*gets so good at anticipating every possible comedic twist and punchline that now the only thing that catches me off guard and makes me laugh is a 100% genuine statement of fact*

friendly reminder that it’s not ok to mock how high tech AAC sounds

I Know it pronounces stuff weird sometimes and I Know it sounds robotic you don’t have to tell me. I know. some of us are hyper aware of it. stop pointing out shit we have no control over.

it’s mean to make fun of how somebody speaks verbally and it’s mean to mock somebody speaking with technology. don’t do it.

Not all people can make image descriptions

Not all people can use tone tags

Not all people can simplify their text or edit it to make it easy read

Pretty please remember this when making rules for your "disability accessible" online spaces and please remember sometimes access needs can overlap eachother:)

"I wish i could be nonverbal it would be so peaceful"

I promise you it wont feel peaceful when you need to call an ambulance

when your in a situation with police

when there's a fire, when you need help, when you are stuck,

when you need to call literally anyone to do basic life things

when you need to answer the door

when you need to buy something from a shop

when you need to have a conversation

when you need to get a job

when you need to participate in school

when you need to do basic life things that involve speech but that never crosses your mind because you have the privilege of speech

Stop saying you wish you could be nonverbal, you dont know what you are wishing for

[THIS IS ABOUT BEING NONVERBAL, NOT ABOUT VERBAL SHUTDOWNS. "Going nonverbal" does not exist. You are having a verbal shutdown. Which is fundamentally a different experience than being nonverbal.]

hi, a lot of you need a perspective reset

You are well within your right to be angry about the help you didn't get and should have gotten.

You are well within your right to be angry about having your needs neglected.

You are well within your right to be angry.

You know what? It’s fucking hard trying to get better. It’s exhausting managing doctors appointments, doing daily PT exercises, eating better, trying to exercise, trying to meditate, and doing ADL’s. I have had a bad crash per week trying to juggle and do all of the above.

It’s easier and less acutely painful to just coast and not actively work on ‘getting better’. Is the work worth it? I don’t know yet.

But to people who’ve tried and given up, to those who don’t even bother - you still deserve care and compassion.

Able bodied people seem to be under the assumption that if they do everything right that they’re immune to developing a chronic condition

That’s not how it works.

I can’t count the amount of times I’ve tried to explain to people that their health isn’t a sure thing, one day you can wake up sick and just never get better….

I wanted to share some etiquette for simplifying something down for someone with a cognitive/intellectual disability

you are simplifying the information down, not sharing your opinion

if I ask for a news article to be simplified down and you tell me "they're doing fascist things" that's unhelpful. I want to know what they're doing not what you think about what they're doing.

you should be objective with it

if an article is talking about, say, a new proposed bill in Congress an example of an appropriate way to summarize would be:

and then you can start talking about your opinion

we have a right to form our own opinions about information. if the only thing you share is your opinion you're denying us that right. when simplifying language you are a translator. think of yourself as a translator.

disabled children not allowed be children.

especially. intellectually and/or developmentally disabled (I/DD) children, & children w behavioral or “behavioral” struggles (aka many I/DD children) not allowed be children.

which may be weird thing say at first because I/DD famous for be infantilized, be treat as forever children. so would think children be only thing they “allow” be, n say they not allow be children contradicting—

but not actually.

as general whole, nondisabled children “allowed” tantrums. allow emotional immature. allowed childish quirks.

what be normal child tantrum fuss in (white) nondisabled children, even with child health/care professionals who whole entire job be understand that nondisabled typically developing child have underdeveloped brain n not yet have self regulate skill n that developmentally appropriate that normal, it may be talk as annoying & inconvenient, but for I/DD children every. single. time. where they “tantrum” “fuss” even in developmentally appropriate ways, chance be write as sign of their disability, sign of behavior problem, sign of emotional problem. be evidence of disorder. of abnormal. of something wrong. which be “okay” reason dehumanize, abuse, be talk about like animal, like not in room, like difficult problem to be solved.

nondisabled adults fondly look back at childhood comfort objects that maybe still have now, stuffed toys blankets or maybe less usual things that mean something to them. but when disabled children have them it be more likely *automatic* see as problem, as something need be weaned off, need be taken away, as unhealthy overattachment, be write into behavioral plan, only allow x minute per day, see as “impractical” & “useless”.

as general whole, nondisabled children allow say no, allow act out “no,” allow prefer, allow not want do something so protest by not doing, by not listening, by pretend not hear you. it may be see as funny or annoying but meanwhile for disabled children it largely see as oppositional as noncompliance as inattentive as something need be trained out of by all means possible.

nondisabled children do things because they kids. disabled children do things because there something wrong with them.

nondisabled children rights n autonomy not fully respected by any means but disabled children get even less of it.

disabled children often not allowed many leeway’s as nondisabled children, what be developmentally appropriate for same age nondisabled children often be over label as disorder as problem as something abnormal need be get rid off in disabled children.

n especially when come to behaviorally, white nondisabled children get be the most “child,” n Black n other disabled children of color get “child” stolen from them in multiple ways.

masking is not a universal autistic experience.

some autistics, particularly level 2 and especially level 3 support needs autistics, cannot mask. level 1 autistics need to stop acting like their experiences with masking are universal.

*swallows 18 pills at the same time as a flirting attempt* sup girl are you a wheelchair cus i wanna ride you

just a kind reminder to please be kind to the people you know with gastrointestinal disorders/conditions! they're embarassing, often very painful - sometimes debilitating - and very hard to talk about without oversharing a lot more than most are comfortable with.

if someone you know:

- spends a lot/long time in the restroom

- has a colostomy bag

- requires diapers or similar implements

- experiences a lot of gas and/or bloating

- requires tube feeding or other alternative methods of nutrition

- has food restrictions (e.g. cannot handle a lot of spices, certain proteins, etc.)

- eats a lot, or only a little

or other similar factors of their life...

please be patient and understanding, it's hard having guts that really like disagreeing with you!

Being accepting of autistic people includes being accepting of "weird" or "annoying" people who you don't know are autistic, BTW. We don't just spawn into existence with a list of diagnoses tattooed on our foreheads. If you claim to be accommodating of autistic people, but then get pissed off when someone shows a symptom of autism because your default assumption is that they're just an allistic person who's annoying you for no reason, then you aren't actually all that accommodating of autistic people.

Just wanted to share some shockingly good news in these difficult times. The full article is really worth reading. [Find it here]

[Image description: screenshot of the website Erin in the Morning with the headline "Powerful Speeches From Trans Dems Flip 29 Republicans, Anti-Trans Bills Die In Montana" and the subheadline: "Transgender Reps Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell delivered powerful speeches on the Montana House floor on Thursday. Republicans defected en masse to join them in voting against anti-trans bills" with a photograph of each representative standing and talking with a microphone in hand]

I tap the mic. “Most people don’t want to crawl down your chimney and steal your dog.”

the crowd murmurs uncertainly.

“If someone wants to steal your dog,” I continue, “there are easier ways to do that. They don’t have to crawl into a chimney.”

Murmuring intensifies. People stand in their seats and begin to boo.

“People disguising themselves as chimney sweepers and stealing dogs is not a rational fear,” I shout. “Literally anyone could steal your dog. Why make sweeping chimneys illegal?”

“I have a list of chimney sweeps who stole dogs from parks!” Someone yells, throwing a shoe.

“You seriously think no chimney sweepers could possibly ever steal from a home?” Another cries.

“Only a dog thief would even want to crawl into a chimney to begin with!” Says a third.

A single tear rolls down my cheek. They are all so fucking stupid

This is a metaphor

people with tooth decay aren't bad people. they aren't lazy either. neither are they unclean or irresponsible. tooth decay doesn't make you a bad person. you don't deserve mockery, judgement, or tooth pain for having any. the only thing people with tooth decay deserve is healthcare.