Activism Through Writing

They/Them | Disabled Activist♿️ | Header photo description: The Disability Pride flag | Profile photo description: Azure looking at the camera and smiling mouth open. They're wearing red lipstick and 2 necklaces. They have shoulder length brown hair. They have a black strap on each shoulder. Falling off their shoulders is a white, red, and black shirt. There is a green background. | Ask how people identify | You are born worthy. Of everything. | Business email: [email protected]

[writing2changetheworld]

1 mention of Anorexia, 1 mention of the word "crazy", mentions of death

Hi. I'm Azure.

I'm a disability activist and writer-director with multiple disabilities.

Business inquiries: [email protected]

Facts to know about me

I'm LGBTQIA+ (not cis and not straight)

I'm a witch in touch with their intuition (and getting better every day)

I identify as spiritual more than with any religion

I'm extremely passionate about authentic representation

I was in a music video (link here)

What are my disabilities?

ADHD

Anxiety

Astigmatism

Autism

Blindness

Depression

Dyslexia

Epilepsy

PTSD

Scoliosis

Spina Bifida (Myelomeningocele) - (I'm a non-ambulatory wheelchair user)

A lot are self-diagnosed. It's a privilege to be able to get a diagnosis from a medical professional.

I've posted about different types of Spina Bifida (link here).

Where else can you find my activism?

My LinkTree has direct links to my social media platforms, my Patreon, and my most recent article on Patreon. (Link here)

I was featured in Teen Vogue when I was 17. (Link here)

What is "the [bad] C word"?

I talk about it a lot. It's the word "Crazy". It's rare I say it.

What kind of posts can you expect from me?

Mostly disability and ableism related (reblogs, personal experiences, ableist words, asks, (in)authentic representation examples, sometimes Smosh (I used to post about it a lot because it was a hyperfixation for a while), facts, etc)

LGBTQIA+ related (usually disabled specific)

Writing related (sometimes disabled specific)

Maybe witch related (disabled specific)

Miscellaneous things not listed

What am I currently working on writing-related?

A book (and movie) about grief to prosses my feelings about Liam Payne passing

Copyrighted: A WLW romcom movie set in Rochester, NY starring a wheelchair user (Summary subject to change: Astrid (a deaf wheelchair user with a crush) and Cindy (an aspiring NYU student with a crush) work at the same Rochester, NY shop. When they go on a trip to help the owner, disaster strikes. Can they communicate to start the healing process?)

A short film about a non-ambulatory wheelchair user being on a date and facing inaccessibility

Stories about disabled people passing

A horror novel about consent

All of my posts about disability are guaranteed to be tagged with the word "disabled" and the word "disability".

All asks I answer are guaranteed to be tagged "ask response".

I'll most likely block you for being disrespectful. To me and/or anyone else.

I try my best to be as accessible as possible, but let me know if I miss something!

If you have any other questions, comment or send me an ask or send me a DM!

[sickbitterandcoveredinglitter]

I don’t think healthy people every really get chronic illness.

I have a friend I know from when we were both 6. She is the only person living nearby and so she saw me go from walking through limping to wheelchair on a daily basis. I keep her updated on my health even tho we rarely hang out anymore. She was gonna come over yesterday and I had to cancel. She asked if I can’t hang out later that day. When I said i won’t feel better later, that if I feel that bad in the morning later will only get worse she got annoyed and “joked” that I’m just finding excuses. And I was surprised, she knows all about me being disabled after all? So, a bit taken aback, I told her it’s a normal thing for me.

“But you got the diagnosis now, aren’t you better?? I thought you’ll get better now”

She was honestly surprised and it made me realize a thing. They don’t get it. They don’t get that getting diagnosed only equals benefits like welfare or parking spot for us, and sometimes better pain meds but that is just like pushing luck. That it’s a forever thing. That that one day we felt good a week ago was just a bright spot and doesn’t mean we won’t need our aids anymore, cause chronic illness is not linear and will make a great comeback in next four hours, and the next good day is planned on when we’re 70. Cause when abled people are sick, they get better. And our illness is just an excuse for them. And when we say we will never get better they think we’re being dramatic and pessimistic. And I don’t think they’ll ever get it, cause to get it you need to live it. And I want my friends to stay healthy and not go through hell.

[sickbitterandcoveredinglitter]

This is definitely okay to reblog and abled people are encouraged to reblog cause maybe it’ll help others understand

[sickbitterandcoveredinglitter]

Hello it’s me Lexa and this post is relevant again as I just had the Legit Same Talk with someone and I exhausted my number of fucks to give

[writing2changetheworld]

Hello! You responded to my ask so I want to make an explanation!

As I said it, English is not my first language and so I did not mean it by "sweetie", it's just how you speak in my language.

I did searching after I saw your account, and for every definition of Anorexia, it says that it is undereating a lot and "severe calorie restriction".

I only don't understand how undereating calories for 10 years can mean you are not very thin?

I am not saying you're lieing, I am just asking for how that's possible from your perspective? Because I know Google is not always trust-worthy.

But I cant know.

Thank you.

Trigger warning: talk of Anorexia, not eating, body size, body image ↕️

[PT: Trigger warning: talk of Anorexia, not eating, body size, body image ↕️ / end of PT]

That is what Anorexia is.

That still doesn't say anything about body size.

There are so many other factors to body size than the amount of food someone consumes.

Google may not always be trustworthy, but if you intentionally seek out medical journals and studies, you'll find them.

I don't owe you my medical history at all.

This conversation is incredibly triggering. The absolute only reason I'm answering these asks is so, hopefully, someone else with Anorexia won't be subjected to this.

I'm currently able to acknowledge my being triggered and not listen to the ED thoughts happening.

Just 1 or 2 years ago, I wasn't. And this conversation would've made me not eat anything for at least a day.

I'm trying to protect people who are not in the same head space I thankfully am now.

The thing that really makes this question inappropriate, besides the general questioning how I could've been Anorexic, is commenting on my body size.

I was Anorexic because I wanted to be thin. Commenting about how I'm not does a lot of harm.

I'll be writing an article about having an ED while physically disabled so look out for that if you want to.

But if you ask again, I will block you.

[transand]

X “trans men MUST have male privilege because cis men have male privilege. If you say trans men DON’T have male privilege then you must not see trans men as real men!”

-defines manhood through a cissexist framework and tries to force trans men’s experiences to fit within that framework. denies the manhood of any trans man whose experiences cannot be easily mapped onto cis men.

✓ “trans men ARE real men, but they are not granted systemic access to male privilege, and whatever benefits individual trans men ARE able to access are limited and highly conditional. We should expand our understanding of men/masculinity to better account for their unique experiences.”

-acknowledges trans men as men first and foremost. accounts for the material reality of trans men’s experiences and expands our understanding of manhood accordingly.

[disjournaled-scrolls]

trans men & mascs you are not "too much" or "too selfish" for talking about your oppression, in fact you shoul get louder and angrier and more persistent

[betsmusings]

As Pride Month comes to an end, I just want to remind you that July is Disability Pride Month and there's a flag and everything!

Charcoal Grey: Mourning for people who have died due to ableist violence, abuse, suicide, and illness

Red Stripe: Physical disabilities

Gold Stripe: Neurodiversity

Blue Stripe: Emotional and psychiatric disabilities

Green Stripe: Sensory disabilities

White Stripe: Undiagnosed and invisible disabilities

[writing2changetheworld]

And the stripes going that way diagonally symbolize (quote unquote) "cutting across" the vertical walls and horizontal ceilings that keep disabled people segregated.

[snowkissedmonsters]

I think people no longer understand that "viewer discretion is advised" does not mean "vaguely bad content ahead," it means View At Your Own Discretion. As in, if you see the content going in a direction that is unsuitable for you in any way, it is your responsibility to stop viewing. Don't blame creators for your failure to listen to your own warning signs. Nobody is forcing you to finish the episode, the chapter, the sentence. That's all you.

[writing2changetheworld]

When is Disability Day of Mourning?

Answer⬇️

March 1st

[writing2changetheworld]

[Image description: the poster for the Netflix series "Pulse". In the bottom left corner, in white text, is (quote) "Choices ("Pulse" Episode 7) [the Patreon logo in white] Azure West patreon.com/AzureWest" (end quote) / end of description]

[Link] Review of the seventh episode of "Pulse". Check it out!

[thisis--ableism]

I don't know if this is ableism but I think it is, so sorry that I have sent like 2 asks in a row I'm just thinking about shi.

Whenever people say it's normal for periods to cause severe pain, especially if they say it's normal for periods to make you unable to eat or move or to make you feel nauseous or lightheaded. It's not. I understand not everyone has had sex ED so it's not malicious ableism, but extremely painful periods could be caused or cause several health issues. I spent years thinking my periods were just painful in a normal way while I actually have medication resistant endometriosis.

(anon uses they/them)

This is ableism that comes from a lack of education around menstruation.

[decompose1]

what if we stopped making Ambiguously Brown Character and started actually thinking about the race and ethnic features of the characters we made? what if instead of drawing a character that looks like you painted a white character brown, we started varying noses, lips, eyes, and hair? just a thought

[autistichalsin]

The test for allyship isn't how you treat an oppressed person who is your friend, family, spouse. It's how you treat an oppressed person you absolutely can't stand who is vile and loathsome in every way.

Do you gender trans people correctly even when they're being absolutely terrible people? Do you refuse to use the r-slur against someone who suicide baited you but is neurodivergent? Do you refuse to snark at a mentally ill person who is being genuinely unpleasant, "go take your meds!"

Do you allow members of marginalized groups to be terrible people without judging their entire demographic for it? One of the most invisible yet vital forms of privilege is the right to be terrible people as an individual rather than as a group. Do you acknowledge that there are bad people in every group, that it doesn't make their group less worth fighting for? Or do you shake your head if you happen to get mistreated by some who belong to a group and insist the entire group is awful and not worth your allyship?

Oppressed people can see how you treat those of us you like, but do you still treat the worst of us with the basic dignity you treat the worst of other groups with?

[mxjackparker]

Babies don't misbehave, they just behave. There's no such thing as a baby being "bad" because they don't understand cause and effect at first and have no concept of others feelings for a while after they do learn that.

A baby is never doing something to upset you. They don't act up to piss you off. They act in the only way they know how, and yes, sometimes the behaviour they're drawn to isn't great! That's why you guide them and comfort.

It's okay to be mad, but you need to remind yourself of this or you'll become resentful. Babies don't misbehave.

[the-eldritch-it-gay]

It’s weird what people consider exercise. I remember I’ve seen like, people post data about how many steps people get and it said though it excluded steps from work. Or when I was at a doctor and they were asking about my level of activity and specifically wanted to know if I was like you know, going to a gym, going on runs or walks, biking, and I said I was mainly active through my work which was being a janitor and they didnt consider that to be physical activity like sheer amount of steps, carrying things, pushing things, running around, etc didnt mean anything because after that I didnt then go on a bike ride or go to the gym. I even tried to explain the amount of activity and exertion that went into the work but it didnt seem to matter.

Was just thinking of that bcuz I was just doing some gardening and It’s a lot of work carrying around pots and bags of dirt and digging in the hot sun.

[bebsi-cola]

when you tell people passports don't need to exist and people should be able to travel as they did throughout most of human history they think that's going too far because in their mind there exists a hoard of nameless faceless immigrants waiting to flood their country and "take over". without realising that there is nothing inherently superior about the imperial core countries - the culture, the food, the clothing, the architecture is not superior than that of the rest of the world. all you've got going for you are the benefits reaped from hundreds of years of historical colonisation and the continuing benefits of modern day imperialism. do you think if people's homes weren't subject to manufactured violence, artificial scarcity, and systematic disenfranchisement they'd all just wanna leave? can you not imagine a life where someone would be happier living in uganda than the usa?

[copperbadge]

On Saturday I said to my partner, as I have said for months, "A ten thousand dollar a year raise would solve so many of my problems."

As of this morning I was reluctantly looking for jobs because I love my job and don't want to leave it, but see: $10k raise problem solver.

As of noon today this was no longer an issue, because my boss called me with the news that I was getting a $10K merit raise.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. This is roughly $200 extra per paycheck. Enough to pay off debt faster, rebuild my savings, and spend a weekend a month in Milwaukee getting obscenely laid. The sex I'm going to have on $200 extra per paycheck. You can't even.

May all of you get the $10K raise your soul has yearned for. And whatever level of sex you can be satisfied with for $200.

[vergess]

hey bestie i think ur post might be charmed 'cause you aren't gonna fuckin believe what happened today

[m-e-and-me]

10 reminders for disability pride month.

1. there will always be someone more severely affected by their disability than you are, this does not mean you aren't disabled, or that your struggles aren't real. these disabled people are not your enemy.

2. visibly disabled people are not treated better than invisibly disabled people, there are different struggles to both.

3. visibly & severely disabled people are not lucky for being visibly disabled or severely disabled. this belief is ableist.

4. we all need to keep the more severely disabled people in mind, they are the most vulnerable & this is disability justice 101.

5. there will always be severely disabled people in public, you absolutely need to work on your discomforts about the conditions/aids/symptoms/behaviours they might have; drooling, incontinence, "odd" behaviours, visible differences, use of AAC etc. this is a you problem, not a them problem.

6. there will always be symptoms of disabilities that you don't approve of; zero social awareness, cognitive impairments, violent meltdowns, strong smells & loud noises, being nonverbal/semiverbal etc. no one can force you to like it, but you cannot be cruel to them regardless of your opinions, again, this is a you problem & not a them problem.

7. you can still be ableist even if you yourself are disabled, this isn't always internalised, it can also be outright ableism.

8. caregivers of severely disabled people often play an important role in disability spaces, try not to *immediately* discount their experiences, unless they're truly over stepping, are being factually incorrect/uneducated or ableist. (caregivers can come with unique problems in disability spaces, 100%, but they are not inherently bad)

9. severely disabled people will have experiences you do not have, it is not an attack on you when these experiences are talked about.

10. “people wouldn’t say [ableist thing] to a wheelchair user” yes they would and yes they do.

and yes, some of these things that i've mentioned still applies to less severely disabled people, but goes especially for severely disabled people who often experience these things the most. be kind, be compassionate.