seen from Vietnam
seen from United Arab Emirates
seen from Sweden
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Brazil
seen from China
seen from Colombia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Malaysia
seen from Philippines
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Japan
seen from Netherlands
seen from Australia
seen from Italy
seen from Hong Kong SAR China
Disability benefits shouldn’t be tied to the income of a disabled person’s partner/spouse/parent.
Do you hear me?
DISABILITY BENEFITS SHOULDN’T BE TIED TO THE INCOME OF A DISABLED PERSON’S PARTNER/SPOUSE/PARENT.
This is the straight forward way to deprive a disabled person of their financial freedom and independence and trap them into possible abusive relationships.
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
ACCESSIBILITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT NOT A PRIVILEGE
I’m happy to see when business are lgbtq+ friendly, but does it mean they are also disability friendly? And I don’t mean only in terms of accessibility, but also in terms of will people stare at me if I have a very visible face/body difference, if I use devices usually not seen in public spaces, if I speak slowly or in a different way than the norm, if I twitch, stutter, move around in a way that’s not the norm?
Should we make disability friendly another thing to talk about?
Starting using a cane has been a real game changer for me. Yesterday I went to a pride and did the whole walk, arriving at the end not too tired, thanks to the cane that helped me with balance and not putting too much weight on my legs. When I was doing marches without a cane it felt like hell most of the time.
Mobility aids are freedom, guys, no matter what society thinks or says. It’s not giving in. It’s not shameful.
But the way we perceive health and ability is truly problematic. No, eating protein shakes, avoiding ultra processed food, training everyday, running on the treadmill, etc. don’t put you out of the “dangers” of disability and illness (if we want to call it that).
No one is immune to illness, bad genes, accidents or old age. And becoming disabled or ill isn’t synonym of failure or “bad behaviours”.
Our bodies are fragile. Human beings are fragile. That’s why disability needs to be taken into account more seriously and considered as a social issue. For you, your loved ones and all the people you don’t know of but who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect no matter the state of their health and abilities.
I didn’t get sick at one year of age because I deserved it or because I was morally corrupt. How could I be? I was 1. It just happened. It was an autoimmune disease. That’s it.
Can we agree that being disabled doesn’t give you permission to ask me what my disability is or how did I get it if we are strangers/don’t know one another very well? You’re still asking me to share my personal medical info. I don’t ask disabled people why they’re disabled. Not even if they’re my friends, honestly. They can share it with me if they want to, but it’s not up to me to decide for them when and why. Being disabled doesn’t grant me that right.
There are so many other topics we can use as ice breakers. Humor about disability is fine. But let’s not dig into something that personal and/or traumatic.
My 2 cents.
Imagine you have a building with several floors but no way to climb up the ones above the ground. People would have the right to complain, don’t they? “Hey, where are the stairs? How do we go up?” It’s their right to be free to go up and down the building.
But if a disabled person points out that there is no elevator, no ramp or a way for them to go up or down that building then they are considered a nuisance, too demanding, and “c’mon, you can’t expect the World to bend at your needs”, and it’s too costly and blah blah blah.
Disabled people still do not have the freedom to go wherever they want.
Freedom, the most precious thing we have on this planet.
Just sayin’.
Another thing about inaccessibility that non-disabled people don’t realise is how dehumanising and diminishing it can feel: having to circle a building to find a step-free entrance, maybe where the dumpsters or other junk is kept? Having to ring or call for someone like a child who is waiting for permission to enter while everyone else walks by with no problem? Having to be carried up a flight of stairs, with everyone watching wide-eyed?
Yeaaaaahhhh, it’s no joke.
I’m sure there’s more stuff.
