Addressing other things I’ve seen in the notes here:
“wtf, why would anyone not care about this?”
Ableism. People do not care about disabled people.
Now you do! Yay! Go forth better educated and more accessibly!
“Why is this not common knowledge/practice!?”
“Why don’t devices do this automatically?”
I honestly don’t know enough about computers to answer this thoroughly. All I know is that my phone has a “dim flashing lights” setting and it does not help me.
Tags from @23andtiredofbeingme :
“can we also add epilepsy and epileptic disorders don't always look like the classic falling on the floor and convulsing. It can manifest as repeated movements/vocalizations, confusion or dissociation, and as gaps in memory or perception. Learn the types triggers and signs!”
[reformatted tags for screen readers]
I always encourage people to learn basic first aid, and diagnosing different types of seizures is part of that. If for whatever reason you can’t get formally trained in first aid, there’s tons of resources online. Red Cross has a first aid app which is really great, I have no idea about its overall availability tho.
Regarding tags! There are a LOT of different tags that are used. My philosophy (I saw this in the notes somewhere as well) is that it’s better to over tag than under tag something. Do NOT use any variation of “epilepsy” or “photosensitive” in the tags! These tags are places for disabled people to talk about their experiences not to be met with hazards!
The current way that tumblr works is that if OP tags something, it will filter in every reblog. If not, then it’s up to each individual reblogger to filter it every single time.
Some that I have filtered (I also have these filtered as content not just tags btw)
“This is literally so easy why are people still not doing this”
@silverislander “hi arcane mutuals. This one’s important 👍”
Anyone who mentioned tiktok:
Yep. I do not have tiktok, in large part, because of this. The reason I feel safest on tumblr and mobile tumblr specifically is bc not only is it a text based platform, the app allows me to turn off autoplay for gifs.
“Tumblr should have a filter for this like the mature content filter”
Yeah. Yeah it should. Ableism. Tags are the next best thing.
“I don’t have epilepsy but I have problems with flashing lights”
Yep!! There are lots of causes and severities and effects of photosensitivity. I have chronic migraines and general photosensitivity. My pupils don’t contract properly, so the world is literally like an overexposed photo for me. I have to wear sunglasses most of the time to avoid migraines and flashing lights can cause migraines in under a minute. Photosensitivity is often related to sensory issues and I’m sure there are other photosensitivity thingys. As far as I know, epilepsy is the only one that can *directly* kill people, though migraines (especially sudden ones) can put people in danger via being unable to react properly to environmental conditions and impairing cognitive function, and sensory overload can cause meltdowns which may lead to physically harmful behaviors. Epilepsy is definitely not the only form of photosensitivity but it’s the most directly dangerous one. Seizures can cause brain damage and death.
YES!! They are! Tumblr lets you report them, other platforms don’t because they are also evil. I have had to block MCR’s official instagram account because I was unable to use instagram when I kept getting ads with flashing concert footage.
that’s everything I saw from recent reblogs, but one additional thing before I fuck off into the void again!
If you are not photosensitive but you notice someone (whether it’s a gif maker, a moot, big fandom blog, whatever) not properly tagging things they’re posting, PLEASE tell them!! It does not have to be big scary and you can do it without talking over us! Reblog with a comment saying that this is dangerous for people, heck, send them this post!
