as small as a world and as large as alone, madeofpatterns: youneedacat: ...

4:32am July 20, 2014

youneedacat:

professionaldaydreamer2:

c4bl3fl4m3:

theshriekingsisterhood:

Things I’d like to see more of in media

characters wearing medical alert bracelets

characters taking medication with their meals

characters mentioning that they have a therapy appointment

characters with reminders to eat in their phones/calendars/planners

characters using stim toys

characters asking if an event is accessible

characters using noise cancelling headphones

characters who are disabled all the time, not just when the plot “calls for it”

characters who are disabled all the time, not just when the plot “calls for it”

WORD FUCKING WORD WORD.

I have, in the past year or so, stopped hiding my psychotherapy and psychiatrist appointments from the world. If for some reason in conversation I have to bring up that I have one of those appointments at a particular time (I see a therapist 3 times a week, currently, so they do interfere with my days), instead of being “discreet” (read: closeted, passing) and saying simply “I have an appointment”, I say straight up “I have to see my therapist then” or “I have a psychiatrist appointment.”

No more closets, no more ablewashing, no more passing. The way we remove stigma is to not act like there’s anything wrong with who we are, what we’re doing… in short, it’s not to perpetuate it ourselves. If there’s nothing wrong with it, why are we acting like there’s something wrong with it? Because the other person might think there’s something wrong with it? Do you know how you convince them there isn’t? YOU ACT LIKE IT’S NO BIG FUCKING DEAL. And they SEE you acting that way. And go “oh, if she can talk about her psych appts so cavalier, I guess it’s not that big of a deal.” Or “oh, she’s cool, I didn’t know she had a therapist. Huh. I guess cool people have therapists too. Maybe it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Wow, no, the second poster needs to back the fuck up.

To be clear: I am 100% in love with the ORIGINAL post about representation.

But applying that to real-life people instead of fictional characters? Criticizing people for trying to pass, when people can AND DO lose their jobs and countless other opportunities because of ableism and discrimination? When it opens people up to harassment and scrutiny that may put their mental and/or physical health at risk?

I’m really glad that being open helped this person, but as much as i wish it always had the same effect, that is NOT always the case. Do not ever fucking criticize someone for trying to pass as abled, saying they’re “reinforcing the stigma.” That is the grossest sort of victim blaming. Disabled people don’t create stigma. We try to survive it.
Signed, a visibly disabled person who will defend those who wanna “pass” to the fucking grave

Agreed totally with the last person.

Also, especially, characters who are disabled just because they’re disabled, not because it symbolizes something or has some “reason”. Real disabled people aren’t generally disabled for a “reason”, we’re just disabled.

I think… I wasn’t reading the second person as saying “you have to come out and it’s your own fault if you don’t” so much as “I came out and I’m ok, and it’s a powerful act for making stuff better.” Which is a good thing to say.