Hello lovely readers! For easier navigation, I've listed my tags bellow! This list will help you find answers to asks I've already received, but feel free to send me any clarifying or expansive questions!
#faq: Frequently Asked Questions tag - the best place to look for 101 questions on dwarfism! You are welcome to ask these questions again if you are looking to further the discussion, but please look into what I've already discussed!
#resources and #references: Posts containing links to resources on dwarfism and disability including fellow educators, medical documents, dwarfism organizations, etc. (see also #disability resources)
#dwarfism : My most used tag - all of my posts contain this tag, same goes for #disability and #little people
#dwarfism in media: the tag I use when discussing dwarfism representation - also #dwarfism in film, #dwarfism in writing, and #dwarfism in animation
#lovely followers: The tag where I respond to friendly mail from all of you, or am reaching out to yall directly.
i hope these tags help, as I know that things can get lost as is the nature of the Tumblr feed! If there's any that I missed, or one you would like me to start using, let me know!
I don't know how to manage these emotions - I am currently across the country while my province burns. I am blessed that my home is in southern Ontario. But wow, please please please follow these links.
Hey there lovelies! Just wanted to let yall know that I'm on vacation this week, so I may not get to my inbox!
Image description: photo one is a picture of some magenta flowers with black and lime stripes, in a pot outside the cottage we're in. The second is the view from the yard, with various wildflowers and long grasses (it's giving howl's moving castle vibes) in the foreground and limestone cliffs and trees in the background :)
happy disability pride month i made this for insta but posting times dont matter here so yall get it first đˇđ i sooo rarely see anyone talk abt covid safety in theatre which is wild bc long covid actually makes singing and dancing very hard u would think we'd be doing everything we can to avoid spreading that to everyone!! i hope we start a bigger conversation about accessibility and masks in theatre spaces. disabled performers i love u and u belong here and everywhere
update: here's some free printables of this zine!! option to pay what u want
newlevant's covid zine | mask blocs | how to negotiate covid protections in theatre
i am once again making a silly little zine abt covid safety but this time it is very unserious and not educational at all so if ur new here and dont know what the Heck i am on about. here's a place to start!
id:
slide 1:
a photo of the front cover of a black & white printed zine held up in front of a quilt in the background. top text of the zine cover reads: "reasons I love wearing my mask in public" with bottom text in parentheses: "besides the on-fire garbage can that is public health these days." a cartoon drawing of Maria, a pale genderfluid person with a buzzcut and glasses, is winking and doing a peace sign. she is wearing a boat-style mask with a star mask chain and crayon earrings.
slide 2:
top text: "1: I haven't had a man tell me to smile in 6 years." Below is a drawing of Maria walking down the sidewalk wearing a black mask, a cat cropped t-shirt, patched jeans, & star earrings. They are carrying a Mitski tote bag and look unbothered with their eyes closed as a man who looks a lot like the distracted boyfriend meme holds up a finger as if he was about to speak, but just looks confused as his speech bubble reads "..." Bottom text: "I simply cannot go back."
slide 3:
Top text: "2: I don't have to make facial expressions." Below Maria is waving and wearing a polo shirt, blank face emoji earrings, & an apron that says "JOB" with a name tag attached. Maria stares blankly behind her mask. Bottom text: "autism wins!"
slide 4:
Top text: "3: I can sing to myself on walks without being spotted by traffic." Below is Maria strolling down the sidewalk with cars in the background, wearing a mask, a baseball cap, and a Phantom of the Opera t-shirt. Maria has a speech bubble of floaty text singing "aangel of muuusic" with music notes floating around.
slide 5:
Top text: "4: mask chains!" below is a boat-style mask with a mask chain made of letter beads that spell "yippee." Bottom text: "another layer of accessory-maxxing."
slide 6:
Top text: "5: adds to my aura of being the mysterious and unknowable coworker." Below Maria stands in their job apron with a black mask & mushroom earrings surrounded by question marks. Text around Maria reads "what do they look like??" "we are literally on the clock!!" "wouldn't you like to know weatherboy!!"
slide 7:
Top text: "6: nobody knows I'm eating fruit snacks." Below is Maria with her mask on wearing strawberry earrings looking nonchalant as text points to her saying "maria acting normal." In the bottom left corner we see through the mask like an x-ray showing Maria chewing as she holds a scooby-doo gummy. Text pointing to this drawing reads "the REAL maria."
slide 8:
Back cover of the zine shows Maria shrugging wearing a striped shirt, overalls with a heart patch on the front, and worm earrings. Top text: "of course none of these things are more important than keeping you & your community safe from preventable illnesses but if for some wild reason you don't care about that. this is everything the government doesn't want you to know!!" Below is the instagram logo and Maria's handle: @maria.therese.art
Digital illustration of a fat brown queer fem. She is seated in a mobility scooter and holding a picket sign that reads, 'if it's not accessible, it's not acceptable.' Her scooter is green and pink, and in the front basket is a white cat holding a fish.
folks have been asking about Rivets and how they can support it. i have a patreon for the comic đđ reblog or comment or share to help spread visibility đ
this story is my love letter to the forgotten workers of World War II, and a chance to see a man with dwarfism and a transmasc person as romantic leads. help me make this story happen â¨đ¤ (italian hands)
what part of disability activism do u wish queer people knew/engaged in more?
Gosh, so much -
I wish they would include real accessibility when creating their "safe spaces". Dismantling social structures needs to be accompanied by breaking down physical barriers - you can't preach acceptance and equality past a flight of stairs. You can't say "all are welcome" when not all can enter the space and move about it freely.
(It is truly so devastating to enter a space that is suppose to be all about love and acceptance, and still feel strange and unwelcome. So many queers in my area don't even know how to Talk about my disability, let alone accommodate for it)
I wish they would read up more on disabled history and teachings, because they'll discover a plethora of transferable knowledge. For many (white, abled) people, coming into their queerness or trans-ness is their first introduction to medical rights, cure vs. care, public access and visibility, marriage rights, anti-sterilization, and more. But these issues are at the core of the disabled experience, especially for those born disabled (and poc), and our knowledge is vast, developed, and transferable.
(If you are unfamiliar with "nothing about us without us", the crip crawl, the social model, or the curb cut effect, you've not even covered Disability 101)
I wish for kinky queers to learn from kinky disabled folks! They make up such a large portion of the kink community, as the culture allows for so many assistive devices, tools, suspension, unique positions, and breaking down the many ways people can have sex! There are so many sexual educators who are disabled, and they have such valuable knowledge!
I wish queer people could invest as much time and energy celebrating July (Disability Pride Month) as they do June (Queer Pride Month). Be outraged that we still can't get married without losing our medical coverage! Celebrate the disabled folks in your life! Spread awareness and boost disabled educators, activists, and artists!!
[PT: I wish they would include real accessibility when creating their "safe spaces". Dismantling social structures needs to be accompanied by breaking down physical barriers - you can't preach acceptance and equality past a flight of stairs. You can't say "all are welcome" when not all can enter the space and move about it freely.
(It is truly so devastating to enter a space that is suppose to be all about love and acceptance, and still feel strange and unwelcome. So many queers in my area don't even know how to Talk about my disability, let alone accommodate for it)
I wish they would read up more on disabled history and teachings, because they'll discover a plethora of transferable knowledge. For many (white, abled) people, coming into their queerness or trans-ness is their first introduction to medical rights, cure vs. care, public access and visibility, marriage rights, anti-sterilization, and more. But these issues are at the core of the disabled experience, especially for those born disabled (and poc), and our knowledge is vast, developed, and transferable.
(If you are unfamiliar with "nothing about us without us", the crip crawl, the social model, or the curb cut effect, you've not even covered Disability 101)
I wish for kinky queers to learn from kinky disabled folks! They make up such a large portion of the kink community, as the culture allows for so many assistive devices, tools, suspension, unique positions, and breaking down the many ways people can have sex! There are so many sexual educators who are disabled, and they have such valuable knowledge!
I wish queer people could invest as much time and energy celebrating July (Disability Pride Month) as they do June (Queer Pride Month). Be outraged that we still can't get married without losing our medical coverage! Celebrate the disabled folks in your life! Spread awareness and boost disabled educators, activists, and artists!! /end PT]
i was trying to look up whether there any fantasy stories with magic dwarves that acknowledge human dwarfs would still exist in that world. maybe even one with a little person as a major character. l instead found a lot of very thoughtful posts (on your blog and elsewhere) about why fantasy dwarves should be done away with altogether.
while i know you can't speak for everyone, in your opinion: would establishing humans with achondroplasia and similar disabilities as people that exists in the fantasy world, just the same as real life, and making it clear that the fantasy dwarves are some other category completely, be any better than including fantasy dwarves noncritically? or does that come across as a useless attempt at making an ableist trope less ableist?
Hello! I'm so glad you found me!
Yes, I've had many a discussion on the issues and stigmas that come along with fantasy "dwarves", not only in present day media but in their origins in folklore as well. I've found that a lot of people still want to hold onto the "dwarves" aesthetic, while finding a way to make things less offensive towards little people - and to your question:
In your opinion: would establishing humans with achondroplasia and similar disabilities as people that exists in the fantasy world, just the same as real life, and making it clear that the fantasy dwarves are some other category completely, be any better than including fantasy dwarves non-critically? or does that come across as a useless attempt at making an ableist trope less ableist?
I think that including real little people in fantasy is excellent - the genre has been steeped in fantasy "dwarves" for far too long, and including all bodies in a genre who's goal is to wander the never ending expanse of imagination just makes sense. However, I don't know if simply adding real little people but keeping the stereotype is enough - fantasy "dwarves", whether renamed and re-branded, have paralleled dwarf history since the beginning; the folklore impacted the way we were treated. It was the sales pitch to royals, to courts, to circuses and freak shows - because so long as little people were seen as mystical beings, as subhuman, their treatment and exploitation didn't matter.
Iâm sorry if Iâm asking this question again, but a doing research for the condition on me thinking on my oc. I was wondering if my oc would consider to have since she has short hands, legs, feet, and is 4ft 8in but kinda having a proportionate torso and arms. Hereâs a example of them next to a person:
Im wondering if I should move forward with writing her as person with dwarfism or I shouldnât. I want good representation in my story and I donât want to be offensive towards the people with dwarfism in the story Iâm writing. By the way, I love your content and fashion a lot, you look beautiful in every one I saw.
Hello!! You're totally fine - I'm terribly sorry if you've reached out before and I never got to you!! My ask box really stacks up!
Your character is adorable ^^ I would say that given her height and proportions she could defiantly be a Little character - but with your chibi style, she could also read as just short, so it'll be up to you to make that distinction for your readers. Choosing to make her a little person just comes with the need for the proper research, references, and etiquette - so taking that on is up to you! If you have any further questions on carrying that out, do send them my way! And if you're planning to turn it into a piece of writing, I do offer sensitivity reads on commission ^^
If someone was staring at you but then came up to you and was like âsorry I just love your hair/aesthetic you look dopeâ, would that be okay? I know this is a weird question but Iâm also disabled and have a tendancy to stare when I think people look really cool. I try super hard not to but usually I find if I run up to the person and go âhey sorry youâre super cool ignore my staringâ they take it okay but I have no idea if that would be rude still to someone w very visible disabilities.
Sorry again I know this is probably weird and feel free to ignore, and I hope youâre having a good spoons day whenever you see this!
Hello! No I don't think it's a weird question at all! In fact, I would much rather people do that - I would much rather people make that distinction. I imagine people stare at me for many reasons, mostly for my height, mobility aids, and weight, but I also have burgundy hair, tattoos, and a wicked sense of style lol - so I'm very happy when folks compliment that specifically.
For me, it is also okay to break the ice if you Are staring because of my disability lol I'm fine with saying hi and answering the occasional (appropriate) question. I think I've said it here before, but if you're not sure if the person you're interacting with is open to questions about their disability, gender, race, etc. start with an opening question!
A simple"Can I ask you about your disability?" before lunging into questions that could come across as invasive gives the power back to the respondent.
I remember your posts about Snow White and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and I just want to say that I applaud your insight and your knowledge. I know most people think they are just fun childhood stories, but fiction is often a reflection of reality, and modern writers should be careful of how others are depicted in their works. I do agree that little people need a new Magic Mirror to see themselves in.
Hello! Thank you so so much!! - Elliot (they/them)
"Ways You Can Actually Support Disabled Folks (this month and every month!!) by @courtneyahndesign and @candy.courn of Instagram!
Image descriptions (written by original poster):
Slide 1: a multi-colored green, blue, orange, white, and black illustration on a pink background with a lighter pink wavy border. Across the top half reads in handwritten white type, âways you can actually support disabled folks (this month and every month!)â Below and above are illustrations of different figures, a mixed race person with a mask and urostomy bag, a white woman wearing headphones, a Black woman in hijab in a wheelchair, a Black woman wearing headphones, a service dog, a masked mixed race woman with a limb difference, and a white person in a wheelchair. At the very bottom reads the artist and author credit @CourtneyAhnDesign and @candy.courn.
Slide 2: a multi-colored green, blue, orange, white, and black illustration on a pink background with a lighter pink wavy border. In the top right corner reads, â1â in a styled bubble. Across the top reads in handwritten white type, âmake your content accessible!â In the lower half is a large piece of paper labeled, âquick checklistâ that reads in different bullets: "captions + image/video descriptions, multiple communication methods (visual, audio, scannable text), capitalize multi-word hashtags, use plain direct language, high color/visual contrast, structure your content, easy to read fonts + larger font sizes, limit emoji use." To the side is an illustration of a Black man with a hearing aid looking at their phone. At the very bottom reads the artist and author credit @CourtneyAhnDesign and @candy.courn.
Slide 3: a multi-colored green, blue, orange, white, and black illustration on a pink background with a lighter pink wavy border. In the top right corner reads, â2â in a styled bubble. Across the top reads in handwritten white type, âwear a mask in all public spaces!â In the center is a line-up of different illustrated masks, with a cloth and surgical mask labeled as âworseâ and KN95, N95, and respirator masks labeled as âbetter.â In the bottom half reads, âThe pandemic never ended for us. Both disabled and non-disabled folks are still being killed and permanently disabled by Covid everyday. We all deserve the right to community safety - so if you can wear a mask, wear one, take precautions, keep getting vaccinations, speak up against mask bans, and require them in all spaces!â At the very bottom reads the artist and author credit @CourtneyAhnDesign and @candy.courn.
Slide 4: a multi-colored green, blue, orange, white, and black illustration on a pink background with a lighter pink wavy border. In the top right corner reads, â3â in a styled bubble. Across the top reads in handwritten white type, âinclude us in your activism!â Below are different text boxes, the first one resembling a paper reading, âtell Congress to increase the SSI asset limit so we can get married + have more than $3000 without losing benefits.â A green bubble with a pencil reads, âtell your state itâs not okay to pay us below minimum wage (itâs still legal in 37 states!)â In a black cloud reads, âsupporting a free Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Tigray, Haiti (and more) is disability justice!â In the bottom left reads, "fight with us as the administration attacks Section 504, the integration mandate, and makes deadly cuts to health insurance, SNAP, and the Department of Education!" In the bottom right is an illustration of a Black woman with a colostomy bag gesturing towards the text. At the very bottom reads the artist and author credit @CourtneyAhnDesign and @candy.courn.
Slide 5: a multi-colored green, blue, orange, white, and black illustration on a pink background with a lighter pink wavy border. In the top right corner reads, â4â in a styled bubble. Across the top reads in handwritten white type, ârespect labels! Disabled is not a bad word, but do skip euphemisms, outdated terms, and phrases with ableist roots!â Below is an assortment of speech bubbles, the first column reading, âdifferently-abledâ âspecial needsâ and âhandicapable. The second column reads, âcrippleâ âhandicappedâ and âr*tard.â The third column reads, âthatâs so lame!â âturn a blind eyeâ and âIâm so OCD!â Below reads, âEveryone is entitled to choose the terms that define them but respecting labels doesnât mean anything if you donât do anything beyond that for us!â At the very bottom reads the artist and author credit @CourtneyAhnDesign and @candy.courn.
Slide 6: a multi-colored green, blue, orange, white, and black illustration on a pink background with a lighter pink wavy border. In the top right corner reads, â5â in a styled bubble. Across the top reads in handwritten white type, âadvocate for accessible spaces!â In the lower half is a large piece of paper labeled, âprioritize disabled folks in every space and include them in the planning!â that reads in different bullets, âramps + elevators, wide aisles + doorways, shade + a/c, seating, interpreters, open captions, braille/audio, clear itinerary, list all available accommodations, quiet + sensory free areas, requires masks, close parking + transit access, accessible bathrooms, clear + large signage, disability trained staff, allow requests with sign-up." At the very bottom reads the artist and author credit @CourtneyAhnDesign and @candy.courn.
Slide 7: a multi-colored green, blue, orange, white, and black illustration on a pink background with a lighter pink wavy border. In the top right corner reads, â5â in a styled bubble. Across the top reads in handwritten white type, âamplify and support disabled businesses + orgâs!â In the middle is a collection of speech bubbles labeled, âbarriersâ that includes, âattitudinal, physical, policy, social communication.â Below reads, âdisabled folks face increased barriers to success in every space and need your continued support all year round (not just during disability pride month)!â In a black cloud reads at the bottom next to an illustration of Courn with a pink mullet, âPs: Iâm a disabled queer asian artist who sells my art + offers logo, web, + illustration services!â At the very bottom reads the artist and author credit @CourtneyAhnDesign and @candy.courn.
"When the clock strikes midnight tonight, it will be disability pride month. There will be no flashy merchandise, companies will not change their logos - if they even know what our pride flag looks like - and celebrities will not be talking about it. And disabled people will still be fighting for equity and equality."
Video ID: @wheeliechronic's (she/they) instagram video montage of their day to day life as a chronically ill disability advocate and activist - including clips of their triumphs and their struggles. They have long hair that is split down the middle, half green and half purple. They have piercings, black eyeliner and a colourful punk style. They voice over the video and include captions of the text above.
# the emotional roller coaster of receiving your disability cheque and feeling so alive and secure until you get 2/3rds through the month and you're living off of $7 and panic without the disco
