Disability blogging

This blog is for a class project - if you've stumbled upon it, I hope you find it informative and/or thought provoking!

[586ondisability]

Why is tumblr a good platform for disabled people?

I think there are a couple of key features of tumblr that make it a particularly good space for disabled people:

Multiple/flexible post formats: tumblr allows for text, visual, audio, and video formats in the same post and through the same process - this means it is easy to make dynamic posts, and that the experience of using the site is similar regardless of how and what people share. There is also virtually no limit to post length, while having features to put long content under a ‘read more’ break. This allows for a massive variety in types of posts and content, meaning there is rarely a need to go outside the framework of the site to share media, and people are not limited to a particular niche or format. This makes the site accessible to a large portion of the disabled community, as people can use whatever format is most convenient for them(1).

It’s relatively easy to curate your experience: While the search function is notorious for having its issues, it does function well enough to allow users (especially new ones) to find the communities they are looking for. People typically tag things with fairly clear and common terms, so searching through tags like ‘disability’, ‘chronic illness’, ‘accessibility’, or specific medical conditions will bring you to posts about that. (Unlike reddit, where finding the relevant subreddit is often difficult due to unintuitive naming, or facebook groups that are often invite only) Once you’ve found some posts and people to follow, it’s often easy to find likeminded people through reblogs, and blocking and filtering functions are available to avoid negative experiences. There is also no (unavoidable) algorithm – user’s ‘home’ feed is in backwards chronological order of only (and every) posts made by people they follow, meaning users can almost complete control over who and what they engage with.

The culture of informal writing: I’ll make another post about this specifically, because it deserves more in-depth discussion, but briefly – the flexibility (i.e. lack of policing) in the use of punctuation and grammar on tumblr reduces a significant barrier to engagement for many people with disabilities, and allows for integration of tone indicators and unique voice in ways that are more comfortable for many neurodiverse and disabled people. However, this can be a barrier for others who struggle to follow posts due to the lack of structure.

Culture of accessibility and collective care: In much of the disabled community on tumblr (see ‘curating your experience’), there is a culture of accessibility awareness and community support. Users regularly add image descriptions to posts, fact check (often confirming and putting explanations of sources in plain language), and share tips and resources for everything from pain management, to social scripts, to navigating medical systems.

Limited censorship/corporate oversight: There are absolutely issues with censorship, cancelling/mass reporting, and account deletion on tumblr, but relatively speaking, people can say far more on tumblr without getting shut down or banned for ‘community guideline violations’ than other social media sites (largely due to the lack of advertising revenue associated with the site, but that is a separate topic). While this creates its own issues, it means that people can speak openly and plainly about their experiences and struggles, without concern that their language, tone, or subject matter will be unpalatable to a wider audience. Given that disabled people’s very existence is often seen as inappropriate, upsetting, or NSFW in public or on other online platforms (2, 3) this is an important factor for a space that disabled people can exist authentically within.

This will be obvious to most disabled people, and to many other people with marginalized and stigmatized identities, however I think it’s worth spelling out: As a disabled person, talking to non-disabled people about being disabled involves a lot of labour – explaining our conditions and needs, navigating assumptions and biases, and trying to still be taken seriously. This is present even when people mean well, because cultural understandings of ‘wellness’ and productivity run deeply, and narratives about ‘not letting disabilities stop you’ are common.(For any abled people reading: It’s a bit like having any specialized knowledge – if you’re a biologist, sometimes you might not mind explaining the basics to people who are genuinely curious but have only taken high school science classes. But sometimes you just want to talk to other biologists, so you can get right into the nuances and details that a beginner doesn’t have the background to understand.) And the reality is, often people don’t mean well and have deeply ableist views, and that makes those conversations much, much more upsetting and exhausting (4, 5, 6)

Creating a ‘world’ where our experiences and struggles are normal, but not ignored, means being able to have conversations honestly, without the lengthy conversations involved in getting abled people ‘up to speed’ with the reality of our experiences. We can just vent without worrying about it being misinterpreted by people who don’t have the necessary context, or talk about things that are seen as embarrassing to most abled/neurotypical people, like struggles with hygiene or keeping up with ‘basic’ chores (7, 8, 9, 10). Especially important, is talking about the successes and positive aspects of our lives with people who will recognize them as that, even when they don’t fit with the expectations of abled society.

Having a space that is created and dominated by disabled people talking about their actual day to day experiences creates a ‘world’ where disability is reframed from being an individual issue, into a political and structural one(1). Disabled people are often highly isolated in person, but in these online spaces we can build communities, validate each other's experiences, and identify patterns(1). These online communities fulfill the many of the same radicalizing and mobilizing functions as mutual aid groups, allowing us to recognize how many of our struggles are a result of systemic barriers, rather than individual failings(11). Seeing ourselves as members of a community, with shared struggles, but also the capacity to support and care for each other in our own ways, allows us to unlearn internalized stigma and begin to see ourselves – disabilities and all – as worth fighting for(12, 13).

1: Chronic Media Worlds: Social Media and the Problem of Pain Communication on Tumblr (Elena Gonzalez-Polledo, 2016) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2056305116628887

2: https://www.tumblr.com/isabellascarlett1/728748026570686464/theres-nothing-inherently-scary-about-someone?source=share

3: https://www.tumblr.com/bebsi-cola/770123239730102272/strangers-treat-visibly-disabled-people-as-either?source=share

4: https://www.tumblr.com/thatasgardianprince/770124331990859776/a-nurse-said-this-to-me-today?source=share

5: https://www.tumblr.com/mxmorbidmidnight/770288749336838144/being-disabled-in-public-is-crazy-because-i-never?source=share

6: https://www.tumblr.com/spooniestrong/770064532530937856?source=share

7: https://www.tumblr.com/mosscaller/770310122025189376/the-sound-of-heavy-rain-while-you-are-in?source=share

8: https://www.tumblr.com/mybodychoseviolence/747511637937897472/surely-this-will-not-cause-my-chronic-illness-to?source=share

9: https://www.tumblr.com/stars-and-branches/762673020537044992/chronic-pain-pisses-me-off-cause-im-not-even?source=share

10: https://www.tumblr.com/tinylambnursery/751201988663033856/to-the-people-who-struggle-with-hygiene-kinda?source=share

11: Mutual aid: building solidarity during this crisis (and the next) (Dean Spade, 2020)

12: Public Scholarship as Disability Justice (Jaipreet Virdi, in Crip Authorship, 2023) https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/89491

13: “My Voice Is Definitely Strongest in Online Communities": Students Using Social Media for Queer and Disability Identity-Making (Ryan A. Miller, 2017) https://muse-jhu-edu.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/article/663305

Note - Most of the article links will likely require accounts/logins to access.

[586ondisability]

Language and accessibility on tumblr

Before we talk about language, it is important to recognize that accessibility is not universal, and competing needs are part of disabled life. Competing needs is when the thing that makes something accessible for one person, also makes it inaccessible for another. With language, we can try to manage this by having multiple formats. This may include plain language translations, large typeset versions, images and/or image descriptions, or audio recordings of the text. These are just a few examples. However, including multiple formats takes time and effort. This can also be a barrier for disabled people. Sometimes other people can help, but sometimes we can’t avoid these competing needs. All we can do is try our best, and give each other understanding when we have to compromise.

I will try to write this post in as plain language as I can. In Kelsie Acton’s chapter ‘Plain Language for Disability Culture’1, she writes in what she calls ‘semi-plain language style’. She defines this as:

Use an active voice

Mostly use the 6000 most common words in the English language

Use short sentences

Use 14 point font

Use “I” and “you”

Plain language is important, because it makes ideas easy and clear to understand for the most people.

I do not have a lot of experience writing in plain language. I have ADHD. Part of having ADHD for me (and others like me 2) means my writing uses a lot of long sentences, brackets, and dashes, because that is how I think. Writing in plain language requires me to slow down and be intentional about what I say and how I say it. Many disabled authors have written about how we can use language to challenge ideas about time, speed, and efficiency(1). Writing in the way that is natural to me challenges the idea that narratives should be linear and efficient. For me, writing in plain language challenges the idea that adding more information will make an idea clearer. Both these ways of communicating are valid and important for accessibility. Both are necessary for understanding the world as disabled people do.

It is not always necessary to use complicated language to discuss complicated ideas. We can all try to accommodate each other.

On tumblr, writing in plain language is not common. Some people write with ‘correct’ grammar and punctuation. Many people write using punctuation rarely, or only for effect. This is sometimes referred to as ‘tumblr vernacular’. This can be difficult for some people to follow, especially if they are not familiar with it. However, it also removes barriers for some people who struggle with strict punctuation and grammar rules. It can also give people more flexibility in how they express their thoughts (like me), and makes it easier to include tone indicators (Examples: 3, 4).

Writing conventions on tumblr are flexible. People can use the way works best for them, or for the content they are posting. We can't always be accessible to everyone at the same time, but having flexibility helps.

1: Plain Language for Disability Culture (Kelsie Acton in Crip Authorship, 2023) https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/89491

2: Learning Disability Justice through Critical Participatory Action Research (Laura J. Wernickin in Crip Authorship, 2023) https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/89491

3: https://www.tumblr.com/hunterofhestia/770103242897096704/the-amount-of-times-people-have-gotten-mad-at-me?source=share

4: https://www.tumblr.com/chronicpaingirlie/732639202587574272/shaking-myself-very-gently-being-in-pain-takes?source=share

[586ondisability]

Collective writing and authorship

(Or: Why tumblr is a nightmare for academic citation, but actually pretty great)

Academic writing puts a heavy emphasis on authorship and ownership of ideas. It enforces citation structures that prioritize hierarchies within multi-authored works, publishing bodies, and strict adherence to guidelines - often at the cost of actual clarity.

The first time I tried to cite a tumblr post for a paper, it took me nearly an hour to find a template for how to structure the citation, because APA does not value non-academic sources, especially ones as informal as social media blog posts.

Tumblr’s format complicates authorship and collective writing. Most people access posts through a second, third, or 20th party, rather than from the original poster, via reblogging. Many posts, particularly ones intended to be informational, have contributions from multiple blogs. Sometimes, the bulk of the content is only tangentially related to the original post or comes from responses in the notes. People will often put commentary or expand on ideas in the tags – if someone who follows them sees those tags and thinks they are particularly relevant or add to the post, they may copy-paste or screenshot them and add them with a link to the person who’s tags they were. This is affectionately referred to as ‘passing peer review’ and often is accompanied by a comment along the lines of “this was too good to leave in the tags” (1, 2). This kind of interactive contribution is characteristic of tumblr and is commonly accepted practice across communities.

Collective writing is a cornerstone of tumblr. Posts are conversations, collections of information and perspectives. I think this is one of the key consistencies amongst disabled writers and thinkers, whether it’s online or academia – we are drawn to collective work(3). Our lives often require us to seek support and assistance from each other and our communities to meet our needs – if we survive collectively, why would we create in isolation?

Tumblr also offers anonymity – this may seem counter to building community, but it isn’t. Disability is often messy and complicated, and many aspects of our lives are not acceptable by ‘public’ standards. Anonymity allows some of us a place to express openly without fear of judgement or consequence – particularly for those in situations where expressing their frustration or thoughts could be actively dangerous and lose them the care they rely on for survival. This also complicates crediting work, as often the only way to attribute work is to a username (which is also the URL for the blog) that can be changed at any time, with almost no way to ensure someone looking for post can connect the old and new name. This is both a challenge and a feature even on tumblr, as it allows people to regain some degree of anonymity after going ‘viral’ or just change with their interests, but is a pain when trying to keep track of people you follow.

All of these factors making citing tumblr in an academic format challenging at best, and a nightmare at worst. Yet it’s generally clear to people within the ‘tumblr ecosystem’ who is responsible for any particular contribution, which illustrates the limitations of the strict structures of academic citation.

By nature, tumblr doesn’t have a particular format for citing or sourcing material. Media literacy and the importance of sharing and checking sources varies dramatically by community and user – as is to be expected for a social media site with a varied userbase. Generally speaking though, people sharing information on tumblr prioritize clarity and convenience when including sources, because while there is a significant number of academics using the site, most users have not been taught how to interpret an APA, Chicago, or MLA citation, and they are wildly inaccessible to many people with disabilities. Instead, people include links – sometimes alone, with brief summaries, or just titles and names of authors (4). Other times people use simplified footnote citations (as I have), which keeps the body of the text clear and is familiar enough that most people can understand them. The information included is only what someone might need to find a source – the priority is on making the content easily accessible to the audience.

1: https://www.tumblr.com/theinnermeyoullneverknow/757506025382445056/im-sorry-laughconfetti-this-is-too-good-to-hide?source=share

2: https://www.tumblr.com/2-the-moon-and-2-saturn/729982055601045504/my-favorite-thing-in-the-genre-of-tumblr?source=share

3: Learning Disability Justice through Critical Participatory Action Research (Laura J. Wernickin in Crip Authorship, 2023) https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/89491

4: https://www.tumblr.com/reasonsforhope/770202625015693312/indigenous-resistance-has-cut-us-and-canadas?source=share

[586ondisability]

Tumblr: the quiet home of crip & queer theory.

Despite its reputation for being full of teenage fangirls and ‘blue haired social justice warriors’, there are a lot of academics and professionals on tumblr. In fact, I’ve been all of the above myself over the last decade that I’ve on this site.

Aside from using it for entertainment, community, and all the other reasons that are no different to any other user, some academics and professionals also use tumblr to talk about their work. Many of them take advantage of the anonymity the platform gives them, allowing them to speak about things they might otherwise be sanctioned for, or just share ideas and thoughts without being a public figure. Others make it a part of their work and portfolio.

Dr. Devon Price, a multi-bestselling author, professor, and psychologist, got his first book deal from a blog post that went viral, largely on tumblr, titled ‘Laziness Does Not Exist’1. The book that came from that post was the first step to changing how I viewed productivity, and I can draw a direct line from there to my own acceptance of my disability. Dr. Devon Price has since written one of the top books on autism, titled ‘Unmasking Autism’2, which is especially important as it draws heavily on his own experiences while integrating research and psychological and social theory to support his points. Throughout this, he has continued to post regularly on tumblr (@drdemonprince), having conversations and discussing theory with other users of the site – and occasionally getting into arguments (there is no such thing as community without conflict).

As a blogging platform first and social media site second, tumblr is much more supportive of long form content than most other social media sites. As discussed in my other posts, it also allows for anonymity, minimal censorship, and curated communities, while encouraging collaborative thinking. This makes tumblr a site for academics and others interested in theory to converge and discuss their perspective without the oversight of ‘legitimizing’ bodies like academic and publishing institutions determining which ideas are worthy of promotion. This ‘underground’ for theory is particularly fertile ground for queer and crip theorists whose ideas are far from widely accepted or mainstream in most academic and publishing circles. It also breaks down the walls of the ivory tower, demonstrating that it’s absolutely not necessary to have an advanced degree or to use highly inaccessible language to participate in theory.

I learned as much about queer theory from tumblr as I did from my gender studies minor (and that is a compliment to tumblr, not a diss on my minor program). The foundational piece of writing that summarizes queer theory and identity to me is a tumblr post (3). I learned about the social model of disability from tumblr long before I heard about it in school. Searching ‘crip theory’ brings up dozens of posts explaining language (4), sharing quotes and accessible readings (5, 6), and discussing firsthand experiences through a lens of social context (7). I’ve found tumblr is an excellent resource for finding popular and foundational works, especially in these less mainstream disciplines and theories.

This bridging of academic and public spheres shifts who controls the narratives, what voices are recorded and shared, how our lives are imagined.

“Narrative justice can serve as a form of affirmation: it ensures that disability narratives and disabled people are not erased in stories about them, and it presents their lived experiences as celebratory joy and individual experience, rather than the usual tale of trauma and overcoming. Moreover, it is imperative that these stories are made accessible to disabled people as well—these are their as well as our histories and experiences, after all, and providing access serves to both inform and confirm these narratives.” Jaipreet Virdi, “Public Scholarship as Disability Justice”8

The disabled community on tumblr blurs the line between author and audience, theory and action, knowledge and activism. Theory is shared and discussed because it informs the way we see ourselves and our place in the world. Resource sharing, emotional disclosure, and sociopolitical discussion happen in the same spaces, in the same posts, at the same times. This gives us a site for cultural knowledge and understanding, which exists outside and often in direct contravention of dominant perspectives on our lives(9).

We are just one of many groups, communities, and peoples who are carving out and defending our right to think, know, and care for ourselves as we see fit. I see similarities to Indigenous decolonial theory in the resilience, refusal to be convenient, and commitment to collective existence1. We share a declaration of counter-normativity with the queer community. Many of us are part of more than one of these groups, and even within the disabled/crip community there is so much variety of experience, and so much that is shared.

1: Laziness Does Not Exist (Devon Price, 2018) https://humanparts.medium.com/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01

2: Unmasking Autism: Discovering the new faces of neurodiversity (Devon Price, 2022)

3: https://www.tumblr.com/eternalgirlscout/185308695773/eternalgirlscout-not-gay-as-in-happy-but-queer?source=share

4: https://www.tumblr.com/queercripintersex/762014773273624576/crip-and-cripple-are-different-words?source=share

5: https://www.tumblr.com/tiny-steps-forward/770067686372917248/disability-justice-readings-google-drive?source=share

6: https://www.tumblr.com/the-poetic-mathematician/749845734561611776/the-culture-asking-such-questions-assumes-in?source=share

7: https://www.tumblr.com/chronicallycouchbound/723612103381073920/internalized-ableism-as-means-for-unhoused?source=share

8: Public Scholarship as Disability Justice (Jaipreet Virdi, in Crip Authorship, 2023) https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/89491

9: Chronic Media Worlds: Social Media and the Problem of Pain Communication on Tumblr (Elena Gonzalez-Polledo, 2016) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2056305116628887

10: Decolonizing Research Practice: Indigenous Methodologies, Aboriginal Methods, and Knowledge/Knowing (Michael Evans, Adrian Miller, Peter J. Hutchinson, Carlene Dingwall, 2020) https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190847388.013.18

[cepheusgalaxy]

Image descriptions tips & tuts masterpost

[Plain text: Image descriptions tips & tuts masterpost /end PT.] (Tuts is my short for "tutorials" btw)

For when you want to make IDs but don't know how!

Formatting your image descriptions

Image descriptions tutorial

General guide

Describing memes

More detail isn't always better

More tips on describing images (including art)

Yet more little tips

Starting out with your image descriptions

The job of an image description + tips

How to *keep* doing IDs (from someone who does a fuckton)

Friendly reminder

Easy image descriptions to do for begginers

(Edit: added by @anistarrose:)

How to get help writing IDs if you can't make them yourself

IDs for screenshoted tags

Visually impaired person talks about IDs versus ALT text

Why longer is oftentimes not better. At all.

Extra tip from Angel: Tagging your posts as "described" or "undescribed" might help people who need the IDs to filter inacessible posts out if their dash.

[Image description: The "let's take ibuprofen together" meme, edited to say "let's make tumblr more acessible together". /end ID.]

Note: If you have any good posts to add reblog them or send them to me and I'll add them to the original post 💪

[nondivisable]

"everyone should care about accessibility because most people will become disabled at some point in their life" is a logical argument and I understand its popularity

however, everyone should care about accessibility because disabled people are fellow human beings living in the same society as you who deserve the same rights as you

thank you good night

[disabledavocado]

maybe harsh take. but. shitting on people who can't care about selves. who live with parents. who rely on partners in 'basic' tasks. (yes even body care tasks). who got chores done for them. who don't work. is ableist. even if clarify 'this specific person isn't disabled.' it still perpetuates stigma. it still ableist.

say exactly what wrong. have they overstepped someone's boundaries? have they pressured someone into care? have they manipulated abused etc.? something else? point wrong behavior. n critique this behavior.

'they're 30 n live with parents' not bad behavior. 'their parent cut their nails' not bad behavior. 'they don't work' not bad behavior.

'but they're abled!' 1) you don't know for sure. can't know for sure. undiagnosed n invisible disabilities exist. not every undiagnosed individual able to take care of self. recognize undiagnosed n invisible disabilities existence not only when they look 'nice' for you. 2) it still contributes to stigma around needing care. disabled people often not seen as disabled. even if visibly disabled. every individual presumed abled because ableism. so disabled individuals will be shitted on because need care. because presumed abled.

to destigmatize needing care. have to destigmatize getting care. even if not see as 'reasonable' n 'justified.' can't destigmatize needing care if say 'getting care depending on others living with parents etc. is bad but disabled is exception.' because still stigmatize process of getting cared.

people don't need allowance n approval of society to get care.

(not say not call out bad behavior. ask call out bad behavior specifically. not stigmatized neutral things).

[comorbid-curiosities]

sometimes I forget standing up isn’t painful and difficult for most people so I’ll be watching something like game changer and see the people standing behind their podiums the whole episode and think ‘wow don’t they need to sit down. how can they still think coherent thoughts’ and then I’m like oh. yeah. I have a disease

[onlytiktoks]

[butchtheworld]

crip tips

i'm an experienced disabled person (EDS, CFS, POTS, chronic pain). here are some of the things that help me get by as a college student (note: i use a wheelchair and a cane most days. i also am fortunate enough to have decent medical care, meds, and my aforementioned mobility aids)

shower chair. i can't stand for long enough to shower, and especially not if it's a hot shower. i got a cheap one off of amazon that has three legs and a plastic seat. that plastic seat makes it super easy to keep clean. i know there's a weird sort of embarrassment about sitting in the shower, but PLEASE, it is so much better than sitting on the floor in the shower or falling. in my dorms, there are two (2) showers with fold-down seats. i put a small towel down on the seat so i'm not bare-ass on this dorm bathroom surface, then i wash it down after.

normal wheelchair gloves are fingerless, which suck for winter. BUT, winter cycling gloves have the same cushioning on the palms and grip material and fingers. they're not super warm, but throw on a pair of thin gloves underneath (or, if you're like me, propelling keeps your hands super hot anyways).

an ice pack on the back of your neck can help with migraines and dizziness. i keep a small one in my freezer at all times. i tuck it into a hairband so it can be hands-free.

PLEASE adjust your cane/crutch/crutches to the right height. it helps so much with shoulder/elbow pain and balance. if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. the handle of my cane hits around the height of my wrist if my arm is just hanging down.

if you have hyper mobility, try high-rise shoes. i wear only high-rise converse and doc martens, which i can lace tightly around my ankles to keep them from rolling or sliding out of place.

(MENTIONS FOOD AND CALORIES) keep an easy, high-in-calorie food around. for me, eating on high pain days is essentially impossible. so, i need something that i can get myself to eat (like ice cream or canned soup or chips) that won't take any effort. ice cream is a great one for me, since it's sweet and cold and dense. even if it's not healthy, nothing is more unhealthy than not eating.

please, please, please find a community of disabled people. most of my close friends are able-bodied and, as much as i love them, they just can't understand it like other disabled people do. i found two great communities on my college campus, but i've also heard that support groups are a great way to meet people within the community

if you have any other tips, reblog with them. i remember the beginning days of my illness and how daunting all of this was. this is how we support our community.

[atley01]

Tips for all of my alternative & Chronically ill/ disabled friends!

A big thing that's helped me feel more comfortable accommodating my disability is finding accessibility tools that reflect my personality / interests.

I should put a disclaimer that making disability "aesthetic" should not be the most important thing about your health! I do this where I can to help me accept my disability.

Here are some alt accessibility tools I've found / made & utilized for myself!

1. If you're prone to nausea:

Anti-nausea meds work, but I also find that peppermints work just as well! I always have mints on me. At home, I've stored them in this coffin container!

I do keep a few of these mints in my bag, as well as ginger hard candies (they taste very strong, but are VERY efficient). I got the peppermints at Dollar tree, and they've genuinely been a life saver.

Alternatively, I've found this adorable ouija board altoids container that has mints in it!

The mints are even fun-shaped! I also saw other horror-movie themed altoid containers in-store as well. Since they're tiny, they dont work well for severe nausea, but they are still helpful!

2. If you struggle with temperature-regulation:

For me, my hands and feet are always FREEZING, but my core will be super warm. What has helped me a lot has been gloves and fuzzy socks!

I have a lot of spooky gloves like this, but I prefer the fingerless ones because I can still use my phone and be warm at the same time! I've also heard my friends who are wheelchair users say gloves can help protect your hands if you use a manual wheelchair. Another added bonus is that certain gloves can help limit mobility for those of you who struggle with hypermobility in your hands.

3. Do you have noise-canceling headphones? Decorate them!

I decorated my N/C headphones in shark stickers because sharks are my special interest!

These are Soundcore Life Q30's. I have gotten compliments on the stickers many times! You could put halloween stickers on yours or decorate your headphones in other ways! I've seen people crochet horns onto the headband portion of their headphones.

4. I would recommend any chronically ill person carry a cup around to stay hydrated:

ESPECIALLY If you need electrolytes. You can either have a drink like propel or powerade in your cup (or any drink of your choice, and you could put electrolyte packets in there).

This specific cup isn't the best at keeping my drink cold, but it holds a decent amount of liquid! And it's spooky. If you're someone who struggles to drink enough water, I've found that getting a fun cup helps me a lot!

5. Make communication bracelets!

If I'm having a difficult time voicing my needs, or I'm in a verbal shutdown, these bracelets can come in handy for me.

I'll either wear them on my wrist when needed or present them to my friends so they can read the bracelet and understand what I need. I keep them on a keychain that way I dont lose them and can transport them easily. An example of some of the phrases I've turned into bracelets is; "No spoons," "spoon debt," "verbal shutdown," and "flashbacks," (for when I'm having a PTSD episode.) You could make a bracelet with the medical condition you have as a DIY medical-alert bracelet. I added tiny spoon charms to some of my bracelets because I thought it was funny.

5. Mobility aids!

Decorate your mobility aids with things like stickers, kandi, lights, etc! Pinterest, instagram, and tiktok have a lot of good ideas. You can easily customize your mobility aids to look spooky or look however you want them to!

6. Bags!

I know that for me, I NEED to carry a bag around whenever I go out because it has important medical items that I need, but it also keeps all my important items like keys, id, ect, in one spot so that I dont forget / lose them. SOME spooky bags are expensive, but you could find a plain black bag at a thrift store or walmart and accessorize it with patches, keychains, and pins! I've seen people paint designs onto their bags before as well.

• You dont have to spend a lot of money on your accessibility tools!

Find ways to DIY them, or get them secondhand! You could even try working with household items you already have! A lot of these items, or items very similar to it, can be found at the dollar tree - even the materials needed to make the beaded bracelets! (Outside of the spoon charms)

Thats all!

If I think of more, you'll see me again! Be spooky, and be kind to yourself!

[a-totally-reasonable-username]

Reblog with your favorite chronic illness or disability tip

Mine is using an adjustable laptop table for bad pain days to use in bed

[eclectic-ways]

They should publish books in this format.

FYI: There are apps and plug-ins of this Bionic Reading for Google Play, Chrome, Microsoft Edge (Internet Explorer), Firefox, iOS (Apple) and on WEB