reminder that ableist vocabulary is EVERYWHERE and i'm so sick of it. it's really disturbing how normalised some of these words/phrases are, and many people use them every day without being aware of the implications of using them.
here is a (non-comprehensive) list of ableist words you should remove from your vocabulary:
lame
crazy
lunatic
the r slur
psycho
stupid
dumb
idiot
misusing words such as "deaf" and "blind" (e.g. "i'm so blind" after not being able to find something)
instead of referring to something as "crazy", you could easily use wild. instead of describing something as "stupid", you could easily say "silly" or "ridiculous". language matters.
I don't feel like responding to your entire reblog and also I'm blocking you but CVI is NOT visual processing disorder
Context (link)
Sources will be at the bottom after disturbing arguments are addressed.
I'm going to respond to this assuming there is a missing "a", as I never said CVI is VPD, I said it's a type. That's probably clear but I'll make it crystal
Could you clarify any particular reason as to why you believe you are the arbiter whose opinion should be regarded above all else? I welcome the opportunity to be educated and proven wrong, but you have yet to support your original claim and still fail to provide any evidence regarding this one.
Saying a disabled individual knows nothing about the condition they literally have? Wow. Just wow.
You previously called someone obsessed and implied they were stupid for reblogging with a response and leaving a comment on your post. If that's considered obsession, what would you call yourself, who has subblogged someone after you left an ask saying you've blocked them?
And then I find this?
Are you actually fucking kidding me? I can't believe I fell for someone's obviously bad faith bullshit as you clearly believe that those who have disabilities understanding senses have sensory disabilities. How is sensory processing disorder NOT a sensory disability when you blatantly include one of the manifestations???
I find it notable you did not respond to stitchieau-the-actual-one or trashiesttrashboy’s points like this, instead, you opted to fabricate a quote as a personal attack to mock Stitch as if they had said “I'm as dumb as rocks”, when one could've easily pointed out how dyspraxia is a form of SPD, not the other way around.
Very interesting, it seems your motivation for blocking could very well stem from the desire for the inherent concealment of concerns about misinformation and bigoted biases, particularly after having sanism and hindrance to disability activism pointed out. Funny how the sanist comments suddenly disappeared after I mentioned them, shame I didn't screenshot it.
You "don't feel like" responding to my (or any respondent, really) reblog because you HAVE nothing to respond with.
SOURCES N SHIT
I wasn't just saying it for the hell of it.
The Child Neurology Foundation (link) describes CVI as visual processing disorder. The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus (link) explains that in CVI, "the message is not properly processed or integrated".
The Pediatric Cortical Visual Impairment Society (link) notes that "CVI is a problem with the visual processing centers and visual pathways of the brain, not the eye." They continue on another page (link), "the eyes can see, but the brain can't interpret the visual world.” Perkins (link) says it is "caused by damage to the brain’s visual pathways or visual processing areas," and that "the brain has trouble processing what the eyes can see".
The Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh (link) states "it can involve any visual processing part of the brain," and that it "affects the visual processing centers in the brain". The National Eye Institute (link) drafted a definition in a workshop sponsored by NIH, defining CVl as "a spectrum of visual impairments caused by an underlying structural and/or functional brain abnormality that affects the development of visual function and processing'":
This PubMed article (link) states that “[the] broad consensus definition embraces the wide range of damage or dysfunction of the neural pathways, centers and networks involved in visual information processing," highlighting how this particularly impacts the visual brain areas “involved in integration, identification, analysis and interpretation of […] visual information […]." Given this complexity, it follows that “disturbance of any element of these complex mental visual processes can occur in a range of patterns of CVI", including "impaired processing of visual details", showcasing how "cortical or cerebral visual impairment can interfere with any or all aspects of visual processing."
Another study (link) mentions that "an important aspect of CVI are visual processing dysfunctions (VPD)" processing dysfunction is synonymous with processing disorder.
A different study (link) notes "CVI can be characterized as a condition of 'dorsal stream dysfunction' and represents the most common type of visual processing impairment observed in children with this condition.”
Boston children's hospital (link) lists autism as a confusing diagnostic entity, probably because dorsal stream function were significantly associated (link) with autistic traits.
This study (link) calls CVI a "visual processing disorder"
The only argument I can possibly interpret to be made in good faith would be pointing out how cerebral is different from cortical, which is not what you've done. It isn't a strong argument anyways, as cerebral is often substituted for or used interchangeably with cortical "to more globally encompass these higher order visual processing deficits and their presumed association with damaged areas of the visual processing pathway".
That study (link) continues by explaining how “a practical and useful conceptual framework in characterizing observed deficits in CVI is to incorporate the two-stream hypothesis of visual processing". Within this framework, “impairment of dorsal visual stream processing would impact upon an individual’s ability to process and interact with complex visual scenes […]". This concept is supported by recent studies investigating “individual pathways implicated in the processing of visual information between cortical areas of the brain with the aim of establishing a possible association between the structural integrity of these pathways and visual dysfunction in CVI.” Those studies reveal that “the observed reductions in the structural integrity associated with the key extra geniculostriate visual pathways implicated in visual processing help provide for a neuroanatomical basis for the visual dysfunctions observed in individuals with CVI”
CVI Scotland (link) has discussed a paper titled "Central Auditory Processing Disorder: The Hearing Equivalent of CVI".
Again, I welcome being wrong! I love being educated (: but you have given absolutely 0 indicator that this is anything more than your personal opinion sneered out of frustrations taken out on fellow disabled individuals (oh that's right, you just think they have issues)
I'd be interested to hear your ideas about how able-bodied folks can be comrades. How can we be disrupters of ableist systems for the benefit of everyone, and so the work isn't solely on disabled folks?
Hello hello!! What an excellent question :)
The first step is always education - disrupting ableism means dismantling and unlearning ableist redbrick, and you do so by broadening your understanding of not only society as a system, but disabled people as a community. Learn about neurodiversity, spoon theory, curb cut, mutual aid and universal design! Disabled history, crip kinship, mobility aids and the social model! And do the work yourself - if you leave it to the disabled people in your life to be your only educators, you've already made disability an afterthought. Allow them to enrich and add perspective on knowledge you've already deemed valuable to attain.
I'll be in a room full of people discussing all sorts of social and political radicalism, and the same people won't even know what I mean by "spoons". How is it that all the other marginalized facets of my identity are worth knowing about, by my disability is not?
Unpack your own internalized ableism. Understanding your OWN body-mind (abled or not) as valuable regardless of ability, energy, pain levels, etc. will help you with the groundwork in accepting all body-minds.
Understand that "laziness" is a social construct under capitalism - that all bodies are deserving of rest. That like all bodies, yours is complex and will wax and wane and age like all others. That disability is something all, if not most, of us will experience in our lifetimes, and that's okay. Disability is not the rare exception, it is a rule within the human design and a natural part our lives.
Embrace disabled love, disabled joy, disabled kinship. Just as we are a community of struggle, hardship, injustice and pain, we are also one of joy. Allow your knowledge of disability to create a fluidity in your understanding of the human form. Allow our teachings of community and care to manifest in radical love.
Utilize your privilege, your voice, your access to physical space. Simply being able to show up is a privilege - include the people who can't be there in the conversation. Think of them when planning events, running errands, attending shows and protesting. If it was built for them they'd be there - so why aren't they? Learn to notice a lack of access and make a fuss! Is your favorite bar accessible? How about your college, your hiking trail, your music venue? Your privilege can be a valuable tool, use it.
Recognize that disabled people are an asset to all communities. We are innovative, forward thinking, creative, and radical. Listen to us, value us, accommodate us and hire us!
Learn more about what people with underlying health conditions and who are immune-compromised want others to know about their coronavirus concerns.
1. It’s a privilege not to have to take coronavirus risks seriously
I want to raise my hand and be counted among the ‘medically fragile’ people most at risk of dying if I contract #COVID19. So anyone not taking this seriously because they are healthy need to realize that many of us don’t have that privilege.” — @SocialMediaShan
2. Do what you can to keep those around you safer
#COVD-19 will most affect the vulnerable ppl in your lives with #heartdisease, respiratory issues, cancer, #autoimmune diseases, your grandparents. Your risk may not be as high, but washing your hands will keep your ppl safer. Wash your hands! Don’t buy masks! — @UnxpctedAdvocate
Wash your dang hands often and fully. Don’t go out if you are sick. I want them to know there are people of all ages who are more susceptible to bad consequences of getting the flu or COVID-19 so think about others. — @Dividivigirl
Don’t play around with it. If you have to err, always err on the side of caution. — @itsamuddylife
Don’t panic, think about everyone and how to protect yourself and others. — @hippychick55
3. Stop using the word ‘only’
Healthy people should take the #COVID19 situation as an opportunity to show others how much they love them. The should also consider why this society is comfortable saying “only” the elderly, chronically ill, and #disabled will suffer and die. — @dawnmgibson
That our lives matter. Some people are dismissing the threat saying it is ‘only’ deadly for the elderly, the young and those with chronic conditions. Grrrrr…. — @rosieainley
They might not be worried about themselves — and don’t take precautions — there are many others around them that could become very ill from COVID-19, or even die. It could be their grandma, a friend, or a stranger, but we’re all human and have a right to live. — @RheumaBlog_Wren
Two percent of 300 million is 6 million. That is a LOT of vulnerable people. Our lives have value too. — @VenZenix
4. Panic-buying hurts people who may need to avoid public places
Senseless panic-buying makes it harder for many sick or disabled people to get supplies when they do manage to get to the shops. — @rosieainley
5. Avoid making comparisons to other diseases
Stop posting stats of people who died from cancer and heart disease in comparison to #coronavirus. — @mrsmurphy_22
6. Know that any bad infection can be life-threatening if you are immune-compromised
With this — and similar illnesses such as flu and pneumonia! — they can, simply, kill us. It’s a kindness to everyone to demonstrate hygiene and to stay home when ill if that is possible. — @fridawrites
Take it seriously; it is not like the flu. There is not an antiviral to help [us] recover. — @owlsgryphons
7. Keep being hygiene-conscious even after this outbreak
They need to know that this new level of hygiene they’re implementing should be routine already. It’s the same level chronically ill utilize daily as a matter of survival. — @kerbicide
8. Stay home if you’re sick
You don’t need to be a “hero.” Don’t come to work/school/store sick. You may handle it “just fine” but you are impacting a whole lot of other people. — @FragrantGrace
9. Only share information from reliable sources
Please #factcheck information. Listen to doctors and scientist, not “they said” or “somebody told me.” — @RABionic
10. We need to connect with others like us for support
Despite what we hear, we are not disposable. We are coming together during a crisis to share knowledge, and to support one another. This won’t be the last virus to circulate like this and we can use this experience to better prepare for the future. — @marcilync1
This is your reminder that being unemployed does not define who you are. Your worth as a person isn't determined by how productive our ablest society deems you.
Ah we totally forgot to tell you all about a little success story abt a tiny anti-ableist intervention we had a while ago!
So we were with some other people we didn’t know at some leftist political thing or other, and one of them was angry about police violence they had heard about (no cops were present) and insulting the cops who did that. They said they were “disabled” (literal quote: “behindert” which is unfortunately a very common insult in germany :/ ). We told them that that’s not true and that disabled people are oppressed and not oppressors, structurally speaking.
At first they were taken aback and said something about “but you’d have to be not-right-in-the-head to do something like that!”, which we also tried to correct with one sentence.
We didn’t want to/didn’t dare make the entire conversation about this and stuck to relatively short and hopefully simple sentences. We were also not prepared because we hadn’t seen this coming, and we weren’t “out” or felt comfortable being “out” around these near-strangers as mentally ill ourselves.
So we’re proud of ourselves for being able to speak up at all!
And it worked! Not much later that same person apologised and said something that I couldn’t quote from memory, but that showed they’d thought about it and taken our point in!
I think we really made this person (and possibly others who were within earshot) think about this kind of casual ableism and why it’s not ok. Even if only a little bit.
There is nothing more upsetting than people degrading you and attacking your intelligence / intellectual faculties because of your autism.
I've had it happen very few times in person (mostly got dragged and dogpiled on by people online), but the fact it still happened... Leaves scars.
This wasn't obvious to me until I had a nightmare where this was featured as the centerpiece.
I haven't ugly-cried in almost a whole year, so that will give you some perspective to know that I'm not someone who breaks down easily.
..
With that said, it's true that autism is a disability... It affects our ability to socialize and understand the intricacies and nuances of human emotions and interactions (with friends, family- or SOs) ...but it also doesn't mean that it's okay for people to just label us as r*tards or burdens to society and dismiss our whole being, feelings, and very real experience.
I missed out on a lot of socialization throughout my life and wasn't diagnozed until I was an adult. I've learned to mask really well and it's why people initially don't even believe me when I tell them I have autism. It also doesn't help that part of my autism is rooted in emotions.
In my particular case, I do not lack empathy... but I lack a lot of social and situational awareness (and appropriateness, as a result). I used to overshare to bond with people and start friendships. There were a lot of messed up things that would have never happened if I had gotten a disability support mentor early on- but you can't undo that damage easily, nor can you turn back the clock and stop yourself from hurting others.
To this day, I still occasionally feel like I'm never going to be understood by anyone around me (neurotypicals and neurodivergents alike).
I have to be my own support network, mostly because I feel I still cannot rely on others to do that, or have them not judge me harshly for mistakes made. It's not great, but it's how I had to learn to swim in the depths of the ocean, all alone. Only monsters and strange creatures dwell at this depth, and I don't think I can ever stop looking for signs of a potential monster (signs of potential abuse) in any and all interactions I have with people I don't trust yet or don't feel I can trust at all.
It's a lonely existence and I wouldn't wish this on anyone... Even though you do get used to it after a while.
The moral of the story here is... Well, I'm not sure there is one.
...Be less judgmental and more forgiving?
...Seek help early on for mental health stuff, if you're able to- and can afford it?
...Try to become your own support network early on, so you don't have to rely on others?
Idk.
I wish I didn't have to butt heads with people, make mistakes, have nightmares about people making fun of my autism... You name it.
We don't need a harsher, more cut-throat world.
We need a world where people show compassion to one another- or, at the very least, a world where people try to understand others and learn from their mistakes, if anything.
I hope I've helped some people learn new, important things.
I hope I have helped people... Even if just marginally. Even if it was a small thing, like hearing the thing you needed to hear at the right time- to change their life for the better.
I've been struggling with the lack of a sense of purpose for a long time... this is the best I can do: put this- my mistakes and myself out there.
..
Please take care of yourself, especially if no one else will.
