[pussyhat]

[decompose1]

sorry i don't write men. yeah idk i just can't get into their headspace.... i don't know how to act like a man lol. idk how men feel. do they even have the same feelings as us? that's crazyyyy lol. still tho idk how id do it im not educated enough to write them sorry. you wouldn't want me to write a man badly would you.... im afraid of messing up and those angry men online to shout at me they're so aggressive

[prettyasapic]

Every person need to be taught disability history

Not the “oh Einstein was probably autistic” or the sanitized Helen Keller story. but this history disabled people have made and has been made for us.

Teach them about Carrie Buck, who was sterilized against her will, sued in 1927, and lost because “Three generations of imbeciles [were] enough.”

Teach them about Judith Heumann and her associates, who in 1977, held the longest sit in a government building for the enactment of 504 protection passed three years earlier.

Teach them about all the Baby Does, newborns in 1980s who were born disabled and who doctors left to die without treatment, who’s deaths lead to the passing of The Baby Doe amendment to the child abuse law in 1984.

Teach them about the deaf students at Gallaudet University, a liberal arts school for the deaf, who in 1988, protested the appointment of yet another hearing president and successfully elected I. King Jordan as their first deaf president.

Teach them about Jim Sinclair, who at the 1993 international Autism Conference stood and said “don’t mourn for us. We are alive. We are real. And we’re here waiting for you.”

Teach about the disability activists who laid down in front of buses for accessible transit in 1978, crawled up the steps of congress in 1990 for the ADA, and fight against police brutality, poverty, restricted access to medical care, and abuse today.

Teach about us.

[dragonofeternal]

Oh! Oh! I got one! Meet Edward V. Roberts-

Ed Roberts was one of the founding minds behind the Independent Living movement. Roberts was born in 1939, and contracted polio at age 14, two years before the vaccine that ended the polio epidemic came out (vaccinate your kids). Polio left Roberts almost completely paralyzed, with only the use of two fingers and a few toes. At night, he had to sleep in an iron lung, and he would often rest there during the day as well. Other times of the day, he breathed by using his face and neck muscles to force air in and out of his lungs.

Despite this being the fifties, Roberts' mother insisted that her son continue schooling. Her support helped him face his fear of being stared at and ridiculed at school, going from thinking of himself as a "hopeless cripple" to seeing himself as a "star." When his high school tried to deny him his diploma because he had never completed driver's ed, Roberts and his mother fought the school and won.

This marked the beginning of his career as an activist.

Roberts had to fight the California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation for support to attend college, because his counselor thought he was too severely disabled to ever work or live independently. Roberts did go to school, however, first attending the College of San Marino. He was then accepted to UC Berkeley, but when the school learned that he was disabled, they tried to backtrack. "We've tried cripples before, and it didn't work," one dean famously said. The school tried to argue the dorms couldn't accommodate his iron lung, so Roberts was instead housed in an empty wing of the school's Cowell Hospital.

Roberts' admittance paved the way for other disabled students who were also housed in the new Cowell Dorm. The group called themselves "The Rolling Quads," and together they fought and advocated for better disability support, more ramps and accessible architecture like curb cut outs, founded the first formally recognized student-led disability services program in the country, and even managed to successfully oust a rehabilitation counselor who had threatened two of the Quads with expulsion for their protests.

After graduation from his master's, he served a number of other roles- he taught political science at a number of different colleges over the years, served on the board for the Center for Independent Living, confounded the World Institute on Disability with Judith E. Heumann and Joan Leon, and continued to advocate for better disability services and infrastructure at his alma mater of UC Berkeley.

Roberts also took part in and helped organize sit ins to force the federal government to enforce section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stated that people with disabilities should not be excluded from activities, denied the right to receive benefits, or be discriminated against, from any program that uses federal financial assistance, solely because of their disability. The sit-in occupied the offices of the Carter Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare building in San Francisco and lasted 28 days. The protestors were supported by local gay rights organizations and the Black Panthers. Roberts and other activists spoke, and their arguments were so compelling that members of the department of health joined the sit in. Reagan was forced to acknowledge and implement the policies and rules that section 504 required. This national recognition helped to pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.

Roberts died of cardiac arrest in 1995 at the age of 54, leaving behind a proud legacy of advocacy and activism. Not bad for a "hopeless cripple" whose rehab counselor thought he was too disabled to ever work.

[egg-squid]

Partners in Time

Visit the post for more.

Here is a great online course for disability history!!

[cwipple]

“Black Panthers saved the 504 sit-in.” – Corbett O’Toole, participant in the 1977 504 protest in San Francisco

”Along with all fair and good-thinking people, The Black Panther Party gives its full support to Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and calls for President Carter and HEW Secretary Califano to sign guidelines for its implementation as negotiated and agreed to on January 21 of this year. The issue here is human rights – rights of meaningful employment, of education, of basic human survival – of an oppressed minority, the disabled and handicapped. Further, we deplore the treatment accorded to the occupants of the fourth floor and join with them in full solidarity.” – Black Panther Party media release on the protest, from website Disability Social History (click thru to see pictures of BPP news about the success of the protest!)

According to disability rights activist Corbett O’Toole, these advocates “showed us what being an ally could be. We would never have succeeded without them. They are a critical part of disability history and yet their story is almost never told.⁠”

They were running a soup kitchen for their black community in East Oakland and they showed up every single night and brought us dinner. The FBI [guarding the building entrance] was like, “What the hell are you doing?” They answered, “Listen, we’re the Panthers. You want to starve these people out, fine, we’ll go tell the media that that’s what you’re doing, and we’ll show up with our guns to match your guns and we’ll talk about who’s going to talk to who about the food. Otherwise, just let us feed these people and we won’t give you any trouble” – and that’s basically what they did.

Please read up on the Black Panthers' involvement in the 504 movement, they were integral to the occupation lasting as long as it did and were INCREDIBLY ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS! They are more than a footnote in that part of disability history, and I want more people to know this part of their legacy!

Read about Bradley Lomax (and his aid and fellow organizer Chuck Johnson, who I've struggled finding sources on outside of articles on Mr. Lomax :( ) here and here! Together the two were integral in bringing Black Panther Party organizing and activism to the disability rights movement!

I wish there were more information on Mr. Johnson, as his work is dear to my heart as someone who also requires caregiving. ;3; <3 Considering how little information there even was available online for Mr. Lomax just ten years ago I am hoping we get more coverage of Mr. Johnson's contributions to this important part of disability history sooner rather than later. I do not want his activism ignored!

Do not let the full richness of our history be whitewashed! The Black Panthers kept the protestors fed, they HEAVILY publicized the protests in their paper The Black Panther and agitated on the protest and protestors behalf, and paid organizers' way to Washington to pressure the HEW secretary to actually sign the damn act. In turn, the Panthers did this because the Oakland ILC did outreach to them, and helped Mr. Lomax with transportation. This is solidarity buried under focus on the white organizers. Please please please cherish it. Keep it close to your heart, read about it, celebrate it, share it!

Obviously there were more Panthers who helped but I have already lost the first draft of this and I'm starting to fade -- here's two more detailed sources to read for more, and I highly recommend you do!

The Intersections and Divergences of Disability and Race

Lomax's Matrix: Disability, Solidarity, and the Black Power of 504

[moonshinemagpie]

The Capitol Crawl was so bad-ass and I wish it were taught in schools as one of the pivotal 20th-century American protests (it led to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990)

Disability Activism History: The Capitol Crawl | Accessible Web

The Capitol Crawl would go on to become one of the most visible and emotionally impactful demonstrations for disability rights to date.

[alex-is-same-as-it-ever-was]

Would like to also add Ohad "Ady" Barkan, who was an activist and attorney most famous for confronting politician Jeff Flake, asking him to vote no for a 2017 tax bill that was aiming to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

An incredible organizer and outspoken to his very last days in 2023. It was always refreshing to hear his voice and I know he was the type of guy that would be fighting right now with all the others still going at it.

His passing.

The PAC he cofounded, which is used to support progressive candidates who share the similar goal of medicare for all.

[writing2changetheworld]

Adding more: Judith Heumann also was instrumental in the passing of the ADA

Judith also worked with multiple United States presidents

The Ugly Laws

[fungi-maestro]

Hm. Your interpretation of this character displeases me. Guards! Take them away! Make them read the source material once more, and if that fails, the stocks.

[awihog]

"I asked chatgpt" "I asked grok" ok well I asked fbi special agent fox mulder and he said that his theory is chatgpt is powered by a historical demon referenced in two (2) twelfth century texts that he actually believes is an alien taking the form of technology in order to assimilate better with the modern world and dana scully was also there and she just put her head in her hands and sighed

[eleilinnrallin]

This is a reminder for those who handmake Christmas presents that now is not too early to start. It may in fact be a good time to start if you have a lot to make/your craft takes a long time. You should maybe start it now, whether that's brainstorming or actually doing the crafts!

[newtsoftheworldunite]

Translating this into tumblr's preferred public service announcement format for this kind of alert:

[kiwicantfly]

I suggest getting angrier about misogyny.

[kiwicantfly]

"at least be nice about-" no. Girl. Kill him over it. We're done. It's been centuries of this bullshit since time immemorial and he hasn't learned. Obliterate him.

[kurulover]

I hate that when you’re stressed enough your body just starts falling apart. I think it should realize you’re already stressed and don’t need that and start functioning better actually

[kurulover]

[thecryptkeeper]

how it feels to drink water out of a mason jar

[depsidase]

[theaceofwords]

It's called the Global Justice Report, it is here. This is an actionable plan which can be sent to legislators and demanded of political parties. We could save the world within our lifetimes.

It has always been possible. It is still possible.

[ominous-signs]

Sign I saw near a beach in California a few years ago.

[elaenathedefiant]

countries where prostitution is legal have higher rates of human trafficking. that’s like an actual fact. not an opinion or anything. so tbh it seems a bit ‘swerfy’ to completely ignore that

[darthvatrix]

Why would trafficking increase when you have legalized prostitution.

[aneurysmsandanalogues]

Because if prostitution is legal, demand increases. And if it is legal, pimps and traffickers have more room to exploit and sell women under the guise of legal sex work.

In fact, in countries where it is legal, pimps and brothel owners are considered sex workers themselves.

[gorgonology]

Just because you legalize prostitution doesn’t mean women are going to be anymore willing to do it, but more men expect to go to prostitutes, so the demand for prostitution increases. Where do you get prostitutes if women aren’t willing to be them? you kidnap and traffick them!! 

[thereallifesnowwhite]

Thank you for explaining this so concisely. I always thought trafficking would decrease if prostitution was legalized, so this is good to know.

[tr1angl3]

it’s worth pointing out that Germany, who’s always touted as very progressive for legalizing prostitution and instituting prostitution unions, has become the human trafficking hub of Europe since those laws were implemented.

[kopfkinoes]

In 2009, there were around 900 victims of human trafficking in the Netherlands. In 2017, there were over 6000 and this number is estimated to fall prey to human trafficking every year. Over 4000 are sex slaves and over 1000 are children. This is getting progressively worse. I honestly cannot believe people aren’t educated that this legalization adds to an increase in human trafficking. Isn’t it obvious that’s how the world works? Also, men don’t care. I remember a post over here with men that were going to prostituted children and one of them was saying “I don’t care to know how the sausage is made”. That should tell you everything you need to know if you’re still having doubts about which side of the barricade you should choose. 

[notcisjustwoman]

The notes on this post gave me 17 types of cancer. The fucking mental gymnastics people will pull to justify men’s right to pay to rape women is just staggering.

[kiefbowl]

People in the notes keep saying “correlation does not mean causation” as if that means correlation will never apply causation. But I think the causation between prostitution and trafficking is pretty clear so…I don’t know why people want to live in a world so badly where women can be bought and sold

[gcdk]

Human Trafficking Persists Despite Legality of Prostitution in Germany - DER SPIEGEL - International

When Germany legalized prostitution just over a decade ago, politicians hoped that it would create better conditions and more autonomy for s

[addictedtocaring]

That article describes what I imagine hell to be like

[wyvern-of-the-evening]

I’ve also learned recently Germany can deny women unemployment/disability because they can technically still “work” in brothels and by selling their bodies. Not that it always happens, but they *can* deny it

[quixoticanarchy]

"Questionnaire" - Wendell Berry

1. How much poison are you willing to eat for the success of the free market and global trade? Please name your preferred poisons. 2. For the sake of goodness, how much evil are you willing to do? Fill in the following blanks with the names of your favorite evils and acts of hatred. 3. What sacrifices are you prepared to make for culture and civilization? Please list the monuments, shrines, and works of art you would most willingly destroy. 4. In the name of patriotism and the flag, how much of our beloved land are you willing to desecrate? List in the following spaces the mountains, rivers, towns, farms you could most readily do without. 5. State briefly the ideas, ideals, or hopes, the energy sources, the kinds of security, for which you would kill a child. Name, please, the children whom you would be willing to kill.

[tiktoks-i-enjoyed]

[lostlibrarycard]

Mary Oliver

[redlipstickresurrected]

Clotilde Olyff (Belgian, b. 1962, based Brussels, Belgium) - Stone Alphabet, 1994. She collected these over a 14-year period from the banks of rivers and oceans.

[mangonetics]

Yo, heads up on the elizabeth holms post from 2014. Came out years ago that she was actually running a huge scam with the blood thing and is perhaps not so girlboss

You are an enemy to women