How Are Video Games Biased Against the Disabled?

109 words

1 minute read

This video was suggested to me by a friend.  While not something I thought much about, that is largely BECAUSE a lot of video games have become inaccessible to me over the years.  I used to play Nintendo in the '80s and Sega Genesis in the '90s, but now, with the Wii, and other video games that require physical actions in order to play?  It's all but impossible for me to consider playing.

So while I'm not hugely into video games, I am all for their being made more accessible so all of us can enjoy them, too.

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Frustration: Doctors and Pretenders

406 words

3 minute read

Doctors' Ignorance Stands in the Way of Care for the Disabled (an article written by Leana Wen) wasn't shocking for me.  Especially having gone to the doctor myself recently (and having to make appointments for wheelchair evaluations.)  At my appointment last week, I pointed out that though my symptoms could have been caused by my disability, they usually presented when people with CP were older, I suspected another cause.  His response was, "Okay," like he was taking in new information.

Though they're preliminary tests showed nothing, I was lucky that further tests revealed that my hunch was correct.  Today I'm on day four of a seven-day course of antibiotics.

It's why it irked me a bit extra when I read Here Is an Able-Bodied Man Who Identifies as a Man With a Disability (written by Rick Juzwiak.)  Because while I am making appointments, spending hours on the phone trying to find places that are in the network of coverage for my insurance, in order to get a new wheelchair, this guy can just get one.  He makes enough money that he can drop $2,000 on something he doesn't actually NEED.  In order for my insurance to cover a new one (because there's no way I can afford one on my own), I need a doctor to refer me to a physical therapy evaluation.  I need to make sure I find a doctor at that clinic who is covered, coordinate transportation, go in, then call the clinic which will do the PT evaluation. (The second one, because after I scheduled with the first, they called and informed me that though I was referred to them, my insurance didn't cover it.)  And on and on from there.

Ironically, though, men like that, and women like this never get confronted.  They can go on their merry ways, taking advantage of the things that make our lives possible, and they don't deal with people telling them they're not disabled enough to qualify for what they don't need, when we are often made to do a ton of preliminary things just to get what we need to make our lives possible.  We have to go to the doctor, to have them refer us to get what we need, but when we do, the reality is, they probably won't know the first thing about our disability or how it affects us.

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New Wheelchair Time

165 words

1 minute read

It's that time again.  Time to jump through lots of hoops to get a new wheelchair, BUT it made me think of the happiness I felt at seven years old, getting my first wheelchair.  Then, I wasn't aware of just how much of a process there WAS regarding getting what I needed.  I was just excited about the end result. 

Note to Self:  As irritating as it is to spend tons of time on the phone and schedule two separate appointments so my insurance can cover it, the end result of a new chair is worth it.  Just look at my face.  (And look at my sis, who can't resist touching it, haha!)

In the meantime, I'll be concentrating on the important things this picture reminds me of: the freedom in a new chair that doesn't break all the time.  The color.  The brand.  So exciting.  Hoping for a great new chair sometime soon!

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Re: Miracle memes and Inspiration Porn: Internet viral images demean disabled people

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18 second read

Miracle memes and Inspiration Porn: Internet viral images demean disabled people

This is such a great article, written by Scott Jordan Harris, discussing why images like the one George Takei recently shared are harmful.  Highly recommend.

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Summer Camp for Kids with Disabilities

372 words

3 minute read

I was talking to someone today, who said that camp was the only place she ever felt she belonged.  It reminded me of just how much of a positive experience going to summer camp for kids with disabilities was for me.  I went to camp each summer from ages thirteen to fifteen.

It was one week during each of those years when I felt like I belonged.  (This is one of the few pictures there are of me at camp - because I was always the one taking the pictures - at the beginning of my last week there, at fifteen.)  That smile says everything.  

I got to hang out with friends who knew what it was like to be like me.  Who used wheelchairs and crutches and walkers. And someplace where that just didn't matter, because we were all just there to have a great time.  I didn't know that in seven years' time I would get a job as a camp counselor (at a different camp) but I think my experience as a camper really influenced my decision.

We had such a competent staff, made up of people from all around the world.  I had a counselor from Holland, and one from New Zealand and one from Australia. They were energetic and positive and available at ALL hours of the night if a camper needed something.  Not one of them shamed any one of us about anything related to our disabilities.  

It was fantastic.  We had dance parties and camped outdoors for a night.  We horseback rode and went swimming.  We did arts and crafts and went boating.  We had dinner at breakfast.  Made up our own cabin cheer.  (I still remember the latest one, to this day.)  We made our own homemade pizza.  We listened to CDs and talked and wrote letters.  We used computers (at the dawn of the internet) and found books in the rec building.

It was so, so positive.  A real ray of light when I look back at it, for sure.  

I'd definitely recommend this experience to any kid with a disability.  Parents, if you have the means, chances are, your child will have a fabulous time.  They'll never forget it.  Or the people they met.

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9th Grade Was a Lovely Time...No, Really...

339 words

3 minute read

It's Throwback Thursday again - and this is definitely me - rocking a very 90's hairstyle - at fourteen.  Ironically, even though I've got my crutches in this picture, this was the year I realized that using my wheelchair at school actually freed me up to do a lot more.

I wasn't spending all of passing time trying to get one place to another and avoiding crowded halls.  In high school, I could go where I wanted when I wanted.  It was a revelation for a kid who, at the thought of using my chair at school, was mortified.  In my mind, I didn't "need" to use it, even though the high school I attended was huge and it would have been unrealistic (and exhausting) for me to walk the entire day.

Freshman year was pretty awesome.  Yes, getting up the giant ramp to the cafeteria, gym and choir room was intense, but it was my own personal challenge, and I often turned down offers of help, because it was all worth it when I got to coast back down.  I set the record for the static arm hang in gym class.  Even though I had to be lifted up to reach the bar, and lifted back down to the floor that 1 minute 17 seconds made any potential embarrassment worth it.  No one made fun of the kid who had the best time - who even managed to outlast the girl on the gymnastics team by 5 seconds.

There were instances of bullying (one, in particular).  There were kids who used the accessible bathroom stalls to smoke cigarettes in.  There was that feeling I could never quite shake that I would have made it into a higher-level choir if I weren't obviously disabled.  But overall?  It was a great time in my life.  I remember being happy with myself, and not often wanting to be different, or FEELING especially different.  I had teachers who pushed me academically.  I had friends.  It was a pretty carefree time.

It's nice to look back at.

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Abled Privilege Is...

863 words

7 minute read

#abledprivilegeis is a discussion about the privileges able bodied people have, and it's going on  (mostly on Twitter) but I thought I'd add my own insights...

Abled privilege is having people listen to you, not ignore you, when something terrifies you as a toddler.

Abled privilege is not being called "cute" in the same way a puppy is called cute for all of second grade.

Abled privilege is being able to go on all the school field trips, and never being arbitrarily banned at the last minute without an explanation because of accessibility issues.

Abled privilege is going to the bathroom whenever you need to, in middle school, not having to hold it all day until you get home because of accessibility issues.

Abled privilege is never even having to entertain the thought that a guy in high school Spanish will get up from his desk and take the vocabulary word you were given for a game, and replace it with his (because it's more difficult and he wants an easy one.)  You don't have to think about how he gets away with it in front of the teacher because he knows it will take you extra time and energy to go get it back.

Abled privilege is being able to attend all your college classes, even when it snows, because your access isn't blocked by the fact that the plows inexplicably pile all that snow in front of the ramps on campus.

Abled privilege is being able to talk about having your personal space and dignity violated as if it's only theoretical.  It's asking people "what they think about that" and not "how can we stop it?"

Abled privilege is being able to go wherever you want.  On grass.  On gravel.  Through narrow doorways.  Up stairs with no railings. It's taking for granted the unlimited access you have to the world around you.

Abled privilege is not having to choose between the mobility aid that is smaller (but means you will move slower) and the one that is bigger, and will give you more freedom (but can't fit into your friend's car.)

Abled privilege is never being told that there is not a place for you, at a public event you paid to attend.

Abled privilege is the ability to go out in public without being stared at, approached and asked invasive questions, or talked to condescendingly.

Abled privilege is never being told you're "so brave" simply because you are out in public.

Abled privilege is never being told "It's a shame you're in a wheelchair.  You're so pretty."

Abled privilege is saying no, and knowing that it will be respected.

Abled privilege is never having teachers discriminate against you, or think you are less because of what you use to get around.

Abled privilege is being in control of the amount of pain you experience.

Abled privilege is not having to attend meetings as a child, that are focused on all the areas you struggle in, through no fault of your own.

Abled privilege is not having to worry about a stranger touching your person, or taking you somewhere without your permission.

Abled privilege is not being on the receiving end of dirty looks and comments for using the stairs when the elevator is out of service.

Abled privilege is never being trapped on one floor because while you were there, the elevator broke down.

Abled privilege is having a whole audience worth of seats to pick from when attending a tour or a concert, not just the highest, most distant tiny row.

Abled privilege is not being told by the behind the wheel instructor (with 20 years' experience) that you could never learn to drive, despite it being only the second time you ever drove a car.

Abled privilege is never being hurt or humiliated on purpose, in the name of "overcoming"something that is integral to your own identity.

Abled privilege is not having to be degraded with ableist names, or have chewed up food spit on you.  Never having to prove that, actually you read and write four years past grade level.  Never having to deal with the person testing you, seeming shocked by your intelligence.

Abled privilege is not having to jump through hoops to get the things that are necessary for you to navigate every day life.

Abled privilege is getting a job as a summer camp counselor (overnight for a week at a time) AND being able to take showers there.

Abled privilege is not having your startle reflex intentionally triggered by family or friends, and having them laugh at you.

Abled privilege is having unlimited access to AND accurate representation of people like you in the media.

Abled privilege is never experiencing the subtle (or overt) pressure of having to justify your existence.

Abled privilege is knowing that your life has value to society, and that if someone hurts you or kills you, the person responsible will be held accountable.  Your perpetrator will not receive mercy or have their crime justified because of how hard it was to have you in their life. It's knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that your life matters.

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