Ableism comes in many forms, and despite what we like to tell ourselves as a society regarding our progress in this area, I think we are failing. We are failing the ghosts of advocates past, present and future by our tendency for play acting, rather than truly acknowledging our shortcomings and moving forward in any meaningful way. Even today, with all the advances in disability rights, legislation, inclusivity, human centred design, and supposed social understanding, sometimes I have to wonder if the push for inclusion is just a box ticking exercise with no intention to back it up. So often the powers that be apply no substance, logic, or practical application to their methodology. It is as though they almost deliberately leave a fundamental piece of the puzzle out of the equation, and thereby set us up to fail, while still being able to make themselves feel good about just how generous they are by allowing us to dwell within society. […]
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Parkrun For One
Parkrun may have cost me a pyjama day on the lounge, and some serious toddler treat negotiations with Little so I did not have to actually parent. Hell, it will probably cost me an entire weekend, but the cognitive overload and exhaustion was oh so worth it. Guess who challenged her crazy self to a solo Parkrun with nothing but a sketchy mental map, a white mobility cane with a rover wheel adaption for ease of use, a buzzy thing known as a Mini Guide, and a Bow Tie Running Rope guide tether on her hip in case she made a friend along the way? Chosen for its flexibility, yet not too close not too far apart design, this Running Rope would give me and my fiction the freedom to synchronise our movement, but forgive us our just getting to know one another form. In fact, one of our inspirations behind this particular Running Rope was the Parkrun format with its […]
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Society Through The Lens Of Disability
I am a disabled person, and I use that term deliberately in this context, as it refers to the social model of disability, which basically suggests that it is society that disables people through its attitudes, actions, and assumptions. In other words, how we as a society are organised, acknowledge, and thereby create disability, rather than actually valuing, leveraging, respecting, and encouraging people’s differences and diversity. This is how society is seen through the lens of disability. In light of this, I am finding the new television show, The Good Doctor, which premiered tonight, personally confronting. It is about Shaun Murphy, a young surgeon with autism and Savant syndrome, who is recruited into the surgical unit of a prestigious hospital, and the battles he faces. I know that kind of isolation. I know that kind of discrimination. I know what it is not to be taken seriously based on the ignorance or arrogance of others. I know what it is to […]
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Advocacy Is Like Doing The Dishes
For me, advocacy is not a choice. It is a chore. Rather like doing the dishes. If I don’t tend to them, then how do they become clean and ready for their intended purpose. Sure, I can leave them for a meal, but what happens when I run out? I can switch to paper plates as an alternative, thus ignoring the problem a little longer. However, that isn’t sustainable or practical. So what happens when I inevitably run out of those? Then what? I eat off the floor? My point is, that if I don’t advocate, or do the dishes, things can get a little crazy, and I have no one to blame but myself if I am unhappy with the outcome. For if only I had taken care of the details of life in the first place, or at least tried to contribute to preventing the situation from getting out of hand, I would have saved myself some present or […]
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An Exercise Mat For One
When it comes to exercise, in my experience some activities are more blind or low vision friendly than others. This is often for no other reason than they don’t involve other people. Let’s face it, other people add complexities to the equation. For example, it’s not as though I can spontaneously turn up to a run, exercise class, or an event. Oh no, it’s not that simple. There’s most likely people there I’ve never met. It doesn’t matter how comfortable I am with the run, class or event. I still have to overcome other people’s unconscious bias, anxieties, experience, and ignorance. And we haven’t even said hello, let alone laced up our shoes. So even when I do want to participate, often I don’t. This is because I have to go through the rigor of having to advocate, organise, educate, reassure, and sometimes even ask for permission. I then have to accommodate people’s intentions, fears, and curiosities. It really saps all […]
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