Disabled - Tumblr Posts
After about 16 months of constant pain, I finally got a diagnosis. Turns out, I have long COVID. The nurse said the symptoms overlap with fibro, so I've been put on an anti-inflammitory.
I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. Experimental drug trials are the only other medical options I have.
Time to start wearing a mask again.
PRIDE CAT PROFILE PICTURES [pt 1]
Free to use, just credit if you can!
Don't see yours? Check the #pridecatpfp ! For lgbtqia+ cats check #lgbtcatpfp
Note: I've only posted 8 since they share a more common theme/topic ; I'll be making more as the time goes on!
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This. I've missed SO much school this year (and in previous years) because of chronic pain and frequent sickness (poor immune system). It's been HELL trying to catch up, especially during GCSEs. Most teachers told me to just catch up with what I could, and come to them if I needed help. But some of them expected me to be able to do ~2 weeks' worth of work whilst I was bedridden and lethargic (practically zombiefied) from pain meds. I barely ate, barely drank water, just. Slept. For 2 WEEKS.
Plus, several of the SCHOOL NURSES didn't take my pain seriously. They assumed I was faking it for attention (and at the time I lacked a diagnosis because doctors wouldn't take me seriously either), and several times where I walked into their office screaming and sobbing in agony, they'd send me back to class because I had "missed too much school already". I get it, they're legally obligated to, but come on?? If a kid comes in unable to talk, howling in pain, and physically leaning on their friend because they're struggling to walk?? Let them stay, education be damned!
(Sorry for the rant, I normally wouldn't post this stuff on main since I try to keep my blog fandom/art related, but this really resonated with me and people don't talk about this enough.)
When I say “school should be disability accessible”, I don’t just mean we need handicap rails and EAs. Kids should be able to miss a day without failing out of school. You shouldn’t be dismissed from clubs because your attendance record is “spotty” (true story). I once missed an entire week of school because of a terrible, unending migraine. I was expected to keep up with my studies despite the blinding pain that came with working on my computer. When I heard my teachers say that you couldn’t miss exams, I asked what I would have to do to be excused from them. Their response? “Either get a doctor’s note an hour before the exam or death of an immediate family member.”
I cannot express how rigid this expectation was. First of all, with my condition, I wouldn’t have enough warning about my sickness to go to the doctor and request a note. For many people, this is exceptionally difficult, especially with the current shortage of medical professionals. Next, it ignores the fact that my schedule may not line with theirs because of my medical needs. Once, I had to visit a hospital a province away (which I was on the waiting list of for over a year) on the same day as an exam. I begged my mother not to take me because I was so nervous that I would be marked as an automatic fail. I was lucky enough to make it work, but that’s only because of my spectacular support system consisting of family members and wonderful doctors.
Disabilities aren’t always about needing a bus that can accommodate wheelchairs. It’s already difficult enough for many of us to maintain school attendance without the harsh punishments involved for skipping a day. We need to be able to miss school without being punished. Only than can you claim that the school is “accessible”
hi i’m Toby. My pronouns are he/it and I draw lmao
Most of what I draw consists of my OCs but sometimes I’ll make fanart for some smaller fandoms like “Faith: The Unholy Trinity” and very rarely other things. I typically draw either traditionally or digitally, with my digital art very rarely being (albeit not that great) pixel art. I’m hoping to be able to start to get myself to animate soon, and possibly voice act eventually.
I’m learning German and Spanish, but my first language is English!
I’m Canadian with no plans to travel. I’m autistic and have ADHD, and I hyperfixate a lot (as you could tell from seeing my art). I’m also a Satanist and open to answering any questions. Also feel free to request art!
I usually post on Instagram (same url as Tumblr), but I’m trying to post more OC lore over here.
Have a lovely day!
Sometimes I can't tell if a character is coded or I'm projecting...
With that in mind, let's talk about The Spot!!!
Ok so, I think Spot is coded to be disabled. Specifically a newly physically disabled person.
My main reasons to call this coding is because of Spot's lines like "I can't really get a job anymore being like this." "My family won't even look at me."
He can't get work anymore and his family has disowned him. An unfortunate reality for many disabled people.
Of course this could also fit with some other types of coding but I think it's for disability this time around because his body literally went through a change. He has to relearn how to do basic things like eat for example. He has to learn how to navigate his body again.
Another fun point I want to bring up is his character's gothic horror aspects! (This is related I swear).
Again could just be my personal biases (I just had a gothic horror hyperfixation). But I think it's partly intentional.
The Spot reminds me a LOT of The Invisible Man. Both are scientists who have undergone a painful horrific body horror transformation that has led them to be outcasts. They are both silly at times but angered easily to the points of world domination. (Also Spot's outfit in the store is a reference to The Invisible Man)
Now The Invisible Man (story) has a lot of gothic horror aspects. Most importantly a monster who has undergone a transformation that has led him to being outcast by society. He's othered.
Same thing happens to our boy Johnathon! The reason I wanted to bring this up is because gothic horror tends to be relatable and loved by lots of queer and disabled people.
The reason is a big theme is said othering of the monster. In an effort to other the monster from "normal" people you accidentally (or intentionally) end up making something relatable to lots of people, typically queer and disabled people! Hence why many villains in pop culture are queer and disabled icons, while not actually being stated as such in canon explicitly.
Ok sorry for rambling lol but this has been on my mind since I saw the movie. Anyway The Spot is disabled bye.
apparently people are now purchasing thick water to make slimes with because of a trend on tiktok
thick water is for disabled people who can’t swallow properly. stores usually have extremely limited supplies of it.
please don’t buy thick water for fun or to make slime with. it’s literally the only way some disabled people can drink anything. It’s not a fucking toy
I hope my disability inconveniences you. Fuck you.
At work, feeling very awkward bc my client has refused breakfast and morning shower. Normally once both are done I'm supposed to clean but it doesn't make sense to clean the bathroom before we do the shower. So I'm sitting here looking like a slacker on my phone because I've done the dishes and idk if I should prepare lunch when she hasn't had breakfast. 😬 I'm pretty sure this is because it's my first day on my own with her, so she's resistant. I believe in following her lead (she's very limited in her ability to communicate so that can be challenging to work out) but I also don't want the family to think I'm a dud. Maybe I'll see if there's any white vinegar to clean the shower doors.
My job as an in home caregiver would be exhausting anyway, but being second guessed, criticized, and sometimes even abruptly accosted makes me a nervous wreck. I remain convinced my client's adult daughter, Victoria (not her real name) means we'll, at least when it comes to her mother. However, she seems to have developed a lot of ideas about me not based in reality; mainly that I judge her and find her lacking. Another family member took me aside and told me to assert myself more. I didn't contradict her but the fact is, every time I've tried to do so Victoria takes it in whatever way would validate the idea that I view her in the worst possible light. Example: Hope, my client, has very limited ability to speak, but her cognitive ability is unharmed. I showed her a clip of sign language which she expressed enthusiasm about. I stopped it when some guests arrived. I then noted this down in the notebook all the caregivers write in. Victoria read it and confronted me. What did I mean, "guests"? They were family members and I guess she was affronted that I called them guests. Then she also dismissed the idea of trying to use sign language with Hope. Like, there I was, taking some initiative... I'm losing my mind here.
I've entered a new phase with my client, Hope (not her real name) that I'm trying to understand. The first day I came was rough. I was eager to do the things I'd be placed with her to do: get her up, help her shower, get dressed, have breakfast, and so on. She reacted by resisting strongly, so I quickly learned never to push her and let her choose what we do and when as much as possible. We had a couple of weeks where most of the time, we got along very well. We even had a couple of touching moments of sincere connection. Hope has very limited language but she's not cognitively impaired and can say no and ok. So when I phrase things as yes or no questions I can find out what she wants.
For about a week now, though, she's been very resistant and angry. I don't know why, exactly, of if this represents a true change. Could be we had a kind of honeymoon period and now that's worn off. Or maybe she's now comfortable enough with me to express anger and unhappiness. Or, as it presents, she's angry at me for real and I've done or am doing something that's bothering her.
Meanwhile I'm getting better with all the techniques, so the last option isn't easy to pinpoint, if that's the true cause of her resistance and frustration. Of course I've tried asking her but this sort of guessing game, where I exhaust all the most likely problems and move on to wild speculation, has always annoyed the hell out of her.
Right now she needs a change and the bed is only going to get wetter and less comfortable, but she won't let me do anything. I've offered every option I can think of and she says no to everything.
I hope I figure this out soon.
Overall today has been a good day at work except it's been nonstop and I am WORN OUT
Do people know about Vocational Rehab? If you're USAmerican they have this in every state.
It's a program that helps disabled folks access education, training, and employment. For FREE.
You only have to be disabled to qualify (autism, ADHD, mental illness, physical illness, etc) and they cover very broad categories of disability. You do NOT have to be officially diagnosed yet when you walk in - they will even help pay for your diagnosis if you are struggling w disability.
I applied with my suspected autism and fibromyalgia, and they paid for 100% of my formal autism assessment.
Once your disability is established they will give you career counseling to learn about your interests and skills, and depending on the plan you create with your caseworker they will then help with school or finding employment. They paid for 100% of my college tuition and books, and even provided a laptop for me to use.
You do not have to pay anything for this program. If you make above a certain income, you will have to contribute to educational costs but will still receive assistance.
They will also help with the cost of things like mental health counseling while you work towards your goals, clothing for interviews, etc.
They cannot discriminate based on your race, gender, or sexual orientation.
They won't make you do excessive meetings.
They will allow you to do meetings with your caseworker remotely.
They will not drug test you.
They want you to succeed.
I'm sure that individual experiences vary but my caseworker was exceptionally easy to work with and very kind.
Vocational Rehab is a phenomenal resource every disabled person should be aware of. Here is the list of offices in every state:
May I add, do the doors open automatically?
sure there’s a ramp, but is it steep? is there a curb at the top? is the ground uneven? do i need a key for the elevator? are the aisles and doorways wide enough? do i have room to turn? is there furniture and clutter in my way? is the carpet difficult to wheel on? can i open the doors myself?
accessibility to wheelchairs is more than just a ramp.
this is your gentle reminder to stop fighting against your adhd and instead structure your life around it
buy a pack of chapsticks and put one in the pocket of all of your coats and jackets because you always forget to bring one and chapped lips is sensory hell
leave important things where you can see them. if they go in a box or a drawer you will forget they exist
put any appointments or deadlines in your phone calendar As Soon As you get them. set a reminder for a week before, a day before, an hour before, as many as you need as often as you need them.
when that little voice in your head says "i dont need to write that down, ill remember it" that is the devil talking!!! write it down anyway!!
plan for down time. have a few hours at the end of every day to just do fun stuff like engage in your hyperfixations. even if you didnt get all of your work done that day, have the rest anyway. you probably spent the whole day beating yourself up for not doing what you Should be doing, so you still need the break.
if you never eat vegetables because its too much effort to chop and cook them, get the frozen or canned shit. it doesnt go off for ages and you just have to microwave it. theres no point buying fresh vegetables if they just keep going off and being left to rot in the bottom of your fridge
if you struggle to decide what to have for dinner every day, take the decision out of it. choose a set of meals and eat those on rotation until you get sick of them, then choose some new ones and do it again.
its not stupid if it works! our brains literally have a chemical deficiency. you are allowed to accommodate yourself. go forth and stop making your life more difficult than it has to be because "this shouldn't be this hard". it is hard, so make it easier.
This is super helpful!
A guide to designing wheelchair using characters!
I hope this helps anyone who's trying to design their oc using a wheelchair, it's not a complete guide but I tried my best! deffo do more research if you're writing them as a character
this disability pride month, include anosmics and ageusics.
this disability pride month, stop using the s slur, saying "delulu" "delusional" "deluled" ect when you disagree with someone, stop using "sch*zoposting" and just overall treat schizospecs better.
this disability pride month, stop saying "psychopath" "sociopath" and "narcissistic".
this disability pride month, be kinder to people who hallucinate and experience delusions.
this disability pride month, stop stupidifying those who have trouble with "basic skills", people with learning disabilities, ect.
this disability pride month, stop villanising cluster b's.
this disability pride month, stop saying youre such a "pyromaniac" for lighting something on fire or saying youre "a kelpto" because you stole something.
this disability pride month, stop fakeclaiming did/osdd systems.
this disability pride month, stop saying "im so ocd" after cleaning something up.
this disability pride month, stop being rude and impatient with people with intellectual disabilities.
this disability pride month, stop infantilising non verbal people.
this disability pride month, stop treating autism and adhd as the cutesy disorders.
this disability pride month, stop excusing yourself by lying that youhave adhd when youdont. people need those recourses, youdo not get to take them away.
this disability pride month, normalise people with little to no empathy.
this disability pride month, stop using "attention seekers" (especially on your fellow hpds and npds).
this disability pride month, stop reality checking those who dont consent to it.
this disability pride month, stop bullying those who "smell bad" or "look weird" or whatever. (you never know what someones going through)
this disability pride month, stop giving weird looks to those who have bald spots, or cant stop picking their nose, or cracking their knuckles or whatever. (this is mainly focused on bfrbs)
this disability pride month, stop saying "everyone has anxiety" to those with anxiety/panic disorders.
this disability pride month, be normal about zoocanthropes/lycanthropes.
this disability pride month, treat those with personality disorders like youwould any other person.
this disability pride month, just stop bullying little people. just acknowledge people with dwarfism.
this disability pride month, dont stare at that mobility aid user so much. eyes off of them, they dont need to be in the spotlight for a physical disability. (unless they want to xoD /silly)
this disability pride month, stop judging those with facial/body deformities
this disability pride month, be normal about those with physical disabilities, and stop silently judging them.
this disability pride month, stop saying "pride month 2" or "wrath month". we dont even acknowledge disability pride month at all.
this disability pride month, stop differentiating "queer pride month" and "disability pride month" as "pride month" and "disability pride month". they are both pride months so call them by their full names.
this disability pride month, acknowledge not all disabilities are visible.
this disability pride month, give up your seat to someone who needs it.
this disability pride month, actually treat disabled people with rights and respect.
disabled people are people to. you failing to acknowledge that is your abelism. treat us like youd treat any other normal human being. and maybe, just maybe, after this disability pride month, youcan start treating disabled folks like living beings of society and not like your little pity pets/scary monsters/silly cutesy babies.
Ok so at this point I've had two people roll up to me in manual wheelchairs, well, one of them was somebody pushing somebody who was nonverbal at the time, but it still counts. They asked me why I had zip ties around my tires.
It's winter where I'm living and we have really bad snow. And the snow plow people are really bad at their jobs probably because there aren't snow plow people who clean sidewalks. As a solution I got to thinking about how I could increase the traction on my wheels. And the most redneck thing I could think of was taking a bunch of zip ties and tying them around my wheels. They last surprisingly long, and work surprisingly well. It's basically the same premise as chains for your tires during the winter.
I chose to space them out pretty evenly so there's about one for every spoke. You could probably do more or less depending on how many you want and how much traction you get but I wouldn't go more than three per spoke. I realize that it's a bit later in the winter, and I probably should have made a post about this sooner, but I came up with it about a week ago. So please share this, even if you're not disabled, because there are tons of people I know who are stuck in their houses because they can't get around in the snow. A pack of zip ties costs about $5, which compared to $200 knobby snow tires is a big save, and if you want to invest you could get colored zip ties.
Hey! If you want to learn about my journey with having a bleeding disorder you can follow my new blog!/nf
