here’s a picture of my AFO’s, they came a couple months ago, i just haven’t posted them. i ended up going with music notes for the pattern last minute.
Got curious about the Crip Time I've got going on when it comes to putting shoes with traditional AFOs, so I decided to time how long it took me to go from bare socks to shoes. First time was with the AFOs and the second time was without.
Here were the results:
With AFOs was exactly 1 minute 19.64 seconds
Without AFOs it took 8.87 seconds
Same shoes, and tried to go at the same pace
I'm not great at math, but I do know that is more than 3 times as long ?? Just to put on shoes, mind you. So if you're seeing this and you're able-bodied, please be understanding when disabled people are running late. This doesn't even account for things going wrong (like AFO malfunctions or sudden flare up of motor issues).
And here are screenshots from the stopwatch, though not necessary since I placed the times above. Just in case you wanted to see them idk
[Image ID 1: a stylized digital drawing of an andorian from the waist up. The andorian is wearing a blue Star Trek uniform with two full and one empty pips on his collar. He wears a universal translator around his ear that connects below his uniform collar to a vocal implant. The background is blue with a snowflake pattern. End ID 1]
[Image ID 2: a character reference sheet drawn in a digital style of the same andorian. He is shown in two profile headshots, one in the blue uniform and the other in a loose shirt which allows his vocal implant to be seen. Around the headshots is an enlarged drawing of his auditory implant which loops around the back of his ear like a hearing aid. The background is blue swirls. End ID 2]
[Image ID 3: a digitally drawn character sheet of the same andorian. He is shown standing full body on the left. He has a satchel over his shoulder and holds a cane in his other hand. He also wears AFO braces on his lower legs. In the upper right corner, his disability aids are shown in a yellow circle. These are his AFOs, his cane, and his auditory universal translator. In the bottom right, a simplified drawing of him sitting profile with one knee drawn up is shown. End ID 3]
Next is the second co science officer, Kirith!
Name: Kirith
Height: 5’4”
Species: Andorian
Pronouns: He/him
Disabilty(s): traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Relations: bondmates with Shrithao, Ashas, and Etivias. Has one daughter and two sons with them. Best friends with Harley, the communications officer.
CW below cut: assisted suicide mention, ableism
Kirith was born and raised on Andor by his zhavey (essentially mother). His other three parents left his mother before he was born. Kirith, Ashas, and Etivias all grew up close and were friends throughout childhood.
When Kirith was around seven years old, he was in an accident and got a traumatic brain injury and damage to his antennae as a result. This made him lose the ability to walk and speak for several months. Over time, however, he was able to relearn to walk with balance braces and speaks with the help of auditory and vocal transplants which also function as a universal translator.
Now, Kirith still struggles with dizziness and fainting, as well as chronic pain and migraines. Without his translator he can speak, but he has a speech impediment that makes him difficult to understand.
Kirith joined Starfleet mostly to get away from Andor, which has a hostile attitude toward disability, and usually advices assisted suicide over living disabled, especially when the disability affects the antennae.
Kirith was chosen early on for the Curiosity Program, as he is a very bright scientist.
Kirith met Shrithao and they quickly became friends and then bondmates. Kirith hadn’t met many Andorians who were so immediately accepting of his disability as Shrith was. Even Ashas and Etivias struggled to adjust when Kirith was young. Since Shrith was raised on Terra, she didn’t have as many prejudices to overcome. When they moved back to Andor, Kirith found himself happier there because she was with him. Shrith proved to him that there were people he could fully trust.
Getting a new mobility aid makes me feel So Much. I'll be in less pain, I'll be able to have more freedom, and that makes me so, so happy. But also, I'm more visibly disabled. Getting custom braces feels like such a big 'thing'. It's scary. I'm excited and anxious and happy and sad and embarrassed all at once. I don't know.
