#accessibility – @onfirewhenifoundit on Tumblr

The use of plastic straws by disabled people became a moral detriment suitable for public shaming before lack of accessibility became a moral detriment suitable for public shaming.

My disabled YouTuber friend now gets harassed when she uses a plastic bending straw (an accessibility tool, something she NEEDS in order to drink, no alternative currently works) in her videos.

Reminder right here: no matter how someone looks, their disability will not always be apparent to you.

But when my disabled friend is denied emergency evacuation plans out of a building because the elevators get shut off and she uses a wheelchair, does the building owner get shamed or harassed? No.

Those are the power dynamics at play here.

Imagine if ableds cared about accessibility as much as they care about banning plastic straws.

onfirewhenifoundit

As much as I’m in favor of reducing plastic waste, we shouldn’t throw disabled people under the bus in the name of “saving the environment”.

Let’s keep it to the level of “you need to ask for a straw”, not “all straws must be banned ombwtfbbq”. Recognize that there is currently no non-plastic alternative for a bendy straw. Recognize that some people actually need bendy straws or they can’t drink. Recognize that this is only one of many, many thoughtless exclusions that disabled people have to face every day.

Just because an item is a luxury/convenience for you, that does not mean it is optional for everyone.

#disabled #disability #plastic straw ban #accommodation #accessibility

onfirewhenifoundit

'A rolling walking stick': why do so many disabled people cycle in Cambridge?

Riding a bike may be easier than walking for two-thirds of disabled cyclists, but they often remain invisible to society. Many don’t realise that more than a quarter of disabled commutes in this university city are made by bike

www.theguardian.com|Laura Laker

I use a bicycle as a mobility aid. The joints in my feet lock up because of my chronic inflammation, which makes it feel like they’re both sprained; walking ranges from mildly painful to excruciating. But a bicycle allows me to travel without pain. I can also use short bursts of pedaling and coast a lot, which conserves my limited energy. I’ve adapted my bike with a cushy seat and large handlebars to keep the weight off my bad shoulders. Bikes are cheap, easy to repair, and well understood by mechanics and the public. And a side benefit is the gentle low-impact exercise I get.

Unlike some disabled cyclists, I can walk for short distances, and I can lift my bike. I can’t go fast enough to feel safe around traffic, however, and my city lacks dedicated bike paths. I’m just waiting for a cop to tell me to stop riding my bike on the sidewalk - I ride at a walking pace around pedestrians, or idle along with my feet, but rules are rules. It’s just another aspect of my invisible illness that makes me braced for conflict all the time.

Sidewalks are also part of the reason I’m on a two-wheeler. They’re narrow, and in some places barely wide enough to navigate a wheelchair (or not even that). My balance is excellent, but I worry about falls: my inflamed joints take a lot of damage from impacts. I do have a recumbent for wet weather when pavement may be slippery, so that I wouldn’t fall more than a foot, but it’s so long it can be difficult to maneuver, and the tires are suitable only for pavement. If I had access to more dedicated bike paths, not just an incomplete and circuitous network of quiet streets designated “bicycle boulevards”, I might get a trike. For now, though, my trusty upright will have to do. At least it mounts on my car easily.

Disability doesn’t always look like a cane or a wheelchair. Sometimes it looks like someone slowly riding an old bicycle.

#spoonie #disabled #disability #mobility #transportation #accessibility #bicycle #city planning #invisible disability #chronic illness #chronic pain

onfirewhenifoundit reblogged

thespoontheory

ithelpstodream

This week, the Office for National Statistics has added ready-made mashed potato to the UK’s official shopping basket, which it uses to measure inflation, and people are up in arms. Who buys a pre-chopped onion that costs three times as much as a whole one? How lazy do you have to be to choose a frozen omelette over a couple of eggs?

These kinds of convenience foods are an easy target. But for the 13.3 million people in Britain with disabilities – and those living with arthritis, chronic illness, recovering from injury or surgery, or undergoing cancer treatment – convenience foods aren’t just convenient: they are a lifeline.

This is an issue close to my heart. I’m a professional cook, but I also have a chronic pain condition, and there are occasions when I can’t even hold a knife. In times like those, I’m never going to opt for the impenetrable whole butternut squash over one that has already been diced for me.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2018/mar/16/pre-chopped-onions-arent-pointless-if-you-cant-hold-a-knife

antiracistfeministanarchy

fatigue and chronic pain are also issues for disabled people with food prep

onfirewhenifoundit

There was a furor over supermarkets carrying pre-peeled oranges. Every person rolling their eyes and declaiming the "laziness" of American consumers was able-bodied. Meanwhile, those who lacked function in their hands and fingers were given easy access to a healthy, tasty fresh fruit.

If a product seems pointless to you, consider that you may not be the target market.

#Disability #Accessibility #Accommodations #Stop being so self centered