1:34pm August 13, 2014

im really glad we’re talking about not discriminating against disabled people

but i wish we had more conversations about how this works in practice rather than just theory

like e.g. partybottom’s fantastic piece about how to be a good roommate to someone living with HIV/AIDS

or how to relate to people who have difficulty with relationships of all kinds, mood disorders, instability, difficulty functioning, or get set-off into what could be perceived as ‘anti-social behavior’

or how to be accommodating to people with mobility issues and chronic pain that goes beyond ‘dont ask us to walk faster’

i’ve met lots of people who claim to care about disabled people but none of them cared enough to listen when i explained how certain interactions were incredibly triggering and sent me into a fight-or-flight response because my brain is constantly swimming with cortisol

few people understand that when i forget things about them its because i have brain damage and not because i dont care

few people understand that people who experience psychosis don’t need to be talked down to or treated with less than the same full human dignity as other people

idk i just see so so many posts, ‘all disabled people are valuable’ and that’s very true but not so much about how abled people can make room for us in activist spaces, community spaces or even in interpersonal relationships

the relationships of mine that worked were people who understood my problems, usually cos they had similar ones, and were understanding and flexible. Most people, especially in an emotionally charged situation, will steamroll over you to be right or get what they want.

This is all ableism as well