Thread by @elcnasaIvarez, screw it: a little disability education thread for the timeline !! (this [...]

screw it: a little disability education thread for the timeline !! (this may be long, but please read if you can)

- this was inspired by the autism education thread linked below - i read that thread and found it so educational and helpful and i felt there were so many things to add for disabilities as a whole/wide spectrum so i figured why not make my own https://twitter.com/cecillaparekh/status/1291145803147415552

https://twitter.com/cecillaparekh/status/1291145803147415552

- first of all, before i really get into this, i’d like to say that while i spoke to a few other people with various different disabilities/chronic illnesses, a lot of this will be coming from my experiences as a disabled person. not every disabled person will feel the same way!

- let’s start with what disability is: there is multiple types of disability and a wide variety of causes. to simply list some, there is; developmental, learning, sensory, neurological and physical disabilities (and there’s probably more).

- disabilities can/may affect peoples mobility, autonomic function, social awareness, cognitive function, senses - and more! here are some examples of those types disabilities listed above.
neurological: alzheimers, epilepsy, parkinson’s
developmental: language and speech -

- disorders, tourettes, attention deficit, autism
learning: dyslexia, dyscalculia
sensory: vision loss/blindness, sensory processing disorders, hearing loss/deafness
physical: cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, diabetes

there are so many more than on -

- this list but these are ones that a lot of people will be more familiar with.
for me, personally, i have sensory and physical disabilities but i have spoken to people with all sorts of types of disabilities to make this thread.

- ableist language: there are many ableist words that have frequented and become normalised in the english language, almost all of them having an extremely negative connotation towards those with disabilities.

- while i don’t feel comfortable saying these words, i have screenshotted a list of them below if you want to learn more (and also some alternatives to use instead too!)

- and here are some alternative words to use. [ from: http://web.augsburg.edu/english/writinglab/Avoiding_Ableist_Language.pdf ]

- while not all of these terms/phrases/words will be offensive to all disabled people, unless you are certain that they don’t mind this term, it’s safer to not use them at all. especially as many of these words are tied to traumatic memories/bullying by abled people.

- problematic representation: when representing disabled people on tv, there are a lot of stereotypes shown. things like inspiration porn (where disabled people are portrayed as inspirational solely on the basis because of their disability), casting abled actors to play roles -

- of disabled characters, spreading misinformation about chronic illnesses and so much more. the media somehow, in the bid to be more inclusive and represent a far too underrepresented minority, gets a lot of it wrong.
there are, however, some media that gets it right (or at -

- least as close to right as possible).
tv shows: the babysitters club (2020), special (2019), switched at birth (2011-2017), speechless (2016-2019)
movies: margarita with a straw, walk ride rodeo, the fundamentals of caring, the theory of everything

- books: girl in the window and i have no secrets by penny joelson, a quiet kind of thunder by sara barnard, a curse so dark and lonely by brigid kemmerer
while some of these do have problematic elements to them, it is the lesser of the other representation we’ve been given.

- (essentially, we’re clutching at straws here) (also, i’m sure there’s more amazing media products about disabilities but these are the ones i could find that were highly rated by either myself or other disabled people!)

- how to act around your disabled friend and how to help them: one of the most important things to do if your friend is disabled (especially if they’ve suddenly become disabled - ie. chronic illness) is to not treat them any differently than you would someone without a disability

- i always say that you should treat everyone as you would want to be treated. the same goes for disabled people. if it was you in that situation, you wouldn’t want it to be the sole factor in how you are treated, right? so do that. if we need you to adjust how you are acting

- towards us, we will find a way to articulate that. don’t patronise or pity us, tell us that we’re strong or inspirational: we aren’t there for being inspirations or fetishisation.
if we need help, we will tell you. we are like any other person, just facing different things.

- it is so easy for disabled people to feel like a burden to their friends and family, so having a good support system who recognises that while our disabilities are a big part of who we are, it isn’t ALL that we are is so important in day-to-day living.

- and, please, don’t tell me to do yoga, take supplements, go vegan and whatnot because it’ll help or cure my disability. if there was currently a cure, everyone who i know with said disability would be taking it. it’s counter-intuitive and comes across like you aren’t okay

- with us or our disabilities and you think we need to be fixed (which...we don’t). disabled people are exactly that: PEOPLE. treat them as such. we aren’t a third entity.

- disabled isn’t a bad word: i see many abled people telling others to use person-first language but, in all honesty, a majority of disabled people recognise and find pride/strength in our identity as a disabled person and prefer to be called that. however, it may not be the same

- for everyone so it never hurts to ask. asking questions are important - in the right time, setting and preferably if invited - and can be key to learning more about each individual disabled person because we all are so different.

- and finally, while i am disabled, i am still me. i am still the person you’ve known for the last however long. my disability is a very big part of me. recognise that. see that. but don’t only see my disability. there is so much more to who i am.
thank you for your time!

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