Read on Twitter
I keep thinking about this masks thing.
And the way the narrative is extremely binary and I don't think that reflects reality.
Like can we talk about the people who want to wear masks but can't find masks that don't mess them up?
Can we talk about accessible design?
And the way the narrative is extremely binary and I don't think that reflects reality.
Like can we talk about the people who want to wear masks but can't find masks that don't mess them up?
Can we talk about accessible design?
I get that there are just a lot of assholes who don't want to wear masks because they want the freedom to harm people with impunity and I'm not talking about them.
Can we talk about helping people find solutions that work for them? It really bugs me when Disabled community gets into the "one accessible solution to rule them all" mindset because that's not our reality.
Whenever I bring this kind of thing up, people always think I'm talking about me.
I'm not talking about me. I have masks that work for the time periods in which I need to use them. I'm talking about the folks who get shouted down and drowned out if they dare to say, "Uh, but..."
I'm not talking about me. I have masks that work for the time periods in which I need to use them. I'm talking about the folks who get shouted down and drowned out if they dare to say, "Uh, but..."
I'm brash enough to say the things loud and keep saying them and deal with the fallout of being unpopular and seen as detracting from the real issues.
Also accessible design is actually something I really care about and I get annoyed when people write off incompatible accessibility needs as "unimportant".
Like, I get REALLY, REALLY annoyed when people decide their access needs are more important than other people's access needs.
If you've never experienced sensory problems the way a lot of Autistic people do, you might think it's just about annoyance or whatever. It's not.
If you've never experienced sensory problems the way a lot of Autistic people do, you might think it's just about annoyance or whatever. It's not.
For a lot of Autistic people, there are certain sensory experiences non-Autistics (or even other Autistics) will write off as us overreacting or exaggerating about.
Meanwhile, we're experiencing something super distracting, incredibly irritating or incapacitating.
Meanwhile, we're experiencing something super distracting, incredibly irritating or incapacitating.
Not to mention something Deaf people have brought up repeatedly, which is the way masks interfere with communication for them and how few folks seem to care or be prepared to make adjustments like writing stuff down.
The party line in Disabled community is Wear Your Fucking Mask which I don't disagree with but where's the support for the corollary actions like "Finding/Designing/Affording A Mask That Works For You" and "Planning Ahead For Communicating With Deaf People During Covid-19"?
I'm just sick of the way people pretend accessibility is easy. A one-and-done thing.
Accessibility takes work. It takes thought. It takes creativity. It takes intentionality. And it doesn't look the same for everyone.
That's Disability 101.
Accessibility takes work. It takes thought. It takes creativity. It takes intentionality. And it doesn't look the same for everyone.
That's Disability 101.
Also I keep reading about Black people who are afraid to wear masks because TBH there's almost nothing Black people don't get killed for in the US.
So can we, as Disabled community, have a more nuanced approach to this masks thing? We're the ones who are supposed to know about accessibility and conflicting access needs.
Also, just so my personal stake here is clear, I'm basically diabetic. I'm fat. I take meds for high blood pressure. I'm poor.
So yeah, I'm high-risk for COVID-19 if I get it. I wear my mask when I go out and I'm horrified by all the white people I see not wearing theirs.
So yeah, I'm high-risk for COVID-19 if I get it. I wear my mask when I go out and I'm horrified by all the white people I see not wearing theirs.
Here are further threads I've written about this topic.
1. https://twitter.com/EbThen/status/1277026147780497413
1. https://twitter.com/EbThen/status/1277026147780497413
