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Day 1 of #AccessibleAdvent
I'd love to have a quarter machine in our building (seeing as we must pay to do our laundry and we're in the middle of a pandemic that means all of us high-risk people must venture out, or rely on people's generosity if we want to wash our clothes.)
I'd love to have a quarter machine in our building (seeing as we must pay to do our laundry and we're in the middle of a pandemic that means all of us high-risk people must venture out, or rely on people's generosity if we want to wash our clothes.)
Day 2 of #AccessibleAdvent I'd love to (eventually, post-pandemic) be able to take public transportation without getting the 3rd degree about why I'm not using the "wheelchair version" of said services.
Day 3 of #AccessibleAdvent It's not a given that people with disabilities can access food, water and / or the bathroom, even in their own houses. Accessibility in homes needs to be the default not the exception.
Day 4 of #AccessibleAdvent If your house / place of business etc has "just one step" it's not accessible.
Day 5 of #AccessibleAdvent One of my favorite things to see (at least pre-pandemic) was a spot at a picnic table or a restaurant table where the chair was pulled out. It made me as a wheelchair user feel so welcome in the space.
This has only happened a couple of times.
This has only happened a couple of times.
Day 6 of #AccessibleAdvent Place blindness means that I rely heavily on landmarks to orient myself. I don't lack common sense, I have CP.
(Read more at the link: https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2016/01/lets-talk-about-place-blindness-and-cp.html)
(Read more at the link: https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2016/01/lets-talk-about-place-blindness-and-cp.html)
Day 7 of #AccessibleAdvent I had to wait until I was 24 years old to live in accessible housing. On and off until I was 36, I still felt compelled to exhaust myself for family who insisted to have holidays in inaccessible spaces. This is the norm for a lot of disabled folx.
Day 8 of #AccessibleAdvent Recess at school used to be entirely inaccessible. I'd use it to walk around among the other kids, but never actually get to play with them. So glad accessible playgrounds now exist. We need more.
Day 9 of #AccessibleAdvent Years of being blamed for my slow speed due to access barriers means that when I face one, there is the potential for my trauma to be triggered. Especially in my 20s I used to blame myself for barriers around me.
It is not our fault.
It is not our fault.
Day 10 of #AccessibleAdvent There is not one kind of access. Though wheelchair access is probably the thing most are familiar with, invisible disabilities require access, too. And understanding is too often lacking.
Day 11 of #AccessibleAdvent When things are inaccessible to me, I get the message that I am not welcome in that space or by those in it. Access is love.
Day 12 of #AccessibleAdvent Once upon a time, a complete stranger pushed me (repeatedly) to be grateful my sis brought me a plate of food from an inaccessible house. https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2016/09/lets-talk-about-effects-of-forcing.html
Day 13 of #AccessibleAdvent Disabled people are often left behind in emergencies. We must think of safety plans for each other or risk being abandoned in a large scale disaster. https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2016/01/safety-issues-and-disability.html
Day 14 of #AccessibleAdvent When you police accommodations, you might be unwittingly taking away access from disabled people. There's this idea that "faking disability" is this huge phenomenon. Most of us are legitimately disabled. https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2016/05/lets-talk-about-accommodation-policing.html
Day 15 of #AccessibleAdvent Our access needs can change over time, even throughout the same day.
See: What Is a Capacity Shift and How Does It Relate to Disability: https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2020/02/what-is-capacity-shift-and-how-does-it.html
See: What Is a Capacity Shift and How Does It Relate to Disability: https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2020/02/what-is-capacity-shift-and-how-does-it.html
Day 16 of #AccessibleAdvent You see our holiday photo card. Twins dressed in a sweater, earrings, etc. You don't see how itchy the sweater is. How the earrings pinch. How horrible it is to wear the bra. We got out of these clothes ASAP after this picture and into our usual.
Day 17 of #AccessibleAdvent Sidewalks falling into disrepair is an access issue: https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2016/05/lets-talk-about-time-i-dropped-my-moms.html
Day 18 of #AccessibleAdvent Trauma can be disabling. Trusting those around us to be open about sensory triggers can be a crapshoot. While it's not the other person's responsibility to deal with my triggers, I do feel loved when I'm cautioned about one that you know about.
Day 19 of #AccessibleAdvent Be open to feedback about your content's access level. If someone disabled comes to you and trusts you enough to tell you about the inaccessibility they experienced bc of your content, understand that they've been harmed. Apologize & fix issues.
Day 20 of #AccessibleAdvent Disabled people often cannot do chores at the same rate / in the same style as nondisabled people. While nondisableds tend to concentrate their efforts into one specific day for everything, we do better if we can spread our chores out.
Day 21 of #AccessibleAdvent I've been working on this blog post for 11 months. It is deeply personal and I hope it spurs conversations about access barriers to basic needs and more. I know this issue is pervasive. I know it goes beyond me. https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2020/12/food-water-restroom-when-accessing.html
Day 22 of #AccessibleAdvent
I find it hard to make nondisabled friends because, to them, it seems I'm only viewed for what I can offer them. Nondisabled parents, specifically, will interact if I dispense info about their disabled kids. If they feel good abt themselves.
I find it hard to make nondisabled friends because, to them, it seems I'm only viewed for what I can offer them. Nondisabled parents, specifically, will interact if I dispense info about their disabled kids. If they feel good abt themselves.
Day 23 of #AccessibleAdvent Frequent paragraphing is an access thing. If I see a giant wall of text, I struggle to read it.
Day 24: #AccessibleAdvent
Warmth is an access issue when you're disabled and everyone around you is relieved for the air conditioner and you're mocked for being too cold and not allowed to go back outside to get warm.
Warmth is an access issue when you're disabled and everyone around you is relieved for the air conditioner and you're mocked for being too cold and not allowed to go back outside to get warm.
