Curate, connect, and discover
recently I've started using the word disabled to describe myself and my autism and I've noticed how uncomfortable it makes people without disabilities. they get this palpable aura of disapproval but they’re too scared to say they dislike how I label myself. and I can’t understand why ya know. do they think I'm insulting myself by saying I'm disabled? the only reason I can think of why they think “disabled” is automatically an insult is that deep down they have linked “being disabled” with “people that always will be less than quote-on-quote normal people no matter what circumstances.” of course you’ll view the word disabled as an insult if you think being disabled is the worst thing you could possibly be. I dunno know it just hurts to think about how the people around me view disability, and by extension me. and it’s even more crushing to know that people with visible disabilities must experience this type of unspoken discrimination way more.