#disabled independence

[panicdeleter]

Home Accesibility: need advice please

Hey, so I've lived alone in an apartment for years and struggled with a buttload of things. I finally have enough money for a house and I'm trying to determine whether I can actually manage the additional labor which is required. Recently a friend bought me a lightbulb with a remote and I realized there might be solutions to my problems other than *build a complicated system of using the lightswitches or be uncomfortable until it's annoying enough to overcome the exectutive dysfunction* I don't have any idea where to even start looking for information about this other than to ask other disabled people, most of the information that I've found that's been really useful has been tumblr posts that have just shown up, rather than things I can actually find online, so I thought I would just, ask for help (that's so motherfucking hard) I don't have the skills or spoons to make this any easier to read, please ask for clarification if this post is hard to understand!

#disability #actually disabled #actually autistic #plural #dissociative identity disorder #madpunk #accessibility #home accessibility #disabled independence

[capableism]

What the ADA really thinks about service dogs

What are some differences between humans and animals? The scientific  community would answer intelligence or behavior. Humans are civil and part of  what Peter Singer calls a "moral community." We have rules, while animals have  natural selection. Even though it is proven, all animals have "cognitive empathy"  and adjust to different needs in their community. Humans are self-centered and  instinctively want to categorize things as part of early cognitive development.  Piaget's theory describes this categorization as Schema. It is a natural way to  learn. 

Children are curious. Someone with a visible disability may be challenging  to understand because they can't immediately identify and categorize us.  

Animals and people can learn to adjust according to De Waal's research. Living beings have the instinct to protect their own for the survival of their  species. Humans dominate the planet, but that doesn't negate other species'  intelligence or needs. Studies of animals and disability converge when  discussing the issues of service animals.

 Politics define animals as "equipment" that has functions and not feelings. They serve to perform tasks. The law  separates humans and animals by ignoring natural emotional interactions  between humans and animals. Reasons that people need a service animal  varies. The fundamental reason is to help them be "more productive members of  society" (Oliver, 111). This belief that disabled people inherently make lesser  contributions to society is ableist. It extends the thought that disabled people  cannot just be an equal part of society. In the hierarchy of  disability, there is a line drawn between what an "acceptable disabled person  can do." Those with severe conditions are closer to animals that humans "mercy  kill" Severe disabilities render a human less valuable.

A service dog can be a tool to lessen the burden of disability on society. "The  fact that service dogs are seen to provide independence for the people they  serve shows that we discount our dependency on non-human animals." (Oliver,  113) 

The rise of emotional support animals demonstrates that humans need  animals beyond functionality. The ADA does not recognize emotional support  animals like service dogs. "We built walls and fences, corrals and cages not only  to regulate their (animal's) physical proximity but also, and moreover, to keep  them out of our moral community." (Oliver, 117) This question of morality and  ethics surfaces in animal and disability rights. Disability rights are human rights.  

Animals are living creatures that share the planet and ethically deserve respect. Otherwise, humans would be "animals" crossing a line. According to De Waal's theory of learned adjustment, "it could go in multiple directions– if animals learn  another animal is vulnerable, they might take advantage of her, abandon her,  help her or accept her" (Taylor, 17). I believe humans are as capable as any other animal of choosing among available options. Morally we have the option to be good or bad. Humans "discount" animal connection possibly to maintain lines and categories where everything fits.

When something is unfamiliar, we can either reject it or learn from it. Studies between humans and animals are separate because we're not "one of those" animals. But the same logic of morality and ethics influences the politics of human life.

Sources

Taylor, C. (2020). Animal crips. In S. Jenkins & K. S. Montford (Eds.), Disability and animality:rip perspective in critical animal studies (pp. 13-34). Academia. https://www.academia.edu/45026461/Disability_and_Animality_Crip_Perspectives_in_Critical_Animal_Studies?auto=citations&from=cover_page

Oliver, K. (2020). Service dogs: between animal and disabilities studies. In S. Jenkins & K. S. Montford (Eds.), Disability and animality:crip perspective in critical animal studies (pp. 13-34). Academia. https://www.academia.edu/45026461/Disability_and_Animality_Crip_Perspectives_in_Critical_Animal_Studies?auto=citations&from=cover_page

#service dog #Ada #animal studies #disability studies #emotional support #emotional support animal #pet owners #disability community #service animal #disability laws #disability politics #mobility aid #disabled independence #bonding #interdependence #animal rights #animal regulation #americans with disabilities act #learned adjustment #cognitive empathy

[shesnake]

24 hour time loops: not long enough to create or undo anything permanent, crazy-making but often still funny

365 day time loops: the most fucked up shit you could possibly imagine

#the lazarus project #every time I go to rewatch tlp I get stuck on ep 3 because. yeah. but I am pushing through!!!! #much like Janet did one could say (sorry) #disabling reblog because you guys are just independently arriving at ideas for messed up pregnancy scenarios #which is is what this post was originally about - because this post was about the lazarus project and this very thing just not as outright #and it's great to see people get so creative coming up with this stuff independently but also it's just unoriginal and therefore annoying #to me as the person whose notes are being flooded. love and light ❤️

[flowercrowncrip]

I wish that instead of talking about “independent living” as disabled people we talked more about “autonomous living”.

I think when a lot of people see “independent” they assume it means living alone without other people. And some people assume that independent living services aren’t for them because they need 24/7 care. Or non disabled people think it’s pointless because many disabled people can’t live on their own.

But what we call independent living often includes having access to carers/ PAs/ support workers. It’s about having freedom to make all the meaningful choices we can, having the support and equipment we need to live comfortably and safely and to access the community and other activities. And I feel like “autonomous living” describes that better.

#independent living #autonomous living #disability #actually disabled #autonomy

[fibrousearth]

My first earring listing is live! These are entirely handmade from sterling wire and vintage glass beads, available now on my ko-fi!!

#any boosts would be greatly appreciated! #handmade #handmade jewelry #wire wrapped jewelry #independent artist #disabled artist #queer artist #handmade earrings #sterling earrings #sterling silver #sterling silver jewelry

[awetistic-things]

i’m a strong dependent woman who definitely needs some assistance

#autism #autistic #actually autistic #asd #autism spectrum disorder #autistic things #on the spectrum #autistic problems #autism problems #autism funny #autistic funny #funny #strong dependent woman #strong independent woman #woman #feminism #disabled #disability #actually disabled

[librarycards]

If one subscribes to an ideology that views people with cognitive, psychiatric, and other diagnoses as mostly incompetent, ‘child-like’ and unable to care for themselves or make meaningful decisions about their lives, then an idea such as independent living or living in a non-institutional setting is quite radical, which is why it was, and still is, so ferociously resisted. It may be useful to understand what one means by a ‘dependent population’ that cannot live 'independently,’ which is what many proponents of institutional and group home living say of people with significant disabilities. Two dimensions could be affiliated with the term dependency: first, dependency on the state for financial support, health care, and other provisions; second, perceived inability of people to engage in their own self care without assistance of others (Oliver 1990). Some disabled people seem to fit both definitions.

In everyday usage, dependence implies an inability to care for oneself and thus having to rely on other people’s assistance. Conversely, independence implies not relying on anybody and requiring no assistance, a concept tied to an individualistic ethos (Oliver 1990). Disabled people often embody a different definition of independence, as exemplified in the principles of the Independent Living Movement. Under this framework, independence is perceived as the ability to control one’s life, such as hiring one’s own aides, and deciding on daily routines. It is not understood to mean doing things without any help from others. When analyzing daily living in modern societies, it is hard to find situations in which any people are independent from one another. Thus, projecting dependence as a characteristic only of 'fragile’ members of our societies (i.e., elderly, disabled, and children) may seem natural, but it relies on a specific North American framework of rugged individualism (Ben-Moshe, Nocella, and Withers 2013).

If anything, in many cases it is societal attitudes that create dependence amongst elderly and disabled people. Inaccessibility of the built environment, patronizing attitudes, historical exclusion from schooling and the increasingly fast pace of life in modern societies are all contributing factors to the social construction of disability (Wendell 1996) and dependence (Oliver 1990). Dependence is not inevitable or inherent within these populations. Dependence was prescribed to people with disabilities, and the elderly, so it seems detached from 'normal people’s’ existence (Finkelstein 1993). An additional problem of the creation of forced dependence and infantilization is that it is often 'masked by loving care’ (Hockey and James 1993) of family members or professionals.

Liat Ben-Moshe, “Alternatives to (Disability) Incarceration”, Disability Incarcerated: Imprisonment and Disability in the United States and Canada.

#'dependent' is a political category & value judgement under neoliberal capitalism #for as long as independence is considered a perquisite for personhood - one which disabled/young people will always fail #liat ben-moshe #institutionalization #readings #disabiity #autonomy #ableism

[thesoftestmess]

this might not be canon, but personally i need furina to struggle a whole lot longer and harder with post-prophecy depression and mental illness. She's played the same tiring and painful act for five centuries, was constantly in a life or death scenario and had to hide her true self from the world the entire time and she won't just recover in a few years from that.

There's parts of her that will never ever be compatible with a simple human lifestyle, and parts of her that are irreparably broken. She isn't sure of her personality after everything that happened and the lie she had to live. She slips between personas and her archon temperament comes through like a defensive mechanism at any sign of conflict or trouble.

She's plagued by nightmares. Of the flood, of the trial, of the people closest to her conspiring against her behind her back, and of being found out in a million terrible ways. Of saying the wrong thing, making a wrong decision. Of being found out, of being found out, of being found out.

Lying or keeping a secret feels existential still. Being honest still feels life threatening sometimes. Putting herself first feels like putting both hands on a hot stove.

She doesn't live in the palais anymore, doesn't have to sit through trials anymore, but her heart and soul are still there. In her dreams she's still at the place she spent her entire life's memories at.

Yes, she can make new memories, but it'll take time. More time than she has, maybe, now that she's the closest to being human she'll ever be.

She'll never be human in the way the people around her are.

What sort of human has 500 years worth of memories after all? What human tells personal anecdotes and mixes up their centuries?

What sort of human can feel the absence of their divinity like it's a physical thing? A voice that will never speak to her again, or keep her alive? What human has no family, no childhood?

What human remembers so little, but still remembers death somewhere deep within?

She jerks out of sleep from it sometimes, gasping for air, and spends the rest of the night awake, almost frozen by fear. The flood is over, but it's hard to convince her racing heart that the danger is too.

Humans have entire family trees that go generations back, but Furina was put into this world a solitary creature, her blood heavy with sin ever since she turned human.

She owns a hydro vision now and doesn't know how to yield it, but the ocean still calls out to her some days. Sea creatures flock to her like they can smell she's not human enough.

She learns how to make little hydro companions for herself, so the darkness and emptiness of her apartment feels less ominous when she lies awake at night.

She can't turn her vision into a weapon quite yet, but when it rains the droplets seem to cling to her. She's watched them roll upwards along her arm, watched them gather in her palm like kin. She wonders if sea creatures flock to neuvillette in a similar way, or if his immense power makes them recoil. She wonders if elemental dragons can feel regret. Wonders if he, too, ever feels entirely foreign in that human body he was given. If he, too, lies awake trying to grasp faint memories of a past life.

She's extremely human in the way she's plagued by body pains from not being able to relax just one day in five centuries. The years catch up with her once she gets out of survival mode, and fatigue is a constant companion now. Sleep comes difficultly and getting out of bed was easier when the fate of a whole nation depended on it. On her. She's never lived for just herself before and some days she's not sure she wants to.

She did her duty and earned her retirement and the story turned out well, all things considered. She still has people by her side, some of them.

Still, she feels raw and tired and overwhelmed by the life lying ahead of her. As a human and as someone who will always be Something Else.

#you can have your perfectly competent fully healed hyper independent furina #if i can have my mess of a person multiply-disordered and trying her best furina #like i'm sorry but this babygirl can fit sooooo much ptsd and depression and personality disorder into her #that's a girl with lifelong chronic pain from not being allowed to relax for a day in five centuries #that's a girl who needs a teeth protector at night because she'd grind he #*them into a fine powder from all the tension she still holds #that's someone who gets so low so suddenly and loes all her joy in the matter of minutes #that's someone who wants to catch up on a lifetime of being human but is bone-deep exhausted #and crushed by fatigued #my disability beam went all over her like neuv's water gun #now she's sopping wet and shivering i'm sorry #genshin impact #furina #fari talks fic

[duality-disability]

ah yes, daydreaming of owning a good quality manual wheelchair so i dont have to worry about my legs giving out from under me. A normal, ablebodied daily activity

#i'm disabled as hell dont listen to anyone who tells you otherwise #chronic illness #disability #physical disability #chronic pain #chronic fatigue #i want to be independent and not.. #foldable like a damn lawn chair #chronic disability

[neurosky]

Does anyone else have dreams about getting good mobility aids and actually being able to use them without shame?? Because I've had so many dreams about getting a wheelchair that's not from some random store and it's honestly getting depressing

#I love my wheelchair but it's honestly so heavy and big #I'm grateful to have one at all but I feel like I'm not independent in it because of how heavy it is #I also don't usually use any of my mobility aids unless I absolutely NEED them because I don't like the stares #I always end up waking up sad because it wasn't real :( #chronic illness #actually chronically ill #chronically ill #actually disabled #disabled

[psychoticallytrans]

There are three main models of disability that are in common use. The moral model, the medical model, and the social model.

You may not have heard of the moral model before, but if you are disabled, you have felt the impact of it. The moral model is disability as a failure of character. It sources the problem of disability in the character of the disabled person. It's the people who insist that if you just tried harder, were better, had a better attitude, that you would no longer be disabled. It is a model that is used by ableists in order to conceptualize of disability as a failing of the individual. An extreme example of this mindset are the Christian Scientists, who believe that all illnesses and disabilities should be healed by the grace of their god and that if you are not healed, something is wrong with you. It is the the most cruel of the models, and the least successful at assisting disabled people.

The medical model is the model used by the medical establishment and by those who put their stock in medical authority. It sources the problem of disability in the body. It measures disability against a theoretical average person, and seeks to make disabled people match that average person more closely. This model works very well for disabled people with disabilities that can be measured, have a potential treatment plan, and want their disability gone. It does not work very well for people who do not match all three criteria. If they match the first and second but not the third, then strict adherents of the medical model often fall back on the moral model, stating that they are stupid, lazy, or selfish for not being interested in being cured. This also often happens if treatment fails to improve the condition of the disabled person.

The social model is a newer model, largely designed by disability activists and scholars and often defined in opposition to the medical model. It sources the problem of disability in the interaction between the disabled person and their physical and social environment. It argues that the solution of disability is to change the environment so that impairments are no longer an issue. This model works very well for disabled people who consider their disability not to be an issue when fully accommodated. It does not work well for people who consider their disability an inherent impairment and/or desire a cure. Strict adherents of the social model often fall back on the moral model when considering these people, stating that they are short-sighted or that they worship the medical model. These are the people who state things such as that depression would not exist in a world without capitalism.

When a disabled person fails to behave as expected by the model a person has of disability, the moral model is almost always the fallback position, because many people cannot conceive of why someone would disagree with them other than a lack of good character. This is a problem, because the moral model proposes no solution but to ignore or abuse the disabled person until they behave as expected.

Another notable interaction is that adherents of the medical model can often be persuaded to support the more traditional parts of the social model, such as providing large text resources to people with impaired vision, so long as there is empirical research backing it. However, they rarely support more radical arguments that challenge how we define disability and how society should be structured or restructured.

All three models have major failure points. The moral model fails every disabled person it is applied to. The medical and social models both fail different disabled people when adhered to strictly. The best approach at the moment seems to be hybridizing the social and medical models, so that they cover each other's weak points and fit the needs of the widest spectrum of disabled people. The main barrier to this is that they are often defined in opposition to each other.

#I personally adhere to a hybridized model of the medical and social models that I informally call the independence model #If an individual is disabled or not is their personal call #as is what they do about it. #it does need to be acknowledged who is considered disabled by our society and how that will affect someone #even if they do not consider themselves disabled #Medical care and accommodations should be available to whoever wants it #but should never be forced or pressed on anyone #Public spaces and events should be accessible to as wide a variety of people as possible #The main failure point of the independence model is that it does not call for a single clear solution #and basing a model around personal choice makes it difficult to make policy proposals

[ink-asunder]

"You're being entitled!" These bitches are asking us to fund their Hollywood-quality content dreams like Walt Disney pleading a bank he was in debt to to give him another loan to finish Bambi, a movie that did not see any monetary success until it rereleased seven years later. I have to pay so much big money in medical expenses every month that I don't have any "treats" (a starbucks coffee, a different subscription, etc) I can go without. I'm not the entitled one here.

#also i'm not 'acting entitled to their free content' if i don't even want the content to begin with 🤭 #watcher #my last post blew up. rip. take me dogs. #also in terms of content creation in general: i do not believe i am entitled to free work of any kind from any artist #however if you post it online for free then the transactional contract has been fulfilled. #if you want comments go back to the 'i'm not gonna post another chapter until i get 5 comments' business model #and like the most frustrating thing is!! I can't subscribe to Anything with money!! #I use my grandparents' passwords. I beg them to add a new channel on the roku if i want it. #i can't tip most online creators because i couldn't make a money mover account before i filed for disability. #i cannot support So Many independent artists and just people selling things to get by even though i want to so badly. #but people are getting divisive over funding an already established and successful entertainment project. #i'm just sick with it tonight.

[vampireposter]

regularly shocked by remembering wyll is 24. i'm 24. take this man Out of situations, his biggest worry ought to be whether his roommates are going to pay him back for pizza last night

#LIKE WHAT #(he would forgive the debt if they couldnt bc hes a cool friend) #idk i know i feel younger than my age bc of disability and i think he may feel older sometimes bc their age 18 is 15 in faerun #and hes been independent for 7 years #but also hes lost 7 years of social maturation so maybe he also feels young and idealistic and silly sometimes #i keep re-realizing this whenever i think abt my 25 y/o tav romancing him & am like #‘no they cant adopt yenna my boy is too young for a 10 y/o’ #wyll is younger!!! #i may be becoming a wyllposter. hes in my mind lately #bg3

[metalheadsforblacklivesmatter]

Mandatory Fourth of July post.

Please be conscientious of your need to blow shit up tonight. Not only is the smoke very bad for the disabled people with breathing issues. It's very triggering for people with PTSD.

I find Fourth of July a real telltale sign of the true feelings of the "MURCA FUCKYEAH *shoots guns in the air* MAH RIGHTS. RESPECT THE TROOPS" Americans. Because when the veterans say "Hey. Please don't blow shit up. It's very triggering of that time I was in a war zone protecting our rights." The "My pronouns are USA" Americans tend to laugh in the faces of the veterans.

I'm sure there's ways you can enjoy your day off without triggering people with PTSD during Disability Pride Month?

-fae

#fourth of july #independence day #disability pride month

[cassolotl]

UK government planning to scrap a major disability benefit

I'm only just scraping by and the government are proposing to take away PIP (a disability benefit), which would be HALF of my income wiped out.

"Reforms to personal independence payments (PIP) could include stopping regular cash payments, and instead offering claimants one-off grants for things like home adaptations." -- "Disabled people face end to monthly benefits cash", BBC News, 29 April 2024

And:

"The plans, which will be consulted on over the coming months, also include proposals to “move away from a fixed cash benefit system”, meaning people with some conditions will no longer receive regular payments, but instead access to treatment if their condition does not involve extra costs." -- "People with depression or anxiety could lose sickness benefits, says UK minister", Guardian, 29 April 2024

That's what the NHS is supposed to be doing...

Genuinely absolutely terrifying.

Can anyone living in the UK join in with an (hopefully!) overwhelming cascade of unique emails to their MP opposing this? WriteToThem.com makes it very quick and easy.

They're proposing to replace it with one-off grants that the individual can apply for, which is absurd and horrifying, so feel free to point out how that won't work as well!

Here's what I'm writing, and do not just copy-paste my letter/email, because that makes it less legit. Do your own thing, even just one sentence telling your MP that you're opposed is enough if that's all you can manage. Whatever you want to say is what your MP needs to hear.

Dear [MP's name], Today I learned that the government plan to scrap PIP, and maybe replace it with something like a one-off grant application process, before the next election. ("Disabled people face end to monthly benefits cash", BBC News, 29 April 2024: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0ry09d50wo) PIP is about half of my income (about 44%). I don't spend it on occasional large purchases, I spend it on countless things that are more expensive for me than they are for other people. PIP is in place to acknowledge, as it says in the above article, that disabled people's lives are more expensive than non-disabled people's lives by hundreds of pounds per week. ("Previous research from Scope suggests households with at least one disabled adult or child face an estimated average extra cost of £975 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households." That's £225 per week, and the maximum amount of PIP you can get is £184.) So firstly, it could be argued that PIP doesn't even cover the additional expenses of the average disabled household. And next, the cost of implementing an alternative system would be worse for disabled people, totally unsuited to its purpose, and more expensive to run. Worse for disabled people: Currently PIP acknowledges that being disabled takes a lot more work to maintain a comparable standard of living, and as it's an amount of work that the claimant cannot sustainably do, they are given money so that they can pay someone else to do it. These costs are distributed across all living expenses, in addition to occasional one-off purchases of e.g. mobility aids. Having to apply for one-off payments for expenses would be more work on top of that, so if the disabled person isn't able to do it (which is very likely) they will either have to work less in their day jobs in order to spend more time applying for one-off grants, or they will have to also apply for one-off payments to pay someone to apply for more one-off payments. This is self-evidently a waste of energy and time, and totally impractical, as well as being counter to the entire point of disability benefits. It would also be extremely undignified for the disabled people, and arguably against human rights (right to private life and dignity), to have to justify each purchase to the government. Totally unsuited to its purpose: One off-grants are not suited to ongoing higher expenses such as having to buy more prepared food (e.g. carrot batons are more expensive than raw carrots and go off much more quickly). Does this policy assume that disabled people's PIP is only for things like wheelchairs and walking sticks? More expensive to run: The system for PIP applications is already fairly backlogged, in that my last application took over 6 months to complete. I was awarded PIP for 10 years. If every application for a one-off grant had to be accompanied by an application of a similar scale that wouldn't be workable, so presumably an initial PIP application like the current system's would still be required to qualify for the system in the first place, and then following that, numerous smaller applications for money (e.g. for taxis, pre-chopped veg, painkillers, specialist clothing, etc.) would be carried out per person per month. The disability benefits system would have to be scaled up significantly, and it would be much more expensive. It is far cheaper to give people a set amount of money based on their needs; it's the same money that you would be giving them in grants anyway, but without having to process each purchase/one-off application. I implore you to oppose this proposal. It is blatantly unworkable to the level of absurdity, but more importantly it is inhumane. I look forward to your reply detailing your stance. Many thanks in advance. Yours sincerely, [My name]

But, again, if you can't manage anything long or complicated like that, your best is good enough. Even if they're not all perfectly written and detailed, we want to bowl them over with sheer quantity of emails.

#disability #disabled #armchair activism #UK #UK politics #PIP #personal independence payments #DWP #department for work and pensions #disability benefits #activism

[fizzie-frog]

K k but consider this: Asmodeus taking care of Fizz when his health acts up and struggles to take care of himself (and we know Fizz is a stubborn little gremlin who most likely would try to take care by himself unless he's literally like dying or something).

#Fizz is disabled y'all #Fizz #Fizzarolli #Ozzie #Asmodeus #Fizzmodeus #Ozzarolli #Fizzarozzie #Helluva Boss #I mean obviously but I feel like him having prosthetics for limbs wouldn't be the only thing he'd struggle with after being exPLODED. #so I HC that he has a bunch of stuff too that he manages on the day to day but ofc has worse and better days and some days that are just #some days that are just atrocious #well good thing he has a loving bf when things do get atrocious <3 #Aaah I love them so much #And like I mentioned in the text I feel like Fizz is the type of stubborn little s that will try to be the definition of independence unles #unless he literally physically can't #Ozzie: You want help with that? #Fizz: No I'm fine. [stands up] [faceplants into the floor] #Fizz: I'll get there eventually