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Accessibility - Blog Posts
They aren't available for disabled users, the devs refuse to fix the bug.
i don't get why people are scared of dying. you do know you can just disable it in the accessibility settings, right?
just wanted to share the National Down Syndrome Society’s message for this year’s World Down Syndrome Day (21st March) 💛💙
We need shittable cities (actively maintained public restrooms).
Blog Update ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡
Salutations all! Just letting everyone know that I've gone through all my posts and updated everything with alt text to make it more accessible. ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
Also I now have everything up on my AO3 and will be posting on there alongside this blog. So if you prefer to read on there, thats also an option! о( ˶^▾^˶ )о
Please let me know if there is any tweaks, things I can do, or keep in mind to make this blog easier for you to use. I have a family member and close friend with dyslexia, so I've been trying to use emphasis and colors in my posts to assist with that.
In case anyone is interested, here are some references for blog, website, and graphic designing in a disability friendly way~
It's the last weekend of data collection for my thesis survey on disability, so if you're 18 or older and identify as disabled or partially-disabled (even if you live outside the U.S.) I'd love to hear from you! The survey is about how social friction is perceived in interactions between disabled and able-bodied people, and takes about 15 minutes to complete. It's also completely anonymous.
As an incentive for participation, there's an optional raffle that you can participate in for the chance to win an Amazon gift card (yep, even if you live outside the U.S.).
"Let Me Get That For You": Analyzing Frictional Situations in a Disability Context (via Google Forms)
Big thanks to everyone who has already completed the survey, and if you fall into that group, you don't need to take it again.
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This research survey has received approval (IRB number 2025-037) from Delta State's Institutional Review Board.
every time anyone talks about liberation for the intellectually disabled in any real material way (i.e. creating plain-language educational resources accessible to adults reading on a first-grade level, detangling literacy from basic requirements to participate in society, destigmatizing inability to benefit from pedagogy, criticizing the construct of financial literacy as a necessary skill, etc etc etc), some chud comes along calling it "anti-intellectualism" and blabbing about how you're a morally inferior person if you only read middle-grade novels for fun, i'm so tired and we are never making it out
I'm working on my graduate thesis at Delta State University (fear the Fighting Okra!) and I'm looking adults with disabilities to take part in an online survey. The survey will probably take 15-20 minutes to complete and it's about how social friction is perceived in interactions between disabled and able-bodied people. So if you're 18 or older and self-identify as disabled or partially-disabled, I would love to hear from you on the survey:
"Let Me Get That For You": Analyzing Frictional Situations in a Disability Context (via Google Forms)
This research survey has received approval (IRB number 2025-037) from Delta State's Institutional Review Board. It will be live and accepting responses for the next 4-6 weeks depending on the number of responses received. But there's also something for you!
The survey itself is anonymous, though you can optionally enter a drawing for an Amazon gift card at the end of the survey. I can't buy a gift card for every response (as much as I would like to be able to do that) but I can give away a token of appreciation to a randomly selected portion of you. Email addresses are collected only for those who wish to participate in the raffle; any collected emails are deleted after each weekly drawing and only used to contact whoever won that week.
If you have any questions about the project, feel free to send me a message on tumblr!
A friend of mine recently broke her foot.
She's a wonderful friend. A deeply kind and considerate person. One of the first things she did after getting out of the hospital was to apologize to me.
"I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
"Hun, you're the one with the broken foot. What are you talking about?"
"I had no idea it was so hard for you all the time... There are stairs everywhere... Even in places where there's supposed to be a lift. And often the lift doesn't work. And there's pavement where my crutches keep getting stuck.... I'm so tired because walking like this isn't the same but there are no benches where I can rest....
You tried to explain and I thought I understood.... But I really had no idea. And this is what it's like for you ALL THE TIME.... I'm so so so sorry"
God how I cried.
ayo this pretty cool
[id: active style manual wheelchair with frame made of rectangle wood planks screwed together. end id]
as we know active type wheelchair very expensive, & repair need buy from specific medical manufacturer n take very long time. someone (who wheelchair user themself of near 40 years) made open source active manual wheelchair where most (if not all?) material from commercial easy get materials! wood, plastic, pvc pipe, & those commercial aluminum square pipe things. n they put guide made them yourself in link for anyone want try make
this video from their instagram show their wood frame wheelchair actually pretty durable, include clip from everyday use & even drop wheelchair all over place (basically imagine what airline do to them…) - n wheelchair stay in tact! n even if some part break - it easy change because wood planks all screwed together so you just buy wood plank & unscrew & rescrew.
not great for people w advanced seating positioning needs probably (think if only problem is easy butt pressure sore, maybe can still use this + supportive cushion but think beyond that it get hard). but if like you don’t need those things then maybe fun project?
have not use for self so can’t actually talk about experience but it look pretty cool
Every country should have options for free/affordable accomodation for disabled people who don't want to live with their families and I'm so serious. Personally I'm in the process of realising that my current living situation is actually making me feel miserable lmao, and I was fortunate enough to stumble upon an opportunity to live somewhere else, where I would have 24/7 care without having to see my parents every day. I'm still on the waiting list, but it honestly can't come soon enough. The codependency between disabled people (especially people who were born disabled) and their parents isn't talked about nearly enough (or at all?) and it's a huge fucking shame because I think that if it was more present in the discussion on disability rights, there could be more tools in place to help disabled people who want to be independent from their families while still receiving the care they need.
And still it feels like it's not talked about because families should "stick together" and "sort it amongst themselves" and their disabled relatives are "their cross to bear". Like. Has anyone asked the disabled people in question whether they want to be their family's cross to bear? Whether they want their parents to be the people they see and talk to the most throughout the day? Whether they want to have only them to depend on, and if they were both sick or something, then I guess they're fucked lmao?
So. Accomodation for disabled people who seek independence from their families. Now 🤲🏻
Make Video Games More Accessible By...
Dear game developers:
Make your games more accessible by
Allowing Button remapping
Supporting multiple kinds of controllers
Supporting multiple types of inputs for when solving puzzles or clues
Match the color and or pattern puzzle
Follow the sound and controller vibration to find the mcguffin
Allow for zooming in and out if you’re doing any kind of “pattern alignment” puzzle.
Subtitles on everything, for fuck’s sake
If your motion/camera thing’s instructions start with “stand up and….”, rethink your design.
Allow for adjusting the field of view
Aim assist.
If someone is struggling with a puzzle or task, start offering tool tips and hints on screen
Remember that the goal is not to have the player play the game like you would. The goal is for the gamer to have fun and experience the game and art you’ve spent so much time and energy to create in a way that brings them joy.
Removing and avoiding harmful tropes around disability - physical or otherwise.
post by @ lucyedwardsofficial on instagram showing how the paralympics includes blind/visually impaired viewers of goalball!
This is that giraffe bottle i was talking about in case anyone else with complex needs wants it. It's pretty cool and I'm definitely keeping it in mind for when I eventually DO need to transition to something that doesn't need to be picked up at all.
My husband and I became catechumens in the EOC for which we are incredibly grateful. Here’s my dilemma though.
I can’t attend Divine Liturgy because of my chronic illness. The priest is very understanding of this and is genuinely trying to accommodate us the best anyone can.
He wants us to get plugged into the community despite my limitations and is thinking of safe ways for us to do so, since I am immunocompromised and my husband (who has lupus) is also facing potential new health concerns. Though we want community as well, I am having debilitating anxiety around it.
My illness is so unpredictable. I have good days and bad days. Some days, I need my wheelchair or another mobility aid (which I don’t like using because I don’t like being vulnerable but I NEED to use them for safety and/or energy preservation). But other days, I do not need anything. Chronic illness has SO MANY facets and triggers and layers of unpredictability! In the past, many people (mostly people from our old church) have accused me of faking my disability when they’ve seen me on a good day, or when they’ve seen me without a mobility aid after needing one a previous day. They’ve told me I’m making excuses, that I’m faking for attention, etc.
No one but my husband ever sees the “details” of my chronic illness, after all. They don’t see me when I’m curled up all night on the bathroom floor bc of gastroparesis agonizing and crying for it all to end, or being SO extremely fatigued due to POTS that I can’t move a limb out of bed. They didn’t see me when I fell that morning which warranted me using my rollator for the rest of the day to prevent another concussion. They don’t see the painful internal struggle of trying to walk in the summer heat without support. Anyone with a chronic illness can relate!
People from my last church (not an OC) said hurtful things and more and told me I’m going to hell for a number of reasons- because I don’t have kids, because I don’t go to church on Sundays etc. i had poured my soul into that parish. Then, everyone left. We felt abandoned.
This served as the catalyst to question our faith -tradition, theology, and everything- and ultimately, everything came together to lead us to Orthodoxy which is a HUGE blessing! But I’m just SO EMOTIONAL because though I’m more than ready to embrace the fullness of faith and the Sacraments when the time comes, I don’t think I can ever be a part of a community.
It’s exhausting to have to try to explain the ins- and- outs of my illness to new people, many of whom wouldn’t even believe me. And I just don’t want to get hurt again. I know it’s wrong of me to assume that every new person I meet will eventually judge me and leave, but that’s just what we’ve consistently experienced. That’s all we know. I have a small circle of friends, and I’ve known all of them for many years - those friendships have stood the test of time and I’m grateful for them.
I honestly don’t know why I’m making this dumb post. I’m not trying to throw myself a pity party, I just need a place to vent and let it all out. I’m also just in a totally bad headspace right now and my anxiety levels overall are insanely high with my husband preparing for a high stakes surgery in a few days and me having side effects from the rescue medication I had to take last night. But if you’re reading this and have any advice, please tell me. And please pray for us. Please pray for peace and healing in our lives, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Please pray that i can stop myself from spiraling into depression - I can feel it happening. I feel like a burden to my husband and the few friends I have and the devil is probably angry that I made the decision to become a catechumen. Please pray that we can find joy this Pascha, even though we are separated from the Church, knowing that we rejoice in Jesus’s resurrection. The pain runs deep but His love runs deeper.
Thank you. 🤍
can we have a conversation about how abysmal the state of "handicapped" parking spaces are in some places? ive been to two separate places in the last week that labeled a normal spot as an accessible one and just painted it blue. ive been to hospitals and doctors offices that had like 3 spots total. sometimes they're even more inconvenient than the regular spots because they were put somewhere stupid just to get away with the bare minimum. this sucks
I found an extremely dope disability survival guide for those who are homebound, bedbound, in need of disability accommodations, or would otherwise like resources for how to manage your life as a disabled person. (Link is safe)
It has some great articles and resources and while written by people with ME/CFS, it keeps all disabilities in mind. A lot of it is specific to the USA but even if you're from somewhere else, there are many guides that can still help you. Some really good ones are:
How to live a great disabled life- A guide full of resources to make your life easier and probably the best place to start (including links to some of the below resources). Everything from applying for good quality affordable housing to getting free transportation, affordable medication, how to get enough food stamps, how to get a free phone that doesn't suck, how to find housemates and caregivers, how to be homebound, support groups and Facebook pages (including for specific illnesses), how to help with social change from home, and so many more.
Turning a "no" into a "yes"- A guide on what to say when denied for disability aid/accommodations of many types, particularly over the phone. "Never take no for an answer over the phone. If you have not been turned down in writing, you have not been turned down. Period."
How to be poor in America- A very expansive and helpful guide including things from a directory to find your nearest food bank to resources for getting free home modifications, how to get cheap or free eye and dental care, extremely cheap internet, and financial assistance with vet bills
How to be homebound- This is pretty helpful even if you're not homebound. It includes guides on how to save spoons, getting free and low cost transportation, disability resources in your area, home meals, how to have fun/keep busy while in bed, and a severe bedbound activity master list which includes a link to an audio version of the list on Soundcloud
Master List of Disability Accommodation Letters For Housing- Guides on how to request accommodations and housing as well as your rights, laws, and prewritten sample letters to help you get whatever you need. Includes information on how to request additional bedrooms, stop evictions, request meetings via phone, mail, and email if you can't in person, what you can do if a request is denied, and many other helpful guides
Special Laws to Help Domestic Violence Survivors (Vouchers & Low Income Housing)- Protections, laws, and housing rights for survivors of DV (any gender), and how to get support and protection under the VAWA laws to help you and/or loved ones receive housing and assistance
Dealing With Debt & Disability- Information to assist with debt including student loans, medical debt, how to deal with debt collectors as well as an article with a step by step guide that helped the author cut her overwhelming medical bills by 80%!
There are so many more articles, guides, and tools here that have helped a lot of people. And there are a lot of rights, resources, and protections that people don't know they have and guides that can help you manage your life as a disabled person regardless of income, energy levels, and other factors.
Please boost!
As a wheelchair user I'm trying to reframe my language for "being in the way."
"I'm in the way," "I can't fit," and "I can't go there," is becoming "there's not enough space," "the walkway is too narrow," and "that place isn't accessible."
It's a small change, but to me it feels as if I'm redirecting blame from myself to the people that made these places inaccessible in the first place. I don't want people to just think that they're helping me, I want them to think that they're making up for someone else's wrongdoing. I want them to remember every time I've needed help as something someone else caused.
FYI to sick or disabled folks and those who assist or care for them: Simplicity patterns has a new line of adaptive sewing patterns. Designs include tops with port access, clothing with velcro closures, bags and cushions for mobility aids, bibs, chemo hats, and more.
I’m excited about these because they are the first patterns of this kind I’ve seen anywhere. And Simplicity patterns are great for beginning sewists, with very clear step by step instructions and illustrations.
Patterns can be purchased here: https://simplicity.com/simplicity/adaptive/
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Housing is a privilege.
“Fewer than 5 percent of units have the features needed to accommodate a person with moderate mobility difficulties. The percentage of wheelchair-accessible units is even smaller; less than 1 percent of all units are equipped with features that would allow a wheelchair user to live independently.”
Marriage is a privilege.
“The [SSI] monthly maximum Federal amounts for 2023 are $914 for an eligible individual, $1,371 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse.”
Minimum wage is a privilege.
“Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act authorizes employers, after receiving a certificate from the Wage and Hour Division, to pay special minimum wages — wages less than the Federal minimum wage — to workers who have disabilities for the work being performed.”
We still need to fight for accessibility and equity for all disabled people.
Despite the ADA, equity is still out of reach.
My first pride was great and all the queens and entertainers were wonderful but the real star of the show was the ASL translator they had working
Like I don’t know who she was but she was fuckin VIBING
My first pride was great and the drag queens and performers were wonderful but the real star of the show was the ASL translator they had working there
Like I don’t know who she was but she was fucking VIBING
Seeking advice: new wheelchair user
I will be using a wheelchair semi-regularly the next month to see if it will help reduce pain flare-ups / baseline pain and to figure out if it's helpful for me.
Tomorrow is the first day and I am going to uni and therapy. I have only used a wheelchair a couple of times but I'm comfortable with folding it and such as my dad's disabled and it's his wheelchair I'm borrowing. In theory I know how to maneuver around but I'm nervous about it.
Do any wheelchair-users have tips/advice for new wheelchair-users?
Extra info: it's a foldable wheelchair, brand is Quickie. I'm nervous about tipping backwards (no anti-tip), going up and down curbs, taking the metro, painful hands/arms/shoulders.
What are tone tags
in short, tone tags are used to help indicate tone of any given message. this is helpful for folks like me who struggle to interpret tone! here’s an example (pay attention to the bolded tags):
“[name] is a really cool person! like, just look at them, they’re glowing. /gen”
“[name] is a really cool person! like, just look at them, they’re glowing. /s”
the “/gen” tag clarifies that this is a genuine statement, versus the “/s” tag indicating the speaker is being sarcastic. this may seem obvious to you given the context of the conversation, but to someone who can’t judge tone well, you can see how much of a difference these statements are, despite the text being the same. one is positive and supportive, the other critical.
a good thing to do to determine how often you should use tone tags is ask the person you’re talking with, especially if they’re open about being neurodivergent. different people will have different preferences! using tags like these can save you (and the person who needs them) a lot of miscommunication errors, leading to smoother conversations.
if you want more information about tone tags and how to use them, consult this website! thanks for asking :]
Accessibility tip:
If you want to automate your home a bit, but you don't want any "smart" tech, you can just buy remote controlled power sockets instead
They are a lot cheaper and easier to set up and use than some home automation smart tech nonsense
They don't need an app (but some models come with optional apps and there are apps that are compatible with most of these)
Many of them use the 433mhz frequency to communicate, which makes most models compatible with each other, even if they are from different manufacturers
The tech has been around for a long time and will be around for a long time to come
You don't have to put any fucking corporate listening devices like an amazon echo in your home
Models for outdoors exist as well
Thank you for the reply! Advocating for your needs is so important and this is super helpful!<3<3
Hi! In response to this post https://www.tumblr.com/talkethtothehandeth/752350930418139136/if-you-ever-need-accommodations-for-a-venue-its could you maybe provide an example of what you said asking for accommodations? I feel like that could be really useful to me I just don’t know how to ask, how much to explain should I like full on Include doctors notes? just like how to go about it in general. Thank you!
Hope this isn’t weird! I just found your blog and I love your posts
Thanks for reaching out! It wasn't weird at all and that is very sweet of you to say! My anons are always open if people are too nervous to ask publicly, and my DM's are always open to anyone. I am unafraid of internet criticism, and I do not close them for the people who need or want to talk with me. I will share exactly what I wrote in the e-mail. For this occasion, I was specifically asking about bringing a bottle of electrolytes because I wasn't sure if I could get to concessions and to my seat (I would have to find the elevator, the venue is pretty large) in the upper mezzanine in time before they close the doors to the show. And venues usually have a "no outside food/drink" rule. Below the paragraphs I will include a reasoning for wording indicated by a *
"Hello,
My name is [your name], and I am writing in regards to my attendance for the showing of [the show's name] on [date] at [time] and accessibility/accommodation needs.
I was not able to buy an accessible seat beforehand, but I was able to find a seat at the end of a row which will help me step out of the room without disturbing the other patrons if need be should I encounter any sort of medical episode that I can manage privately. I might also use a mobility aid (a forearm crutch) to help me navigate the building with less pain. I would let a worker take this for the duration of the show, excluding the intermission, if it would be in the way of an aisle.
*an employee sometimes takes your unused aid and sets it safely in a corner that way other patrons can navigate the aisles without tripping!
Mobility aside, I am reaching out to ask if I am allowed to bring my own drink (which would be one bottle) to manage my symptoms as I require electrolytes daily at the request of multiple physicians due to a condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. This is a condition that causes me to experience presyncope (symptoms before someone faints) and syncope (actually losing consciousness); the electrolytes stave off my symptoms enough for me to feel comfortable that I, most likely, won’t experience a medical episode during the show time.
*you do not have to share your conditions ever, I just find that sharing mine along with a reasoning will help someone understand more as to why an accommodation is needed— it will make someone less likely to say no.
I understand that establishments rely on public or private funding, and I respect that and will be able to buy concessions to support the business as well. However, I will need to bring many medical supplies (which will fit in my backpack that meets the size limitations listed on your website) and my medical needs include the drink that I am instructed to consume in order to manage my symptoms. This is the only accommodation I ask for if possible as I have everything else I need to carry with me in my medical backpack.
*if you bring a bag, the venues will have size restrictions listed on their websites so that way they can fit securely and not get in the way; they usually search bags too for other's safety. My bag is full of medical supplies and will probably still be searched just because of their rules which I am more than fine with.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to attending this show.
All the best,
[your name].
Keep reading under the cut
This e-mail was received well, and I even got called by the venue to tell me that they had open seating on that night and would move me to the floor for no extra charge. The lady also asked for me to come a little earlier that way the employees could help me to my seat (I will be letting them push me up a ramp as I am not strong enough for that) she said they have a few other disabled people who will need help as well, and that by coming early I could help their team. They told me that they would have a staff member waiting for me, and before the show starts I will ask to go to the concession stand to buy my snacks before hand and most likely stay in the main area during the intermission since there will be a lot of people to navigate around in my chair. This will be the first time I've ever been alone while in my chair, but the team has made me feel more confident that things will go smoothly while I am there.
It is always worth reaching out, even if things might not go as smoothly as this— I hope that this is a good template to help you in the future. It can be scary to ask, but all I was met with was the lady saying, "We want you to be as comfortable as possible, so anything you need to bring to help you, please feel free to bring it." This is also the first ever time I asked for accomodations, and it worked very well.
I will make a new post before and after the show about how things go and how the staff treats me during the night, and I'll tag you if you'd like.
if you can't produce your own webbing, storebought is fine
so much care put into housing this aging spider. why are my eyes wet
(tiktok link)
People who rely on or use image descriptions for art here, I'd really appreciated if you could reply to this poll! I had to put the examples below because they got too long.
If you are not someone who needs, writes or uses image descriptions regularly please do not vote.
Example 1: A drawing of a penguin wearing a hat.
Example 2: A drawing of an emperor penguin wearing a felt hat.
Example 3: A drawing of an emperor penguin facing the viewer wearing a red and green stripped felt hat.
Example 4: A digital drawing of an emperor penguin facing the viewer wearing a red and green stripped felt hat. It has a friendly expression. The background is plain white and the style is non-realistic made of flats with soft textures.
If you can please reblog and share so we can get more input and improve accessibility!
“this bathroom is accessible!!1!1”
if my chair was one (1) inch longer, the door wouldnt have shut. this stall was also the exact same size as the non-accessible stall next to it. you cant just slap some grab bars on it and call it accessible 🙄
image ID: first image: a shot of someone sitting in their wheelchair in a bathroom stall, the stall is so small that the edge of the toilet hits their knees. the stall is very narrow as well. there are grab bars on the walls around the toilet. second image: a shot from the other view showing how the wheelchair fits in the stall. the back wheels hit the stall door, and there is about an inch between the footplate and toilet. end ID.