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Can y’all stop with the “I can’t wait to LIVE again” re: getting past this pandemic, bc some ppl DO live like this; in isolation, high sanitation practices, wearing masks, etc due to their disabilities & it won’t change after the pandemic and it’s no less a life, its still LIVING
This is a massive lesson in how disability simulations are mostly doomed to fail because instead of people realizing the human ability to adapt to different circumstances and still live a full life, people are just anxious to get their privilege back.
They should leave thinking “I can do this. This is doable. If I ever find myself with this disability I have some idea of how I would navigate it”
And/or
“Going forward I will be more considerate about how my actions affect this community and aspire to be an ally”
And/or
“Going forward I will be more considerate about how my actions affect this community and aspire to be an ally”
Instead they become more scared instead of the empathy that was sought, they get scared and RUN back to privilege and forget all about the people who exist in the world that they “experimented” in.
Personally, as a chronically ill person who spent most of their time at home & in bed (but still able to get out occasionally), the restrictions of the pandemic showed me how to gather virtually, set boundaries with my access needs, & get creative celebrating things at home.
I had a birthday in 2020 that I’d planned to be able to travel for and the pandemic made that not possible for me so I romanced myself and turned all the things I would’ve done on my travels into at-home activities, and it was so special to me, I am not sure how I will top it.
My bday week:
Picnic- picnic in my backyard
Drag Show- dressed up in drag, watched Dragula
Broadway- dressed as Broadway characters & watched musicals
Art museum- art outfit, movies, creation
Magic Kingdom- Disney movies, outfit, food
EPCOT- food from around the world
Picnic- picnic in my backyard
Drag Show- dressed up in drag, watched Dragula
Broadway- dressed as Broadway characters & watched musicals
Art museum- art outfit, movies, creation
Magic Kingdom- Disney movies, outfit, food
EPCOT- food from around the world
Only adding this personal part onto the thread because I see so many ppl unwilling to protect their communities just to satisfy a desire for “normalcy” when you could let it nourish your perception about life & the ability to adapt but instead you hold onto privilege so tight.
I have to add on one more time to this thread:
This is not about “hurt feelings”, this is about the perpetuation of the belief that the lives of disabled people are “not living”.
This is not about “hurt feelings”, this is about the perpetuation of the belief that the lives of disabled people are “not living”.
This belief and the language that accompanies it- has, and continues, to reinforce the oppression we experience.
During this pandemic disabled people have been denied care in favor of abled people bc disabled people are assumed to have “no quality of life”
During this pandemic disabled people have been denied care in favor of abled people bc disabled people are assumed to have “no quality of life”
This idea that disabled life is no life at all has KILLED members of my community; they are denied care, made to sign DNRs (Do Not Resuscitate agreements), and are not prioritized for vaccinations BECAUSE they are believed to have “no quality of life”
My ask is that ppl acknowledge their privilege, question ableist beliefs & language that accompanies them, work to gain empathy & be a better ally.
You can still express frustrations w/ a very difficult situation but you do not have to throw disabled ppl under the bus to do it
You can still express frustrations w/ a very difficult situation but you do not have to throw disabled ppl under the bus to do it
