's income is still the norm in most countries. I hope it'll spread to the rest of the world quickly

(Source)

#disability #disability rights #marriage equality #france #frenchposting on main #I had heard they were working on it but I had no idea they would implement it so quickly #a few years ago the government refused to untie the AHH from your partner's income because 'no other country does that' #I can't believe they changed their mind so quickly #and I hope no other country will ever use that fuck of an excuse to their disabled population #mine