Super.

www.superaleja.org

[superaleja]

I narrated an audiobook.

I meant to post about it here before.

This is what the editor, Alice Wong, wrote about my involvement with it before it was released on June 30.

It’s out now – and people like that I am reading it to them. 

You might like it, too.

(Also available in print and e-book formats.)

Audiobook updates & more

14 more days, y'all

[superaleja]

It’s lime o’clock somewhere... Closeup photo of the back of a black cat, orange bowtie with limes on it at his neck. https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EVE2upRmUBPN9z10TadVazdOLOSuCaU92xHY0/?igshid=dfw14js9unem

[flowers-and-chocolate]

I just love that Crowley is “the bad boy” but he’s also the one who never ever denies their friendship or hides his feelings. He’s the one saying they are friends forever, asking to run away together, getting pissed at their relationship being diminished to “fraternizing”. He even insists that the angel does like him when he denies. And then openly cries when he thinks he lost him. He doesn’t even try to hide how he feels. I just love how Crowley is open about how much he likes Aziraphale even though he’s the demon one.

[inkskinned]

when i was 12 i babysat this girl for a few years and she would come to me and show me her art, drag me by my wrists and point at the pieces she’d made during the week. and she’d be like “do the voice” and i’d put on a sports-announcer olympics-style voice and be like “such form! this level of coloring! why i haven’t seen such perfection in crayola in a long time. and what is this? why jeff, now this is a true risk… it seems she’s made … a monochrome pink canvas…. i haven’t seen this attempted since winter 1932… and i gotta say, jeff, it’s absolutely splendid”  and she’d fall back giggling. at the end of every night she’d check with me: “did you really like it?” and i’d say yes and talk about something i noticed and tucked her in.

she was just accepted into 3 major art schools. she wrote me a letter. inside was a picture from when she was younger. monochrome pink. 

“thank you,” it said, “to somebody who saw the best in me.”

[superaleja]

See the best in others.

[catchymemes]

“My mom painted this and said no one would like it. It’s her 2nd painting.”

“I painted somebody’s mom”

“Took a while and not perfect, but i painted the guy who painted the other guy’s mom”

“I painted the girl who painted the guy who painted the other guy’s mom who painted an egret”

“I painted the guy who painted the girl who painted the guy who painted the mom who painted a bird”

“When it sinks in that I stayed up most of the night to paint a meme for internet points…”

[superaleja]

Sorry I can’t currently visually describe all this meta-everything...

[theperksofbeingaperk]

[jinxfmrl]

https://archive.org/details/DontBeaS1947

Here’s the whole video. It’s called “Don’t Be A Sucker” and it’s 17 minutes long.

[republicansareahategroup]

don’t just scroll past this actually watch it, it’s only 2 minutes long. If you re-recorded this today word for word with modern actors and places, it wouldn’t even look out of place as a PSA

[timeforalongstory]

They left out the best line: “Remember this when you hear this kind of talk - someone’s going to get something out of it. And it isn’t going to be you.”

[superaleja]

That time (last week) I met Vincent D’Onofrio during his film acting workshop as part of the inaugural cohort of the Theatre for All Initiative at the Queens Theatre, was told I “can really act”, and then was complimented as I worked in the booth as an audio describer for a second session of the class.

And then he replied to me on Twitter.

[Vincent D'Onofrio stands next to me during our workshop session. I am in my powerchair with my back to the camera.]

[rebelwheelsnycshow]

[image description: photo of me outside of voting poll location, in my motorized wheelchair. I am holding up via my spastic arms, the I VOTED sticker and posing next to the voting signs that direct people where to enter. One of them has a blue and white wheelchair symbol. The other one reads vote here (in multiple languages) with a black arrow pointing right] (photo credit: lizzie my HHA)

The above photo was taken today, Election Day right during my attempt to vote. Allow me to explain.

I wrote this 21 hours ago on social media:

Just for shits & giggles, I double check to make sure that I am still registered ‘cus #VoterPurgesHappen. According to the website, there is no record of me being registered.

[image description: a screenshot of the BOE website when I looked up my voter registration status, only to find that for some reason I am not registered.]

I call up the New York County Board of Elections who doesn’t even check + just says “you’re registered” (My speech impediment was in effect and I got the impression that this person just wanted to get off the phone)

My HHA called (with no speech impediment) + got more of an answer. The woman said that although my mailing address is where I live now, I am still registered to vote at old address in Brooklyn - + thus even though I’ve been voting in Manhattan since 2013, now all of a sudden, I have to go to Brooklyn to vote

The woman was less than courteous but after my HHA said we have the physical card from 2017 telling us where to vote and that I was able to vote successfully IN MANHATTAN (in previous years), she said then I shouldn’t have a problem. But it’s odd since she JUST told us, I’d have to go to Brooklyn

First of all, I am disabled and mostly bed bound so just physically getting to the polling location in my neighborhood is a big to do. I would have no way to get to Brooklyn even on a good day. If I vote tomorrow and I am turned away 'cus the BOE screwed up, it is a trip in vain

Second of all, what the hell. I have been literally voting for YEARS in Manhattan and now all of a sudden, something has changed? Something is not right.

When i went to vote today, with the assistance of my home health aide, Lizzie, I wasn’t even sure if I would be allowed to vote.

I went to my usual polling place, with proof of my current address in hand. Proof of the 2017 voting card that I got in the mail last year (but for some reason never got my 2018 card). I had proof of ID and more. They had me on record voting successfully from the years before and yet I was not on record for this year. .

The volunteers at the polling place were very kind and suggested another person’s record of the same name got confused with mine, but that didn’t seem right as they had me listed as my old address in Brooklyn, not some stranger’s address.

In the end, I was given a ballot and an affidavit. Meaning that while I could technically vote, I was not allowed to scan my ballot as usual. I had to place my ballot in the affidavit envelope, and pretty much go on faith that it would be counted, as I handed it to the volunteer. I was also not allowed to take a photo of my ballot, the affidavit and nor did I receive any kind of receipt that I voted, other than the I VOTED sticker that everyone gets. Don’t get me wrong. The volunteers (unlike the person at the BOE) were very nice but what kind of voting system do we have, where I basically have to rely on faith and trust?

[image description: a photo of me laying in my hospital bed recouperating after the trip out. I am laying on purple bed sheets and am holding up the I VOTED sticker with my spastic arms ]

[superaleja]

Gothamist featured this post by @rebelwheelsnycshow today, in its primary day roundup of what a mess NYC voting (always) is...

[superaleja]

A few months ago, I shared my story with the We Will Ride campaign, which launched today:

-- I’ve lived in New York City my whole life (I’m 37), I have cerebral palsy and I’ve been an electric wheelchair user my whole life.

[EDIT: I have been a wheelchair user my whole life, and a motorized wheelchair user for almost 15 years.]

I rely mostly on public transportation, but I’ve only been a Subway rider since 2008. I’ve lucked out where I live because the station close to me is accessible, but the system as a whole is only about 24% accessible. Last Spring, two federal lawsuits were filed against the Metropolitan Transport Authority on Subway accessibility by disability advocates, but they will take a while to work their way through the courts.

Our buses are accessible, but in New York City traffic, it can take you an hour on a bus to travel a mile.

No matter what form of transportation I take, I have to plan far in advance and figure out which elevators are in service and which aren’t. Because of liability issues, if I get stuck underground I have to call 911 instead of receiving help from MTA staff or police.

I do use accessible taxis, and they are slowly becoming more available. If I call 311, I’m routed to an accessible dispatch. And I’m part of a pilot program where I can call an accessible taxi and pay a fare similar to what I would pay for paratransit.

I believe that autonomous vehicles would be helpful to me. I would absolutely be interested in using them. I’m worried that the cost would be prohibitive, especially with modification costs if they weren’t accessible to begin with. But my other concerns are about safety — as a wheelchair user, in case of a technical problem I would be very vulnerable.

My questions for the automakers: Are you thinking about my accessibility? What is the control interface like? Would I be able to use them? Who is testing them out? I want to know that we are part of the conversation.

The affordability of accessible vehicles is a huge problem — it’s basically a penalty structure, and we’re the ones paying the penalty. If more companies were making vehicles that were designed with accessibility in mind from the beginning, then more people would be able to buy them.

I have been involved with many advocacy projects over the course of my life. I see transportation as a space where I could start applying my effort as an advocate, because I see how it impacts my life every day. It was advocates working together when I was an infant to create the transportation network I use today, as imperfect as it is. If we apply ourselves now, we can make even more progress on this issue for the next generation.

[thumbnail image: white text on blue background with quote: "The most significant challenge I face with transportation is reliability". — Alejandra Ospina alongside a logo for the We Will Ride campaign]

[superaleja]

NJ forces disabled Howell student to make brutal choice: internship or health aide money

[superaleja]

“United Shades of America” on Disability

[flyingpurplepizzaeater]

Sometimes people use “respect” to mean “treating someone like a person” and sometimes they use “respect” to mean “treating someone like an authority”

and sometimes people who are used to being treated like an authority say “if you won’t respect me I won’t respect you” and they mean “if you won’t treat me like an authority I won’t treat you like a person”

and they think they’re being fair but they aren’t, and it’s not okay.

[superaleja]

Episode 22 of the Disability Visibility Project: Public Transit

I got to be a part of Episode 22 of the Disability Visibility Project podcast hosted by Alice Wong, who says:

It’s easy to complain about public transit, but for so many populations, including low-income people, older adults, and people with disabilities, it’s the only option available.

Today’s episode is about public transit focusing on two systems: MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) and the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority)/New York City Transit in New York City.

Maria Sotnikova and Alejandra Ospina are my guests and they share their experiences using different forms of transit from these two systems. They’ll also talk about larger systemic issues about accessibility and infrastructure in these two metropolitan areas.

(Transcript available, with informational links)

https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2018/04/08/ep-22-public-transit/

[superaleja]

Via Fiona Robertson on Facebook:

Please, when you're talking about #StephenHawking, avoid ableist tropes:

Don't say he 'overcame' his illness. He was still disabled. He was both disabled and brilliant, not 'in spite of'.

Don't use: Crippled Afflicted by Suffered from Wheelchair-bound Confined to a wheelchair

Talk about his incredible achievements. Don't frame it as if he became not disabled by being smart.

Recognise that he was able to be the light of cosmology because he had access to medical care, social care, adaptive technology, mobility aids. Honour his fight for the NHS. Do not use his story as a stick to beat other disabled people. He succeeded because of his brilliance *and* his access to support. Do not diminish him, his work or his life by erasing his disability or only talking about it as something he 'overcame'.

He was inspirational because he saw reality in a way the vast majority of people can only dream of. He had an intellect that only comes along once or twice in a generation. He was not your inspiration porn. He was Stephen Hawking.

[superaleja]

Practical info on accessible mass transit in NYC

A Facebook post with practical information on wheelchair/mobility accessible mass transit…

Which I can’t seem to embed because I am not very good at Tumblr things, so here is the public link:

https://www.facebook.com/superaleja/posts/10155448276607218

With the current text and links (subject to editing in either post) below:

As originally posted to the Accessible Travel Club:

I’m a native New Yorker and a lifelong wheelchair user. I’m sharing this post for those who request accessible mass transit advice when visiting NYC.

First, if you need to get to and from NYC area airports as a wheelchair user, the easiest accessible way to to that is to book with SuperShuttle. There are some accessible ways to travel from the airports, but I wouldn’t recommend them unless you are more familiar with the system, and also because you never know what condition your wheelchair or mobility device will be in when your plane has landed.

I use the subways regularly in a motorized chair, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend them for a short-term trip if you are not already familiar with the system.

Keep in mind that out of nearly 500 stations, only about 24% are actually accessible, and that varies widely on any given day. To use the gate that wheelchair users would enter at an officially accessible station, you also need a special reduced-fare AutoGate MetroCard, which you unfortunately can’t just purchase from a machine like a regular MetroCard fare card. You would have to get one at a specific office on Stone Street in downtown Manhattan.

EDITED TO ADD: It is possible to use accessible subway stations without an AutoGate card, but you will have to negotiate with station agents at accessible stations to let you through the accessible gate if you don’t have your own reduced-fare AutoGate MetroCard.

The list of all the accessible subway stations is here: http://web.mta.info/accessibility/stations.htm

The list of current subway elevator outages is here: http://web.mta.info/mta/eles.html

Here is the official Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) guide to accessible mass transit in NYC: http://web.mta.info/accessibility/

As it mentions, all buses in NYC are wheelchair accessible, so while they can take a very long time, you will get where you are going.

The MTA TripPlanner page will help you plan your commute from one point to another. Just make sure you select the “Accessible Trip” option: http://tripplanner.mta.info/

If you use paratransit where you are from (within the U.S.), you can also apply for conditional temporary paratransit eligibility with Access-A-Ride if you contact them in advance. Here is the guide for AAR paratransit: http://web.mta.info/nyct/paratran/guide.htm

If you would like to book an accessible NYC yellow (Manhattan) or green (other boroughs and Manhattan above 96th St) taxi: http://accessibledispatch.org/

There are some other options, but these are the basics; feel free to suggest or check in the comments.

Hope this helps!

[Please feel free to share this post with anyone who wants to know more about the practical details of wheelchair/mobility accessible mass transit in NYC.]

[aimemories]

One Last Away Message

By Michael Albers, VP of Communications Product at Oath

If you were a 90’s kid, chances are there was a point in time when AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) was a huge part of your life. You likely remember the CD, your first screenname, your carefully curated away messages, and how you organized your buddy lists. Right now you might be reminiscing about how you had to compete for time on the home computer in order to chat with friends outside of school. You might also remember how characters throughout pop culture from “You’ve Got Mail” to “Sex and the City” used AIM to help navigate their relationships. In the late 1990’s, the world had never seen anything like it. And it captivated all of us.

AIM tapped into new digital technologies and ignited a cultural shift, but the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed. As a result we’ve made the decision that we will be discontinuing AIM effective December 15, 2017. We are more excited than ever to continue building the next generation of iconic brands and life-changing products for users around the world.

Thank you to all of our AIM users. And definitely stay tuned as we’re fired up to provide more products and experiences that people around the world love.

[superaleja]

I think the best advice I can probably ever give is this:

Talk to your people.

We all know so many people in so many different ways. Personal, professional, platonic, and intimate relationships. All of our relationships come with expectations. And there’s no set way to have them, even within kinds of relationships. The expectations are set from within.

That’s why you have to talk to your people. You have to be on the same page with what you expect from each other, no matter the roles you choose or are assigned in any particular dynamic.

And talking about it isn’t often easy. Sometimes, it hurts. And it can take a lot of time. But it’s the only way you’ll know if how you are knowing someone, will work for you, or for them. No matter how you know each other. And these expectations, spoken or unspoken, can absolutely change over time.

So keep talking. Because it matters.

(And slightly less critical but still important: get a portable charger for your mobile phone. If you can scrape enough together for a smartphone, budget just a little more for this. Phones aren't really a luxury now, and having one lose power can be dangerous in many situations.)