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I want to talk about Disability and the mark of a thriving society
(THREAD)
CW: ableism, societal and medical neglect, poverty, death, and a photo of human bones (it’s two tweets down)
(THREAD)
CW: ableism, societal and medical neglect, poverty, death, and a photo of human bones (it’s two tweets down)
Awhile back, I started doing some research into the history of disability. There have always been disabled people, but I wanted to learn more about their lives, their experiences, and most importantly, how they were treated by society. This led me down a mind-blowing rabbit hole.
There was a skeleton found in Vietnam that showed proof of physical disability. His remains were evidence that he was paralyzed as a teenager, but died as an adult, showing he was cared for.
Here are snippets from the same article ( https://tinyurl.com/55xkw4bv ) about another person:
Here are snippets from the same article ( https://tinyurl.com/55xkw4bv ) about another person:
A big issue in archeological research is the exclusion of disability. Of course scientists find proof of disability in history. Everything from developmental conditions to injuries that cause disability can be found.
However, their existence is proof of something even greater.
However, their existence is proof of something even greater.
I found a college archeology class curriculum being discussed online and it posed a question to the class: “What is the mark of a truly thriving society?”
The students all answered differently. Food, shelter, religion, art, reproduction, etc.
However, none of them were correct.
The students all answered differently. Food, shelter, religion, art, reproduction, etc.
However, none of them were correct.
So, what was mark of a truly thriving society?
The existence of disabled people.
Any society that had disabled people demonstrated that it allowed for interdependence between all members of the group, regardless of disability status. The people helped keep one another alive.
The existence of disabled people.
Any society that had disabled people demonstrated that it allowed for interdependence between all members of the group, regardless of disability status. The people helped keep one another alive.
Imagine a person centuries ago who is injured while hunting. They have a broken leg and can’t walk for awhile. A dysfunctional society would leave this person to fend for themselves. A dysfunctional society wouldn’t provide them food, healthcare, or meet any of their other needs.
A thriving society functioned much differently. If a person received a similar injury, or was born with a condition that impaired them in some way, other people protected them, brought them food, provided them shelter, and allowed them to contribute only what they were able to.
People with certain disabilities, like the chronic pain I have now, would have required medicine or devices that were not yet available in order for them to live comfortably or survive. However, society still did its best to provide those people with all the resources available.
We can even see examples of these thriving societies in architecture. Many buildings had permanent ramps to help disabled people enter. While civilizations like these weren’t perfect, they did provide purposeful accessibility to physically disabled people. https://www.livescience.com/ancient-greek-temples-disability-ramps.html
Human remains with features of genetic conditions, permanent (or severe yet healed) injuries, and other disabilities have all been discovered. Ancient architecture reveals efforts of accessibility. People clearly have a natural instinct to care for one another.
So what happened?
So what happened?
There are so many factors that robbed our modern society of this kind of communal support. Forms of bigotry are an apparent cause of this, as well as, you guessed it, capitalism; brainwashing people into cutthroat individualism expressed through competition for basic survival.
The true “survival of the fittest” instinct in humans would actually advocate for the survival of the ENTIRE group. It was never about individuals surviving *instead* of one another, because humans cannot survive in isolation. Humans are naturally interdependent on one another.
Over time, we saw hierarchical institutions form, such as academia and government, that encouraged the neglect of disabled people, leading to an inaccessible society
Disability was reduced to a *problem* that needed fixing or avoiding, rather than a natural feature of humankind.
Disability was reduced to a *problem* that needed fixing or avoiding, rather than a natural feature of humankind.
Once disabled people fell to the bottom of the hierarchy, we got stuck there, because we were perpetually seen as unworthy of any supports to get back up. In places like the U.S. disability is even seen as taboo; so taboo that many abled people won’t even SAY the word “disabled.”
Our healthcare system is broken. Eugenics are still a reality. People avoid essential methods of group safety like vaccines, due to the irrational fear of *becoming* disabled. We are forgotten, swept aside, patronized, killed, and gaslit. We are not cared for or supported at all.
Society doesn’t just refuse to support us. It prevents us from supporting ourselves. Government assistance programs in the U.S. *prohibit* disabled people from having more than $2,000 at a time, trapping us in a cycle of poverty. Read more about it here: https://talkpoverty.org/2014/09/19/disability-cause-consequence-poverty/
I look at past societies, ones that didn’t think twice about incorporating and caring for disabled people.
If that’s the mark of a thriving society — other people considering us equally human and including us in the pursuit of group survival — then modern society is failing.
If that’s the mark of a thriving society — other people considering us equally human and including us in the pursuit of group survival — then modern society is failing.
It’s so validating to see these studies. As disabled people, we get the sense that something is deeply wrong about society. It feels affirming to be told that the bigotry which oppresses and kills us *IS* one of the major signs that something about our society is very backwards.
This is also why including Disability Studies in archeological research is so important. Here’s an article on that, which also discusses more historical proof of disability and has some really interesting academic citations I still need to check out. https://www.ancientworldmagazine.com/articles/promoting-inclusive-archaeology-through-disability-studies/
So, what would society have to do to correct its failure to thrive? It wouldn’t happen overnight, but there is so much work to be done.
In fact, many disability rights activists already started a long time ago and are still doing that hard work today. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/us/ada-disabilities-act-history.html
In fact, many disability rights activists already started a long time ago and are still doing that hard work today. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/22/us/ada-disabilities-act-history.html
Advocating for universal access to healthcare, structural accommodations for physical disability, the abolition of income limits, and funding for intersectional disability research are all worthy causes.
Disabled people have a RIGHT to demand so much better from society.
Disabled people have a RIGHT to demand so much better from society.
Disabled people aren’t the problem.
Inaccessibility is the problem.
Negligence is the problem.
Ableism is the problem.
Disabled people deserve support and inclusion, and a thriving society wouldn’t think twice about giving it to us. So let’s build that society.... together.
Inaccessibility is the problem.
Negligence is the problem.
Ableism is the problem.
Disabled people deserve support and inclusion, and a thriving society wouldn’t think twice about giving it to us. So let’s build that society.... together.
Follow disabled people and listen to our voices. Get involved in community activism. This is a societal issue that cannot go away until abled individuals start changing. There are tons of allyship resources online (including on Twitter.) Pursue them! https://mashable.com/2015/07/26/disability-ally-inclusive/
Some amazing disabled people to follow:
@crippledscholar
@KarLeia
@A_Silent_Child
@Imani_Barbarin
@tee_spoonie
@QueerlyAutistic
@SFdirewolf
@alexhaagaard
@emily_ladau
@JoannaNoBanana
@DrewGurza
@BeingCharisBlog
@guysmiley22
& @kaylejh, who kindly helped me proofread this thread!
@crippledscholar
@KarLeia
@A_Silent_Child
@Imani_Barbarin
@tee_spoonie
@QueerlyAutistic
@SFdirewolf
@alexhaagaard
@emily_ladau
@JoannaNoBanana
@DrewGurza
@BeingCharisBlog
@guysmiley22
& @kaylejh, who kindly helped me proofread this thread!
CW: human bones in the image
Here’s one more piece of reading on this fascinating topic, named by Lorna Tilley as the “bioarchaeology of care.”
This article details more cases of disability discovered in archeology.
TW: Use of the word “crippled” https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/science/ancient-bones-that-tell-a-story-of-compassion.html
Here’s one more piece of reading on this fascinating topic, named by Lorna Tilley as the “bioarchaeology of care.”
This article details more cases of disability discovered in archeology.
TW: Use of the word “crippled” https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/science/ancient-bones-that-tell-a-story-of-compassion.html
And finally, if you want to help support me, I’m a disabled content creator trying to fundraise for a multi-purpose Service Dog. Please consider RTing & donating if you can. I’m so close to my goal & it would absolutely change my life. Thank you. 
https://www.gofundme.com/f/295xbhbe1c?sharetype=teams&member=8141518&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=3835c91b627d47609f8ae7fc1a8d2efa
https://www.gofundme.com/f/295xbhbe1c?sharetype=teams&member=8141518&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=3835c91b627d47609f8ae7fc1a8d2efa
P.s. if you’d rather not give to GoFundMe, I also have a tip jar! This money will help me with general life expenses, including saving up for a big move in August. A portion of it will still go to the Service Dog as well! Thank you! 
https://ko-fi.com/radiantbutch
https://ko-fi.com/radiantbutch
