Sometimes Accessibility Is Using An Electric Toothbrush

Sometimes accessibility is using an electric toothbrush

One of the best things I did for my chronic pain and ADHD was buy an electric toothbrush with a timer and an app.

This is gonna sound nuts but hear me out.

I've been repeatedly cracking jokes to my dentist, physio and therapist that that my life would be so much easier if I didn't have to stand up for two minutes while brushing twice a day (and end up skipping it because my body hurts too much - followed by getting anxious about not brushing), and my therapist had a stroke of genius (I wish I'd thought of this) and said "well, why don't you try an electric toothbrush?"

I have a crippling fear of the dentist (something about having vampire fangs and various impactions from 9-14 years, braces for 4 years, having eight might be more teeth pulled and ongoing jaw pain from early teens will do that to a bitch - also seriously? does anyone like the dentist? shout out if you do but I cannot relate) and he knows that I get overly anxious and obsessive about brushing my teeth well to avoid the dentist and fillings as much as possible. So, I listened and used my disability funding. It took a lot of back and forth to justify spending that much on a toothbrush, and I wouldn't had I not had the funding

But wowow, has it changed sm. It's easier to sit down to brush my teeth when I'm not having to put so much effort into it and my teeth feel cleaner. I'm doing a better job for the same amount of time and effort - anyone with chronic pain and fatigue understands how precious those things are... and the best bit? The app it turns the whole fiasco into a game (as long as sending notifications to remind to replace my toothbrush head and to brush). I look forward to cleaning my teeth to see if I can do better than I did yesterday. It's insane that something so simple as having a "brushing score" can hack the ADHD braincell into wanting to do it.

I dissed the app so much "why does a toothbrush ever need to be Bluetooth" I said, and now I laugh and smile to myself knowing it seriously helps.

...plus, my teeth got whiter? maybe that's the consistency from wanting to, or maybe it's the brushing, or some combination there of, but I'm not complaining!

I'm using the same amount of time and less effort, and getting a better outcome.

Sometimes accessibility doesn't look like ramps and mobility aids (though that's SO important too!), sometimes it's making things easier by finding routes that streamline your everyday routine, and being kind to yourself and allowing yourself the grace to let change, remembering that yesterday or last year's 100% may not be today's :)

Love you all 💕

THANK YOU FOR SAYING SOMETHING SHKSKD

“You shouldn’t self-ID as ADHD/autistic, you’re turning a very real mental condition into a trend” Ok then stop saying delulu. Stop speculating on which cluster C personality disorder the criminals you hear about on the news have. Stop saying “schizoposting” and “acoustic” and “is it restarted?” Stop using “psycopath” and “sociopath” as catch-all ways of calling someone a bad person. Stop saying “the intrusive thoughts won” when you bleach your hair and then turn your nose up at people who suffer from very real, very scary urges of physical/sexual violence. Stop saying “I’m so OCD” as a way of calling yourself neat. Stop treating BPD/ASPD/Bipolar as inherently abusive. Stop saying “OP I am living in your walls” without tagging for unreality. Stop diagnosing complete strangers you’ve never met on r/AITA with NPD.

You first. If you don’t want our disabilities to be treated like trends then stop belittling and minimising them. I’ll NEVER judge a person for trying find labels for their symptoms when an apathetic, racist, sexist, ableist healthcare system refuses to. But I will absolutely judge a hypocrite. Which a lot of you are

THAT'S SO FUCKIN COOL

16 frame shooting star animation. January 2022-September 2024 Needlepoint

Frames from my shooting star gif. 16 frames total. Each frame is 8x6.5 inches on a 10” mesh. Designed and animated in photoshop and needlepointed by me. I started drafting this 1/14/22 and finished animating it 9/25/24. It took approximately two years and eight months to finish. This is one of the largest projects I’ve ever worked on and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

I would die a happy man if I never had to see another syscourse post in my life

I'd very much like to punch a feminist.

I’d never, ever hurt a lady but I’d be happy to punch a feminist. It’d bring me great joy.

sometimes after a bad day u just need to play animal crossing until your eyes go square

(this is the first time we've played it on our own, it's v cute)