I have been experiencing an incredibly frustrating and hurtful problem, and it's so hard to explain *why* it's affecting me so much. When I try explaining it to people who haven't felt it themselves, basically everyone not full-time or primarily a wheelchair user, they will try and help problem solve, but that's not the point or why I am so frustrated. I don't even have the word for the feeling and its incredibly specific and also a lot of different ones but none are able(lol) to really convey it.
I'm wanting to get tattooed, and everyone's told me to look a specific artists not places so I have. I have found several that I absolutely loved and had done a lot of similar things to what I'm wanting. Which is just so cool and makes me feel really confident I would get a good result!
None of that matters though.
First one that I absolutely loved and went to look at the studio to see what the process and other things would be like, all looked amazing. I read there idk motto, policy, tagling? Not sure what it's called, anyway, in big fancy writing on the front page dead center was:
I don't know why but this made me take a second and realise I hadn't seen anything about accessibility or what the studio looked like. Sent an email with other questions and basic info on what I was looking at getting, I also ended up mentioning the "motto" and asked if disabled bodies were included in "all bodies".
They told that they had accommodations so disabled people would be able to get ink and could have a comfortable experience like dimmed lighting, fidgits, silent sessions, ear plugs, tv, online or phone booking and low anxiety sessions. Which all great things, glad those are there. However, can I physically get a tattoo, as in, can I get my 'body' which, by virtue of being 'a body' should be welcome, and physically capable of getting into the studio and therefore, able to get a tattoo.
Answer is nope. Completely inaccessible. You cannot get into the building nevermind the inside. So "all bodies welcome" is inaccurate I guess they could have "most bodies welcome" but doesn't sound as good does it?
I found another artist, and then another who claimed they were: "(inclusive to all people regardless of body, race, religion, sexuality, or gender" (but not disabled people) and another after that. Every single one I *physically* am excluded entirely based on something that I have zero. Control. of.
And I know, someone could carry me, or some other solution to get into the building, but it's not getting in that I am upset about. It's the fact that I am specifically and solely because I am in a wheelchair. That makes me angry, and if it was just one or two, then whatever but the fact is that I have run out of places. There are no artists I like in the only 2 wheelchair accessible studios in the entire city. 2 out of around the 15+ different tattoo places.
That is what I am angry about. Particularly the ones who emphasize how inclusive and diverse they are.