I didn't care about disability rights until I needed them.
Did you know that anyone at anytime can become disabled? I really want you to sit with this idea, because it’s an important one. You (yes you reading this) can become disabled at anytime because of an infinite number of phenomena out of your or anyone else’s control.
How I used to PERCEIVE Disability
Before my Autism diagnosis (which you can read more about here) the thought that 1) I could become disabled at anytime or 2) that I already was disabled and I didn’t know it quite literally never crossed my mind. My body and mind were typically functional on a surface level, and I was healthy enough to not require much external medical support. A majority of my peers shared this “non disabled” category too. With tunnel vision constructed from a life surrounded by “typically functioning humans” Why would I EVER think about disability?
Disabled people have always been around.
Some are born with their disabilities and some acquire disabilities as they age. From my limited anecdotal knowledge of disability history, disabled humans have had an issue with visibility in the community. When people aren’t visible it’s really easy to exclude their needs in the design of spaces, equipment, social norms etc. This lack of visibility leads to an unintentional and culturally normalised cycle of ableism - a lack of visibility creates a world that doesn’t accomodate disability, making disabled people more invisible to broader society, further intrenching socially acceptable ableism into our society.
Looking back I know I never considered disability because a majority of disabled representation I’d interacted with was paralympians with limb differences. Even then, these disabled humans with a “platform” weren’t a part of real life. They lived in TV land, appearing once every 4 years in another country showing mastery of superhuman skills.
The representation of so called “invisible disabilities” was also lacking. I’m entirely sure I’d never considered a disability could be invisible until just a few years ago when Former Youtuber, Sewist, Scientist and Activist Annika Victoria started sharing openly about their lived experience.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: The only reason I was able to pursue an Autism diagnosis is because of the disability visibility the internet has facilitated. More importantly the only reason I’ve been able to access the NDIS and finally begin to stitch together appropriate supports is because of disabled folk who came before me and fought for the rights and freedoms we have today.
Disability Rights Still have a long way to go
In Australia, we’re in a way better place to accomodate disabilities than we have been, however we still have a long way to go. The disability support pension is inaccessible to many disabled people, especially if they live with a partner that works full time. This payment can be cut or discontinued if a partner earns too much. (let’s not even start on how the rate needs to be raised…)
The NDIS is difficult to join. If one manages to get on it, it can be a nightmare to navigate. Staying in this system and being provided with appropriate supports also requires one to proove their disability over and over again.
Most architecture still isn’t accessible. Lack of ramps, difficult to open doors, toilets that are accessible only by name and difficult to navigate neglected outdoor terrain all contribute to disabled people being unable to participate in all spaces.
The above is just the tip of the iceburg!
Properly implemented accomodations can make everyone’s life better. The one that springs to mind are those little ramps on footpaths that provide a smooth descent onto the road. They’re called curb cuts, and until listening to this episode of 99% invisible I’d never thought twice about them. The very abridged, super catchy version of the story is a group of disabled students who used wheelchairs in America were having difficulty navigating their campus and the town because there were no curb cuts. They got tired of the situation, so in the middle of the night along with their aids, they cut ramps into the curbs. Turns out, a bunch of other people benefited from the rouge ramps (including parents with prams and the elderly), the cuts caught on and now they’re everywhere!
I really hope the increasing visibility of disabled voices continues as it has. If disability accomodations had been available to me pre diagnosis, my life would look very different, probably for the better. I personally would love to see a world where accomodations aren’t considered accomodations, because they’re just normal everyday things that blend into the fabric of society. We have a long way to go, but I am hopeful.
Other Disabled Creators making cool stuff
If you have a moment, I’d love to draw your attention to some other disabled creatives who are making loud sounds about disability, life and other things on the internet.
Eliza Hull (musician, speaker, writer, activist): https://www.elizahull.com
Liel K Bridgford (writer, poet, activist, podcaster): https://lkbridgford.com and their podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/un-marginalised/id1561559981
Imani Barbarin (Writer, Speaker, Blogger, Content Creator, Model, Actress): https://www.instagram.com/crutches_and_spice
Carly Findlay (writer, speaker, activist, fashion icon): https://carlyfindlay.com.au and their book https://carlyfindlay.com.au/growing-up-disabled-in-australia/
Peta Hooke (speaker, content creator, podcaster, activist): https://www.icantstandpodcast.com
This is absolutely a non exhaustive list, these are just the people who came to mind whilst I was writing this here post. I have learned so much from these humans, and I hope you can too!
ABOUT THE OUTFIT
I’ve had these photos sitting on my computer since August last year? Definitely a while at least! This is my first go at cottage core does lobsters. I’ve really been enjoying genre bending cottage core stylings recently (keep your eyes peeled on my instagram for the rainbow cat dress…). The dress itself is home made using a self drafted pattern, copious amounts of lace and contrasting buttons. The magnificent pearl details come from the thrifted blouse I’m wearing under the dress. I’ve popped on some white tights to reflect the lace and blouse, and finished the look off with my orange Frances island beret and pink Dr Martens.
FINANCIAL REALISM SEGMENT!
I’m trying to be more open about my finances/the time/money and energy that goes into this creative work. I’ve reached a point where I no longer have the energy to work creatively and work a day job. Many hours of labour go into a post like this - I sewed the pants, which took me a day, the photos took 1 hour to shoot, 3 hours to edit/upload.
Writing this post in particular took 1 hour, and the social media management and promotion takes an additional hour. my website is with Squarespace which also costs $$
If you’d like to support my endeavour to make this sort of work my “real job” (this includes my music and upcoming sewing videos) you can do so for the price of a coffee by using the form to your left. If you’d like to support me AND get a thing in return for your $$, consider buying my music on BANDCAMP or hopping over to my ONLINE STORE and buying a print, bow, music ETC :)
Big thanks to my regular Ko-Fi Supporter Gemma! If you’d like to join her in my super exclusive community and support my art for $5 a month, click over to my Ko Fi Page! You’ll get access to videos and blog posts early, and I’ll thankyou (like this!) when I release the things.
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