To disabled people, you have a right to support, you have a right to exist.
We must end this idea of “disabled enough” so many of us deny ourselves or have been denied accomodations and support due to this idea. If you benefit from a cane then you have a right to use a cane. You are not taking away resources from others who “actually need it” if it helps you go about your life with greater ease then you are who it was made for. You have a right to use facilities such as priority seats. You have the right to rest. I promise you my dear that does not make you lazy in the slightest. You have a right to ask when you need support you are not being needy or demanding. If you struggle with urgency issues, you have a right to use the disabled bathroom, if you benefit from it then you have a right to use it. If digit toys help you, then you should be able to carry a fidget toy. If you need more time for certain tasks, you have the right to be given such. I cannot stress this enough, this does not make you lazy. Asking for support does not make you selfish.
You have a right to call others out on their ableism. You are not “too sensitive”, having a disability does not mean you always have to be in good humour about your condition, it does not mean you have to take whatever comes your way. If you are being treated cruelly, if you are being dismissed, demeaned, insulted and talked down upon you have a right to address this.
If you benefit from pre-prepared meals, use them!! It does not make you lazy. All I want you to focus on is that you are keeping yourself as well fed as you can. Reduce your struggle wherever possible! What abled people often consider laziness often is in fact rather how a person with a disability is able to assist themself in their daily life. You are allowed to make things easier for you, in fact I ask that you do.
You are allowed to use mobility aids in public, glucose monitors, nasal cannulas or any other devices that keep you safe and healthy. It does not make you look worse, it is not an eyesore or something that must be hidden. Your disability does not make you unpresentable, you have a right to be in public if your disability affects the way you look, if you make noise or you drool. Your disability does not make you unworthy of being seen.
Your disability doesn’t make you “stupid”. Not scoring well in school does not make you stupid, difficulty with reading or speaking does not make you stupid. Inability to work does not make you a burden. Not contributing to capitalism does not mean your life has no value.
Just because your disability is not as severe as that of others does not mean you shouldn’t be given support. The same goes for if you don’t “look” disabled. You do not owe explanations to others, you should not force yourself to do the same things in the same ways as those without your disability. You are going to do things differently and there are going to be things you can’t do. That does not make you lazy.
I tell you this with all the sincerity in my heart, the only person when it comes to your disability you owe anything to is yourself. You have a right to put yourself first. You have a right to rest. You have a right to exist as you are, a person with a disability.
#disabled#disabled accomodations#disability support#neurological disability#disabled community#multiple sclerosis#chronic pain#chronic illness#spoonie#spoons#pots syndrome#potsie#fibromyalgia#chronic fatigue#mobility aids#mobility aids user#adhd#autism#tics awareness#tics#tics and tourettes#tourettes syndrome#actually disabled#actually tourettic#dislexia#dyslexia#dyslexic#neurodivergent#neurodiverse#audhd
An artistic representation of tics in an educational environment.
I have this new tic that makes me say “will you be the skibidi to my toilet”
So, interesting story I just realised how much people stare at me in public. I have terrible vision, and I never wore my glasses because I hated them. Recently I got contact lenses and I suddenly realised how many people stare at me whenever I leave the house. I was walking through the shops the other day and I’m not even exaggerating, every second person would stare at me. Parents giving me disgusted looks, kids walking up to me just to stand in front of me and stare (not their fault, they’re kids). People are always telling me, oh did you know people were staring at you? But I always sought of brushed it off because I never saw the level of disgust that some people look at me. They stare at me as I tic as if I’m something dangerous that needs to be locked up, looking at me from their table as if I’m a child making a scene, offended that I would dare show my face in public. Whispers as I walk past, laughing and taunting me, taunting and taunting knowing I cannot reply. It doesn’t help that I dress the way I do, trad goth and just generally weird. People always tell me about how I’ll love all the artsy modern places and how everything will be so much better when I find someplace where people are more like me. But I don’t think I should have to go on some expedition just to find people who don’t treat me like vermin. Perhaps I am being a bit ridiculous, but I suppose it feels shattering to be looked at the way I am.
Tis the making of my brain I cannot control. Tis like being a bird within a cage heated over a flame, iron bars trapping it in somehow cold and unwavering.
I had a dream that was for some reason a marauders angst fic x my little pony apocalypse au x Greek mythology x Narnia x minecraft. For whatever reason in this dream there was analysis of capitalism and its impacts on all parties involved, existential dread, generational trauma and also crabs and that fucking lion from Madagascar. This medication I’m on for tourettes make my dreams prophetic visions of marauders angsty oneshots and existential dread via pony. Honestly I don’t mind it, keep doing your thing freaky dude. You might suck at reducing my tics but at least you have a future in the arts.
Reminder that coprolalia tics can emerge within context. This might include having an offensive tics that contains a persons name or being forced to say slurs towards a particular person. This does not mean the person with tics is thinking this, they want to say this or that it is something they would choose to say. It is the nature of coprolalia to say the most offensive things possible. You cannot call yourself a disability advocate if you hold people with tics accountable for what they can’t control. No ifs and buts, if thou does such things ( attacking a person for their coprolalia) thou art an ableist.
Shoutout to tourettes for making me listen to the absolutely terrible, god-awful nasty and turd like clean versions of songs so I don’t pick up slurs for tics. You’re the man tourettes (sarcasm)
How to help a person with tics/tourettes
- don't stare: ticcing in public is incredibly stressful, and people with tics are very often on edge and fearful of reactions and stares. Staring causes stress, stress causes more tics. So if you see someone ticcing, don't gawp at them as if they're an animal in a zoo.
- if you hear someone making a noise, no you didn't: I've had teachers address the noises that I make because of my tics in front of my entire class, leading me to have to explain my condition to the teacher and all my peers. People make sounds for a number of reasons, ticcing, stimming, etc. Please do your best to be understanding and just in general avoid publicly humiliating others.
- Don't shame: don't tell someone their tics are annoying or hold an individuals accountable for saying something they do not mean and cannot control. Tics can be about anything, that does not mean that is what the person is thinking or that is something they say often or would ever want to say. Asking us to stop ticcing is NOT a fair a demand.
- Do not hold down someone while ticcing: this can make matters a lot worse. When someone tics it satisfies a sort of urge, by holding us back you are not stopping the problem, in fact it can cause the tics to become more severe. The general consensus is do not interfere with tics unless a person is in danger or has asked you to.
- Ask them!!: different people will have different preferences of how they want to be treated with their tics. Some people prefer when you laugh at tics because it makes the situation less awkward as well as making the person ticcing feel better. I personally hate anyone who's not someone I'm close to laughing at my tics. Ask a person with tics how they want you to react to their tics as well as how you can help them as a whole.
- Accessibility: there are certain things you can do to make groups and environments accessible to those with tics. Having a safe, private and quiet space is incredibly helpful. I have many accommodations within the school environment, such as being able to get out of class, wear headphones or earphones, use fidgets and take exams separately from other students.
- Don't fake claim: different people will all experience tics differently, tics can come on suddenly, they can go through periods where they're barely visible and often the full extent of what someone goes through is not apparent to onlookers. Often those who fake claim know nothing about a disorder, fake claiming in general is extremely damaging however drastically more so when done by someone who has no idea what they're talking about. Fake claiming does our community no benefit, all it does is make it more difficult for us to access support for our disability, with people being denied care and accomodations. It is much better to let a few fakers run around than damage an entire group of people. If someone who is faking is spreading misinformation or causing damage to the community that is another issue entirely and should be dealt with.
- Don't fetishise: tics are not just some fetish, they are not a porn category. Tics can be disabling, they cause us to be ostracised, judged and bullied. As a general rule of thumb do not call someone's tics or just any symptom of their disability "cute". It is so incredibly frustrating, when something brings you such pain will be seen by others as "cute". Fetishisation does damage to our community, does damage to the movement we are making and does damage to individuals.
- educate yourself, be understanding: you will not always understand, and there will likely be things you might not never understand however as a general rule, be kind. Having tics will result in limitations as well as need for certain accomodations. If there are two things you must take away from this:
Be kind, be understanding
Educate yourself.
Tourettes/tics survival kit
Items that can be helpful to have around to help with tics.
• GLOVES: the type of gloves you use will depend on the tics you experience. I use gloves that cover my nails because my tics make me scratch myself. I’ve heard padded gloves such as boxing gloves can be good for hitting tics
•headphones/noise control: my tics tend to be heavily triggered by noise, headphones can help block out noise. I suggest loops as they are able to stay in place when I have tic attacks where I’m forced to thrash my head around. Plus they’re discreet and small, can be carried in your pocket or bag.
•wipes: unpleasant textures such as stickiness can trigger my tics, I carry wipes or sanitiser to help with this.
• fidgets: I like to carry at least one fidget that is strong enough for me to be forceful with. Eg, punch, throw, squeeze, hit. This can help relieve tension and redirect self harming tics. I will also carry some kind of “fiddly” fidget that I can distract myself with or move around really quickly
•something to throw: if your tics make you throw things it can be helpful to carry around something that can be safely thrown such as a beanbag or other small item
•lidded/unspillable cups: these can help when tics make it difficult to hold drinks. It can help to have a drink bottle with a straw opening to prevent spills rather than one of those ones with the open hole to drink out of.
•plastic utensils and plates: when my tics are bad they can make me throw stuff around and hit myself with things, so having soft utensils that aren’t made out of something that can do me harm as well as plates that won’t break is incredibly help. For this you can buy camping plates and cutlery, disposable plastic or paper cups and utensils or kids plastic cutlery.
•pillow: soft objects such as pillows can prevent you from hitting against surfaces such as tables or walls. When I was hospitalised for my tics the nurses put some towels under my shirt to prevent my tics from making me hit my chest. Additionally a pillow can be hit or squeezed.
• Hair ties: sometimes my hair can make my tics worse due to sensory issues. It can be helpful o carry things around that can help with sensory distress.
• first aid: tic attacks can result in injury. It can be helpful to carry stuff like bandaids or Panadol to help with pain following an attack.
•water+food: tic attacks can be incredibly draining, therefore having quick access to food and water can be good. Eg, if keeping a bottle of water and some snacks next to your bed or in your bag. It’s great to have this stuff in close reach, if you can’t get up or are sepceially exhausted after a tic attack.
•medical indication: items such as sunflower lanyards can be helpful for indicating an invisible disability such as tics. Additionally in case of emergency, identification and medical information can be kept on standby. People can also use badges or similar items to indicate they have tics, this is an option if it makes you more comfortable for people to be aware of your tics. You can also carry a small card (or multiple cards to handout) that explains Tourettes, this can be helpful when faced with negative reactions or when you are unable to voice your medical conditions. Schools can provide time out passes to get out of class when tics get bad or other identification that can be used to alert teachers of needs.