k a t

22 | she/her | Christian | #ActuallyAutistic | plant mom | Star Wars nerd |

[prettypositivity]

if it makes you happy, it’s not a waste

[autistickeely]

Honestly please can we just normalise nonverbal communication? It breaks my heart seeing autistic people being put through “therapies” such as ABA to try and force them into talking. There is nothing wrong with autistic people using communication devices, sign language and other means to communicate and they should not be forced into talking out of fear and abuse.

[fangirlinginleatherboots]

some things that horror movie culture has taught you are scary…. are just ableist

[artishroom]

….clarify?

[fangirlinginleatherboots]

okay sure. psychosis? scarier to have than to know someone who has it. DID? im more a threat to myself than people around me. wheelchairs and psych meds? are tools that help people live more functional and flexible lives and are not judgments of the persons character and for sure are not scary things. and for real, intellectually disabled people are not threats, but movies love to make them villains because they act different and understand the world differently. and people with notable physical differences? people who’s bodies look different? people with scars, growths, amputations, etc? are literally just people. and seeing themselves painted like monsters on the big screen is absolutely sickening and damaging to how society will see them.

its not only bad writing but its extremely harmful to people who actually live with conditions that are misrepresented in media. when i found out i had DID, my mom freaked out because her only point of reference was Sybil. when i was younger and first went on psych meds, i thought it meant i was set on a track to be a bad person, because in so many movies and video games you find out the bad guy has medication in his bed side table for some sort of psych disorder. the worst thing a hallucination has ever made me do was wake my mom up at 3 AM to check my bathroom to see if the bugs i saw everywhere were real and the worst thing an “episode” of any sort has made me do is hurt myself. my ptsd doesnt make me kill people, my alters dont kidnap people, my autism doesnt make me so morally unaware that ill murder for senselessly, my ocd doesnt make me hurt people etc etc etc

literally the only “horror” is the ableism. and the only way you can write good horror about disability and mental illness is if the focus is on how society and the medical field treat us rather than focusing on how we are apparently so scary, threatening, and bad.

[quiet-reassurance]

Horror is and has historically been an incredibly ableist genre, and it is still largely unrecognized as such. This has genuine severe and real-life consequences for disabled and neurodivergent people in real life. Please keep this in mind if you are abled and/or neurotypical.

[audible-smiles]

the social norm of “its your ethical responsibility to be constantly aware of, and angry about, every bad thing happening in the world at all times, even if you can’t possibly do anything about it” is possibly the best way I can imagine to create burnout and cynicism and depression in a population, so good job guys

[astronbookfilms]

Also, nothing annoys bigots more than someone they hate being joyful.

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

This whole obsession with wheelchair users struggling on foot down the aisle at their wedding or across the stage for graduation is 100% powered by ableism.

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

“The heartwarming story of how one woman worked for 8 months straight so she could escape the horror that is being in wheelchair for a few short minutes to struggle slowly and painfully down the aisle on her special day.”

[feraladoration]

“the horror that is being in a wheelchair” bitch it’s hella better than struggling slowly & painfully down the aisle ffs

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

“Despite being permanently paralyzed, her one goal since her accident has been to walk across the stage for graduation. The whole crowd gave her a standing ovation and broke into tears when she dragged her paralyzed legs across the stage with the help of leg braces and a walker to collect her diploma, after which she immediately sat back down in her wheelchair, which she will use to move around for the rest of her life.”

How the hell is this an inspirational story? This person needs better goals. And a therapist.

[smoldragonborn]

They’re toxic in an even greater way because as a disabled person, I didn’t realise till I was reading this how much I had internalised that. I genuinely have had feelings of fear and shame about using a chair or a walker if I get married. And why? Because I’m constantly seeing “heartwarming” stories about disabled people who shed their mobility aids for that moment. Why the hell am I afraid of using them to get married? Anyone who marries me or attends the wedding will know I need them and love me regardless.

Bless this post for making me realise I’d internalised that shit.

These types of stories teach people, both abled and disabled, that using mobility aids, especially wheelchairs, is inferior.

[margomoment]

here are some beautiful brides in chairs with dresses they ROCK. I know a lot of disabled ppl with internalized ableism think they “won’t look good” if they use their chair, but here’s some literally gorgeous gals for ur consideration

(that last ones cute as fuck and i teared up at it)

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Who needs a bouquet when you can be a bouquet?

[smoldragonborn]

I made my addition to this post in June 2019. Its now January 2020 and I no longer feel guilty about the idea of going down the aisle one day with mobility aids.

God bless the disabled community, y'all saved me from some internalised bullshit

[thegayemu]

This post floated by a few months ago, and I remember something to effect of there’s a difference between recovery and refusal. That is, like, I have a friend that suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury. He can walk again now, and I don’t think I’ve seen him use his chair in a few years. When he walked at his graduation, it was to show off his recovery. That he wasn’t quite ready to go through a full day upright, but he could walk across a stage, unassisted, and soon he would be able to do that every day. There’s also a difference in someone like me choosing to not use a mobility aid. My mobility is intensely fluid, especially seasonally. So, I would plan a summer wedding. And while I love my cane it can also be the biggest pain in my ass, so I’d want to just go unassisted. But that’s normal for me, at least right now. I can walk without an aid during about half of the year. It’s reasonable to assume I can make it through one day without it. All of that is different than someone that is fully and permanently paralyzed, that will never walk again, dragging themselves along because they feel that’s somehow better. Overall though, my biggest takeaway is fuck the media. Because disabled people should be able to make whatever decision they want without the media turning it into this grand inspirational story.

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

Disabled people should be able to make whatever decision they want without the media turning it into this grand inspirational story.

THIS.

[bifinmediasres]

Couldn’t pass up the opportunity to add my disabled joy to this post. Look at this love!

[aprillikesthings]

Taking the opportunity to add these photos of Jessica Kellgren-Fozard and her wife Claudia, from this twitter post. Jessica also has a youtube channel that’s primarily about disability and chronic illness and LGBT stuff (it’s amazing!) 

[haveyouhadenough]

I would also like to personally share, Annika Victoria who ALSO has a youtube channel. This photo was taken from her instagram - she made her wedding dress dress herself, BY HAND. Her youtube channel is mostly DIY fashion and sewing tutorials. I love her so much, she’s so unapologetically herself and informative

[theinfiniteofthought]

I also wanna add these pictures of Ade Adepitan fucking rocking this badass suit at his wedding! Give my fellow disabled mascs some love too

look how much fun they’re both having! yes!

and also this couple, who are both wheelchair users

this is from their beautifully coordinated wedding!

[embodiedfutures]

Protect Black Autistic Lives. Protect Autistic Lives period.

Check our bio for over 200 free social justice, mental health, and academic resources. We cannot keep dying like this. Image Description for this post and others are coming shortly! Thank you for being patient.

Stay safe and educate! ✊🏽

[katsolutely]

f a l l

there is something about the season of fall that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end 

(physically & metaphorically)

maybe because fall is the season of change, the season of transformation, the season of new beginnings and endings,

and yet, 

every fall leaves me with a heavy feeling of dread

because it’s a sign that even the leaves know when to turn,

and i keep returning to my vomit like a malnourished stray.

of course, the chilly wind is welcoming after a season of unbearable heat,

but there comes a time when you long for sunbeams instead of stashing woolen hats to keep your head warm.

there comes a time when you long for someone to keep you warm instead of something.

there comes a time when the nostalgia waves overwhelm & threaten to turn you back into the person you swore you’d never be.

there comes a time when you just wish that the leaves could sprout green again, when you long for shoots to spout, for the air to thicken.

and yet, the change stays. 

and just as you cannot paste a dead leaf back to a tree and expect it to grow,

you cannot paste past onto present and expect the change to return.

so here i sit,

cursing my emotions for turning on me again,

cursing the weather that forces me to rethink my actions,

but keeping my head up regardless.

even though the thought of once was is comforting,

it needs to remain where it was.

and i need to be strong enough to leave it there.

[mamoru]

I feel like a lot of people do not know how much wheelchairs cost so

one that is actually designed to be used independently, rigid frame, without any fancy electronics, is a lot of money.

how much do you think the wheelchair shown below is worth?

this is $1,600. this costs one thousand six hundred dollars with no customization, on SALE. this is a SALE price. this is one of the cheapest rigid wheelchairs I could find from a reputable seller. different models cost thousands more and even basic customization can tack on a ton of money.

[marley-vaa]

Bitch, it's better to get a dollie and a stick at that point then.

[mamoru]

yeah...that is basically what people do. or they are forced to use pieces of crap folding wheelchairs that hurt the user because they are intended primarily for being pushed. if you have someone with you 24/7 who can push you everywhere? a wheelchair costs a couple hundred for one that might cause a little less bruising than a hospital model. want to be independent at all? you need thousands of dollars for a proper fit or be willing to constantly injure yourself.

[briarpatch-kids]

I literally JUST purchased a properly fit wheelchair that was designed to be active, independent, and fit my needs. Nothing fancy, I think I got a tire upgrade so I can go on gravel and flip down handles so I can keep people from kidnapping "helping" me when I don't want them to, but also got a less expensive cushion and backrest than standard and a $1000 discount off MSRP for paying in cash.

Turns out the price of freedom for me is exactly $2354.

[oleanderblume]

My uncle bought a wheelchair after his accident, that is meant for rough terrain, it's built like a tank, the thing has treads, it can lift him upright so he can continue to pick from his orchard.

It cost more than a brand new car. Almost 60k for a wheelchair he can use to sustain his farm. JUST to sustain his farm.

Its ridiculous. Disabled people deserve affordable accommodations and mobility devices. They aren't all fucking rich

[librarychair]

And there is no practical reason for them to be that expensive. Similarly constructed bicycles run around 200-500 dollars new.

[athelind]

Turns out the price of freedom for me is exactly $2354.

For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, this is in a country where having more than $2000 in the bank means that you lose all your disability benefits.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

^^This^^

Also: Medicare will only help cover the cost of a wheelchair if: a) you need it exclusively to get around the house, to toilet yourself, and get in and out of bed, and b) if you cannot walk a minimum of twenty feet, even if that “walking” is painful, unsteady, and unsafe. If it’s 21 feet from your front door to your sofa, tough luck.

You’re also out of luck if you need the chair to hold down a job, cook for yourself, or take care of any children. Medicare will only pay for something if it’s an “essential daily need,” and they define “essential daily need” as getting in and out of bed, feeding yourself (but not cooking), and toileting.

So according to Medicare, a disabled life is only good for eating, pooping, and sleeping.

And private insurance? follows Medicare’s rules.

[butterflyinthewell]

If an autistic person tells you something in the environment is causing them pain, and you dismiss it, say it can’t be that bad or tell them their pain isn’t real, you are gaslighting them and that is abusive. Stop it. Listen when an autistic person says something is painful.

[eriklehnsherrgf]

[allthingshyper]

MLK was assassinated just over 50 years ago

He'd be 91 if he were alive today

Don't ever let them trick you into thinking this was a long time ago

[theconcealedweapon]

[rinsstims]

Found this one on Instagram and !!!

[katsolutely]

Little tip from your local autistic gal:

please don’t say “on the spectrum” when you mean “autistic”.

i.e. “She’s on the spectrum”

Usually people say this to avoid using the word “autistic” as our wonderful culture has taught people that this is a dirty & harmful word to use.

It isn’t!

“Autistic” is a word that is beautiful and means so much to so many people, and can literally change the lives of those who are autistic because it helps us make sense of ourselves.

Instead of trying to silence it and make others think it’s a bad word to use,

stop replacing it with other things.

Honestly, I’d hope that “on the spectrum” is just cut from our regular vocabulary because it’s really not as helpful as it seems.

“Autistic” is not a bad word.

“Autistic” is not a slur.

It’s not wrong to be autistic.

It’s not shameful to be autistic.

Please use the word for its intended purpose and stop painting over it with “on the spectrum”.

Your autistic friends will thank you. 

[autie-j]

A reminder for allistic people this April not to support Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is basically the equivalent to an autism hate group. As a group Autism Speaks has a long history of causing damage to the autistic community. Their ad campaigns have spread so much negativity and fear about autism. They often speak of autism as if its a negative thing that steals children away, often refer to autistic children as "missing", and view it autism as an epidemic. They once released an ad titled, "I am Autism" in which they compared autism to cancer, claim autism causes parents to divorce, and framed autism as an evil thing that steals children away from their parents. If you watch the video it is very telling about how the organization views us autistic people, though huge trigger warning for the video.

This isn't just a thing of the past, however, as Autism Speaks is still pushing resources that stigmatizes us and harms autistic people. Their most recent work, the 100 Day Kit, encourages parents to blame their family difficulties on their autistic child. It uses phrases like, "When you find yourself arguing with your spouse be careful not to get mad at each other when it really is the autism that has you so upset and angry." And it encourages parents to view autism as a horrible disease from which their child can get better. Other issues with the 100 Day Kit is that it: spreads the myth that autism is on the rise and more prevalent in boys, encourages parents to grieve over their autistic children, encourages parents to be angry over their child's autism, equates autism to cancer, discourages autism acceptance, tells allistic children that its okay to be sad to have an autstic sibling, among many other issues. The 100 Day Kit is so bad that recently ASAN (Autism Self Advocacy Network) had to cut ties with Sesame Street after Sesame Street acknowledged that the program was bad but refused to cut ties with it.

Autism Speaks also supports some pretty awful things. One of which being the Judge Rottenberg Center, a horrible institution that abuses autistic people with electirc shocks. And they have also been known to support the anti-vaxxer movement.

Finally they have hardly any autistic people on their board, which violates one of the primary tenants of disability activism "Nothing about us, without us". Compare that to other autism organizations such as ASAN and the difference is really noticeable. Also, only a tiny 1.6% of their budget goes towards helping actual autistic people.

Please do not donate to an organization that harms autistic people this April! If you wish to support autistic people this Autism Acceptance Month, you could instead donate to groups run by actual autistic people such as ASAN (Autistic Self Advocacy Network) or AWN (Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network) or even donate to a local group. But most importantly, please remember to listen to what actual autistic people have to say this April!

Sources: https://medium.com/@KirstenSchultz/a-roundup-of-posts-against-autism-speaks-5dbf7f8cfcc6

https://www.google.com/amp/s/intheloopaboutneurodiversity.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/the-ableist-history-of-autism-speaks/amp/

https://intheloopaboutneurodiversity.wordpress.com/2019/08/12/a-look-at-autism-speaks-100-day-kit/

[katsolutely]

Hey, friends!

With April around the corner,

I want to ask of you, whoever may be reading this,

to please not support, send money to, share or otherwise participate in anything related to Autism Speaks in the month of April, 

or ever, for that matter.

Autism Speaks may look like a good organization on the outside, but they're not the perfect puzzle their media makes you think they are (see what I did there?).

For example:

-More than 96% of their money goes to "autism research", fundraising, supporting "families with autism", and not to actual autistic people themselves (link to source here: http://www.rootpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/AutismSpeaksFlyer_color_2017-1.pdf).

-Autism Speaks is searching for a cure for autism (a.k.a “research”), which causes harm to autistic people who are treated with things like ABA therapy to appear "normal", but leaves us with trauma & PTSD.

-Autism Speaks’ fundraising team made horrific videos called "I Am Autism" and "Autism Every Day". The former compared autism to cancer & diabetes and makes autistic people look like something to be feared (link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UgLnWJFGHQ), and the latter includes a woman talking about wanting to murder her child because she is autistic (link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0vCz2KWMM0) (Please watch at your own risk.)

-The origin of the too-famous puzzle piece logo comes from the myth that autism is a “boy’s disease” (hence the blue color & Light It Up Blue campaign), that only children can be autistic (hence the infantilizing image & color palette), and that autistic people are puzzles to be figured out and solved.

-Autism Speaks doesn’t actually consult autistic people. In their history, only two people on their Board of Directors have been autistic, and one of them, an author, resigned, realizing his mistake (link to his statement about his resignation here: http://jerobison.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-resign-my-roles-at-autism-speaks.html).

I could go on and on, but these are the most important reasons to not want anything to do with this organization.

I know for many of you, this was the support you were given after your child’s/sibling’s diagnosis and you weren’t made aware of any other organization to help you. I understand that. I blindly believed they were good too.

But the truth of the matter is, they’re not.

If you want to support autistic people, support organizations like Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (autisticadvocacy.org) who make the voices of autistic people the most important when discussing our rights and our freedoms.

Autism Speaks does none of this. If anything, they make our voices the most quiet when they should be the loudest.

If you don’t have an autistic relative, or aren’t autistic yourself, you may be wondering: “What can I do?”

And to that, I say: share our stories. Listen to what we have to say. Ask questions if you don’t understand. Don’t assume that this doesn’t apply to you. Odds are, you know someone who is autistic, even if they may not even know it themselves, or you will know someone who is autistic.

The more you educate yourself the right way, the better off you will be in the future, and the more you will be helping your loved ones around you.

Trust me on this one.

[c0ffeebee]

…be with me 💙 with animation

[seduff]

Ben Solo Skywalker. Be the man you were born to be.