#disabled ally

[disabilityhealth]

Abled allies,

If you visit a business and notice that something is inaccessible, please mention it to the staff so they can correct it before a disabled person shows up -- especially if the problem might prevent us from getting into the building. 

We won’t be able to lodge a complaint in person if we can’t even get inside, so please use your voice for good.

[frogsfordisabilityjustice]

super simple ways to be a (better) disability ally!

If you have any friends or family who are disabled or have some sort of medical issue, do your research on it! Learn the causes, affects, and if you too are close ask how it affects them personally and how you can best support them.

Research dynamic disability!

Learn how to support people during medical episodes. Some research ideas are autistic overloads, anxiety/panic attacks, allergic reactions, diabetic emergencies, fainting, seizures, etc.

Learn the basics about commonly misunderstood things. Ambulatory wheelchair users, tourette's and tics, nonepileptic and/or nonconvulsive seizures, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, invisible disabilities, etc.

Learn basic ASL from deaf people. There are lots of different resources to learn it free online, by deaf teachers.

Learn what words people use about disability are actually slurs. Stop saying them completely and call others out when they do.

Include any disabled people at your school or workplace. Don't treat them poorly or other them because of their disability. If you know what their disability is learn the basics about it, if you don't then don't ask.

Don't ask strangers about their mobility aid, scars, medical device, disability aid, medical condition, etc. unless it's actively directly affecting you or they've said you can ask them questions about it.

Follow the stories of disabled people in your interest areas! For example read a book with good disability representation, follow a disabled beauty influencer, or learn about paraolympians.

Call out ableism within your friend groups when you see it. Misusing psychological terms, using slurs, using disabled people as the butt of their jokes, excluding disabled people, being rude to disabled people, etc.

If you have any more ideas please comment or reblog w/ them!

And always remember the most basic part of being a disability ally is just listening to disabled voices.

[void-galaxy-shenanigans]

[disabled-sapphic]

every person who chooses to put the only baby changing station in the only disabled bathroom should get an electric shock every time a disabled person has to wait more than 10 minutes for a bathroom

(they should get 5 electric shocks per minute if the person's disability makes it hard for them to control bladder/bowel function or if it's painful to wait)

[tjmystic]

In relation to all my ally posts:

If, like me, you've ever been the big fish in a small pond (i.e., "the smart kid" in a small or uneducated family/school/community/etc.), you might think you know everything once you learn a little bit about the world outside your own. But you don't. And you especially don't know more than the people whose lives hinge on whatever it is you think you've learned.

That doesn't mean you're dumb. You're learning, and learning is always good. Just don't fall for the trap of believing that learning is something you can finish. And especially don't buy into the idea that you know more about something than someone who is living it.

Sure, it's a hard pill to swallow if you've grown up thinking you're a genius, but learning to listen to other people who aren't as traditionally "smart" or educated as you is something you need to accept early on if you want to become a better person.

[confessionsofahandicapableteen]

How to be a disabled ally

1. Be humble. Don't put yourself on a pedestal because you're friends with disabled people. You should see your disabled friends as friends first and foremost. 2. Never force your assistance on a handicapped person (e.g., grabbing groceries out of a person in a scooter's basket and putting them on the conveyer belt). Always ask, "Can I help you with that?" And don't be offended if the answer is no. Disabled people can be more independent than they look 3. Take the time to explain disability to your children. Warn them not to touch other people's mobility equipment without their consent, and never ever ever to point. It warms my heart every time I catch a kid's eye while I'm in my scooter and instead of staring, they smile at me. Teach your kids to do that. Start them young. Add yours!