So I want to share something. I talked to my therapist about my cautiousness with Covid and how all the ableds around me are acting like I’m over exaggerating. She pointed out something that feels obvious but I hadn’t actually consciously realised..

All these people (ableds) are speaking about this virus as a hypothetical scenario. They are naive to the reality of being hospitalised and facing their own mortality. They can’t fully conceptualise it because they haven’t experienced it. I have. Many disabled people have.

Also they are used to living in a body that doesn’t let them down. A body that recovers easily from illness and probably doesn’t get ill very often - that is not my baseline assumption about my own disabled body because it’s not been my experience at all.

And lastly, they operate under an assumption that if they were to contract it the medical professionals would do everything they can. They’ve not had traumatising medical experiences like I have. They’ve not been ill for years and had doctors give zero shits..

Their baseline assumption is that doctors can and will fix things. That again has not been my experience. Also goes without saying they don’t have all the fears of being disabled in this pandemic and thus seen as expendable - an opinion legitimised by our government.

Sharing this in case it helps anyone else. We’re all coming from different experiences. Disabled people, your feelings and experiences are completely valid. No matter how many times ableds abledsplain to you