disabled

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Welcome to c/disabled, an anticapitalist community for disabled people/people with disability(s).

What is disability justice? Disability justice is a framework of activism which centers disabled people of multiple intersections. Before participating in in this community, please read the Ten Principles of Disability Justice.

Do I count as disabled/a person with disability(s)? "Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Follow the Rules:

  1. This comm is open to everyone. However, the megathread is only open to people who self-identify as disabled/a person with disability(s). We center the experiences of disabled people here, and if you are abled we ask that you please respect that.
  2. Follow the principles of disability justice, as outlined in the link above.
  3. Zero tolerance for ableism. That includes lateral ableism. Ableism will result in a ban.
  4. No COVID minimization.
  5. Do not offer unsoliticed health advice. We do not want to hear about the wonders of exercise or meditation, thank you very much. Additionally, do not moralize health or "healthy choices".
  6. If posting an image, please write an image description for our blind/low vision comrades. (If doing this is inaccessible to you, DM one of the mods and we will help.)
  7. Please CW and spoiler tag discussions of ableism.
  8. When it comes to identify-first vs person-first language, respect the language that people choose for themselves. If someone wants to be referred to as a disabled person, respect that. If someone wants to be referred to as a person with a disability, respect that.
  9. Try to avoid using ableist language. It is always good to be mindful of the way language has been used to oppress and harm people.
  10. Follow the Hexbear Code of Conduct.

Let's kick back and have fun!

As of December 2025, there is a Matrix Chat Room that adheres to the same rules as the community. If you want to join, it is an invite only server. Just knock to join. Should you have trouble with the link, you can contact the mods for help: https://matrix.to/#/#Hexbear_Disabled_and_ND:matrix.org

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I found this image of a handbill from around the time of The Haymarket Affair, on the Chicago Historical Society website during a re-visit of the history surrounding Labor day amerikkka. It's still relevant today, and really highlights how much progress we still have to make in creating a world that's accessible, accommodating, and kind.

Here's the English version of the print:

English Text of Image [CW: Violence, Police Brutality, Historical Fedposting, Patriarchal- and male- centered language]

REVENGE! - Workingmen, to Arms!! -

Your masters sent out their bloodhounds -- the police--; they killed six of your brothers at McCormicks this afternoon. They killed the poor wretches, because they, like you, had the courage to disobey the supreme will of your bosses. They killed them, because they dared ask for the shortenin of the hours of toil. They killed them to show you, "Free American Citizens", that you must be satisfied and contended with whatever your bosses condescend to allow you, or you will get killed!

You have for years endured the most abject humiliations; you have for years suffered unmeasurable iniquities; you have worked yourself to death; you have endured the pangs of want and hunger; your Children you have sacrificed to the factory-lords -- in short: You have been miserable and obedient slave all these years: Why? To satisfy the insatiable greed, to fill the coffers of your lazy thieving master? When you ask them now to lessen your burden, he sends his bloodhounds out to shoot you, kill you!

If you are men, if you are the sons of your grand sires, who have shed their blood to free you, then you will rise in your might, Hercules, and destroy the hideous monster that seeks to destroy you. To arms we call you, to arms! Your Brothers.

Here's the German version of the print, huge shout out and thanks to @gingerbrat@hexbear.net for transcribing:

German Text of Image, mostly same CWs

Rache! Rache! - Arbeiter, zu den Waffen! -

Arbeitendes Volk, heute Nachmittag mordeten die Bluthunde Eurer Ausbeuter 6 Eurer Brüder draußen bei McCormick’s. Warum mordeten sie dieselben? Weil sie den Mut hatten, mit dem Loos unzufrieden zu sein, welches Eure Ausbeuter ihnen beschieden haben. Sie forderten Brod, man antwortete ihnen mit Blei, eingebent der Thatsache, daß man damit das Volk am wirksamsten zum Schweigen bringen kann! Viele, viele Jahre habt Ihr alle Demütigungen ohne Widerspruch ertragen, habt Euch vom frühen Morgen bis zum späten Abend geschunden, habt Entbehrungen jeder Art ertragen, habt Eure Kinder selbst geopfert – Alles, um die Schatzkammern Euerer Herren zu füllen, Alles für sie! Und jetzt, wo Ihr vor sie hintretet, und sie ersucht, Eure Bürde etwas zu erleichtern, da hetzen sie zum Dank für Eure Opfer ihre Bluthunde, die Polizei, auf Euch, um Euch mit Bleikugeln von der Unzufriedenheit zu kurieren. Sklaven, wir fragen und beschwören Euch bei Allem, was Euch heilig und werth ist, rächt diesen scheußlichen Mord, den man heute an Euren Brüdern beging, und vielleicht morgen schon an Euch begehen wird. Arbeitendes Volk, Herkules, Du bist am Scheideweg angelangt. Wofür entscheidest Du Dich? Für Sklaverei und Hunger, oder für Freiheit und Brod? Entscheidest Du Dich für das Letztere, dann säume keinen Augenblick; dann, Volk, zu den Waffen! Vernichtung den menschlichen Bestien, die sich Deine Herrscher nennen. Rücksichtslose Vernichtung ihnen – das muß Deine Losung sein! Denkt der Helden, deren Blut den Weg zum Fortschritt, zur Freiheit und zur Menschlichkeit gedüngt – und strebe, ihrer würdig zu werden!

Eure Brüder.

English Translation:

Revenge! Revenge! - Workers, to arms! - Working people, this afternoon the bloodhounds of your exploiters murdered 6 of your brothers out by McCormick’s. Why did they murder them? Because your brothers had the courage of being unhappy with their lot in life, which your exploiters assigned to them. They asked for bread, in reply they received lead, given the fact that this way, the people can be silenced most effectively. For many, many years you have suffered indignities without objection, you have toiled from the early mornings to the late evenings, you have suffered hardships of all kinds, you have even sacrificed your children – all of it to fill up the treasure hoards of your rulers, all of it for them! And now as you step before them, as you ask them to lighten your burden, they send their bloodhounds, the police, after you as a thanks for your sacrifices, so as to cure you of your unhappiness with lead bullets. Slaves, we ask and implore you by all that is holy and of value to you, avenge this atrocious murder, which has been committed on your brothers today, and may be committed on you tomorrow. Working people, Hercules, you have arrived at the crossroads. What will you choose? Slavery and hunger, or freedom and bread? If you choose the latter, then do not waste a moment; then, people, to arms! Annihilation upon the human beasts, who call themselves your rulers. Relentless annihilation upon them – that must be your calling! Remember the heroes whose blood fertilized the path to progress, freedom and humanity – and strive to become worthy of them!

If you're not familiar with it here's a brief history behind the events that brought about such "street literature":

The Haymarket Affair

On May 1, 1886, Chicago unionists, reformers, socialists, anarchists, and ordinary workers combined to make the city the center of the national movement for an eight-hour day.

Between April 25 and May 4, workers attended scores of meetings and paraded through the streets at least 19 times. On Saturday, May 1, 35,000 workers walked off their jobs. Tens of thousands more, both skilled and unskilled, joined them on May 3 and 4. Crowds traveled from workplace to workplace urging fellow workers to strike. Many now adopted the radical demand of eight hours’ work for ten hours’ pay. Police clashed with strikers at least a dozen times, three with shootings.

The Haymarket Affair became a symbol of the international struggle for workers’ rights. It has been associated with May Day (May 1) since that day’s designation as International Workers’ Day by the Second International in 1889. The tragedy inspired generations of labour leaders, leftist activists, and artists and has been commemorated in monuments, murals, and posters throughout the world, especially in Europe and Latin America.

-Haymarket Affair](https://www.britannica.com/event/Haymarket-Affair)


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

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2
 
 

After recent discussions and changes to the Code of Conduct, the Disabled community would like to give some clarification on the use of ableist language. There has been a lot of debate on what is and isn’t ableist, and we would like to clarify some key points and offer some considerations for users when communicating here and elsewhere online. This is not a guide to what to say or how to speak. We merely wish to educate and provide examples around some of the language-related issues that impact people with disabilities, with the hope that we can encourage mindfulness when interacting with your fellow users, who may or may not be disabled.  

"Language is inherently political. Both as individuals and as larger social and cultural groups, it is self-evident that the language we use to express all sorts of ideas, opinions, and emotions, as well as to describe ourselves and others, is simultaneously reflective of existing attitudes and influential to developing attitudes.

The terms that are listed below are part of an expanding English-language glossary of ableist words and terms. I have chosen to include words or phrases that I know of or that are brought to my attention that meet two criteria: 1) Their literal or historical definition derives from a description of disability, either in general or pertaining to a specific category of disability, and 2) They have been historically and or currently used to marginalize, other, and oppress disabled people."  

-from Ableist Words And Terms To Avoid

  For those looking for examples of generally ableist terms/phrases, the article linked above is a semi-comprehensive list the Disabled community refers to, linked under #9 in our community sidebar. There, you’ll find a list of words that are ableist in origin, but not necessarily slurs or insults. If you're looking for alternatives, we'd suggest trying to be more precise in your language and clarify your meaning. One of the examples provided is "blind to / blinded by", which is by no means a slur, but can be ableist in context. You can, of course, say you were blinded by the light of the sun/ headlights/ a flashlight and not be ableist, because this is what happens when you look into bright light. However, if someone misses an obvious detail and you say "You’d have to be blind not to see it", it is ableist. Note that in the ableist context, you could also call that person "stupid" for missing a detail, when all you meant to say was "You missed this detail." Using the phrase "You’d have to be blind not to see it" normalizes the idea that blindness is a bad thing that should be avoided. Blind people should have agency over the connotation of the word blindness and not be influenced by our negative usage of it to think that their condition is inherently bad.

Ableist slurs and expressions are commonly used to convey frustration and outrage. If a person is thoughtlessly hurting you and is seemingly not paying attention to how you feel, you would be rightfully outraged. Some people would call that person a psychopath, or sociopath. As most of us are not medically trained professionals who can tell the difference between a cruel person (or merely a cruel act committed by a person) and an actual psychopath/ sociopath/ etc., the disabled community would argue that terms like these, which pathologize certain behaviors, are ableist outside of a medically diagnosed context. Calling someone who commits something evil a psychopath/ sociopath/ etc., or using a descriptive word like insane/ crazy, assigns an inherent evil to anyone suffering from such associated conditions. Using it in this way implies that all people with these disabilities are evil. If someone is treating you cruelly, call them out on this, as is your right, but be mindful of how you interact with others. Some people are cruel, and some things happen by accident and/or with no ill intent.

Similar to how you wouldn’t mock or bully a blind person for their blindness, you also shouldn’t do this to someone who has a hidden disability. ADHD, autism, diabetes, Crohn's disease, and a multitude of other physical and mental disabilities have an array of issues that are not always obvious to non-affected people. Some of us are sensitive to noise or bright lights, others are so restricted in their diet that they can’t eat vegan or vegetarian. The point of being less ableist both in deed as well as in word is to not judge someone for needing special accommodations, may that be offline or online. We as a community ask you to be mindful of each other’s boundaries and needs, our seen and unseen struggles.

It is on us to communicate, learn, and resolve conflicts amicably instead of using ableist insults or terms as a default. It takes effort, and no one is naturally good at this, but as human beings, we are able to learn, adapt and overcome our differences. The disabled community would appreciate if we made a collective effort to try and be less ableist towards each other, to make both the site but also our everyday lives more accommodating for everyone, whether we are ourselves disabled or not. If you find yourself using ableist language, please take a moment to examine how your perspective has been informed by ableism. We've all participated and been subject to ableist structures, and now more than ever it is essential for us to unlearn our conditioned acceptance of ableism.

If you are interested in learning more about ableism and the use of ableist language, we have a small, non-comprehensive list of reading materials you may want to check out. The last three links lead to external websites, the ones before to Anna’s Archive:

Constructing Ableism - Stephanie Jenkins

Mothers of children without disabilities’ conceptions of inclusive education: unveiling an exclusionary education system privileging normality and ableism - Sultan Kilinc

The Relationships Between COVID-19 Anxiety, Ageism, and Ableism - Amanda A. Arcieri

Counteracting Dysconscious Racism and Ableism Through Fieldwork: Applying DisCrit Classroom Ecology in Early Childhood Personnel Preparation - Christine L. Hancock; Chelsea W. Morgan; James Holly

Ableism in the medical profession - Neilson, Shane

Ableism (The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice) || Contending with Ableism from Internalized Ableism to Collective Action - Narioâ Redmond, Michelle R.

Hostile, Benevolent, and Ambivalent Ableism: Contemporary Manifestations - Nario‐Redmond, Michelle R.; Kemerling, Alexia A.; Silverman, Arielle

The Ableism of Quality of Life Judgments in Disorders of Consciousness: Who Bears Epistemic Responsibility? - Reynolds, Joel Michael

Ableism (The Causes and Consequences of Disability Prejudice) || Justifying Ableism - Nario‐Redmond, Michelle R.

Cultural and Impairment‐Specific Stereotype - Michelle R. Nario-Redmond

Online Othering (Exploring Digital Violence and Discrimination on the Web) || Othering Political Women: Online Misogyny, Racism and Ableism Towards Women in Public Life - Lumsden, Karen; Harmer, Emily

#MeCripple: ableism, microaggressions, and counterspaces on Twitter in Spain - Eva Moral; Agustín Huete; Emiliano Díez

Ableism, racism, and the quality of life of Black, Indigenous, people of colour with intellectual and developmental disabilities - Carli Friedman

Structural Ableism — Essential Steps for Abolishing Disability Injustice - Rupa Sheth Valdez; Bonnielin K. Swenor

The Association for Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), Identity-first vs. person-first language is an important distinction - Tara Haelle

Ly Xīnzhèn Zhǎngsūn Brown (Lydia X. Z. Brown) Ableist words/terms list as mentioned above

Language Style Guide - National Center on Disability and Journalism Disability

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submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by khizuo@hexbear.net to c/disabled@hexbear.net
 
 

New comm, new moderators! Only socialists who self-identify as disabled may moderate. (If you don't know what falls under the umbrella of disability, the disability pride flag colors can give a good indication.)

Please also have a matrix account as that is where we will have our mod chat.

4
 
 

Let's highlight Autoimmune Diseases [or Disorders] this week:

  • Autoimmune diseases include a broad category of related diseases in which the person’s immune system attacks their own tissue with symptoms that can vary from mild to severely affecting daily life
  • Autoimmune disorders are chronic (ongoing) illnesses; there are no cures, only treatments and symptom management
  • In many cases autoimmune disorders are inherited, but it is not known why some people have them
  • AD are frequently classified into organ-specific and non-organ-specific types, though some of them fall between the two
  • Patients can experience multiple organ-specific diseases at the same time
  • Sources vary on an exact number of autoimmune disorders, but the current number ranges from 80 -140+ different types and can prove difficult to diagnose
  • Autoimmune diseases and their effects on mortality and morbidity are significant
  • Everyone experiences their illness differently

The Global Autoimmune Institute and the Autoimmune Association have a non-comprehensive, searchable database of autoimmune diseases.

Sources: "Autoimmune Diseases - an overview", "What is autoimmunity?", "Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update"


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

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5
 
 

You are welcome, you are safe, you matter, and you belong. Have a great week everyone.

♡〜٩( ╹▿╹ )۶〜♡


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

rainbow-has heart-sickle

6
 
 

"People with invisible disabilities, such as chronic pain or some sleep disorder, are often accused of faking or imagining their disabilities. These symptoms can occur due to chronic illness, chronic pain, injury, birth disorders, etc., and are not always obvious to the onlooker.

Invisible Disabilities are certain kinds of disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others. It is estimated that 10% of people in the U.S. have a medical condition that could be considered a type of invisible disability.

Nearly one in two people in the U.S. has a chronic medical condition of one kind or another. Still, most people are not considered disabled, as their medical conditions do not impair their normal activities. These people do not use an assistive device, and most look and act perfectly healthy.

Hundreds of conditions, illnesses, and injuries can result in a hidden disability - anemia, brain injuries and strokes, allergies, epilepsy, heart diseases, lung conditions, mental illnesses, and chronic pain are just a few examples. Yet, although we are all aware of these individual conditions, there is much to be learned about the shared needs and experiences of the hidden disability community as the unique group it is."


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

rainbow-has heart-sickle

7
 
 

"Some of the [historic] strategies used by the system to exercise violence are sterilization, incarceration or even murder. These strategies have evolved as the capitalist system has evolved. These strategies arise from the need of capitalism to create and promote the idea of an efficient body, capable of producing maximum economic and social benefit. Since industrialization, what prevailed was the body understood as a source of labor. The efficiency of the body, linked to health standards set by medicine, looked for the body’s functionality. The medical standard defined the expected efficiency of the body, and thereby linked bodily health to economic productivity.

With consumer capitalism, production becomes so consumer-driven, that advertising, visual and aesthetic ideals take precedence. Social success, therefore, gets linked to the physical, and social ascent, will reflect how well your body conforms to aesthetic ideals, to the norm...Medicine under consumer capitalism will be responsible for promoting health linked to the aesthetic field, bodies that resemble the idea of consumer beauty will be considered healthy. Which in turn leads medicine to standardize bodies in order to achieve both health and beauty, creating the ideal of healthy, beautiful, good, slim bodies. Bodies will be adapted to fit this standard, which legitimizes the non-genuine."


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

rainbow-has heart-sickle

8
 
 

"We must, however, guard against the erasure of our experience and our lives. As white gays become more and more prominent--and acceptable to mainstream society--they project a racially exclusive image of gay reality. Few men of color will ever be found on the covers of the Advocate or New York Native. As white gays deny multiculturalism among gays, so too do black communities deny multisexualism among its members. Against this double cremation, we must leave the legacy of our writing and our perspectives on gay and straight experiences.

Our voice is our weapon."

I’ll Be Somewhere Listening for My Name, adapted from Melvin Dixon’s keynote speech delivered at the 1992 OutWrite conference in Boston, emphasis mine

Melvin Dixon (1950-1992) was a scholar, novelist, and poet who wrote extensively about the complexities of being a gay black man. Dixon wrote the poetry collections Change of Territory and Love’s Instruments, published posthumously, as well as two novels Trouble the Water and Vanishing Rooms.

Some of his poetry can be found here: Heartbeats, And These Are Just a Few.., Getting Your Rocks Off, Autumn Leaving


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

rainbow-has heart-sickle

9
 
 

For those celebrating, Happy Pride Month! May the coming weeks be filled with joy and love.


Friendly reminder to please use

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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

rainbow-has heart-sickle

10
 
 

If you're reading this, I hope something nice happens to you today catgirl-smug


Friendly reminder to please use

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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

11
 
 

Ann Magill, a writer and disability activist with cerebral palsy, is the creator of the widely adopted Disability Pride flag.

The flag was originally designed to have zig-zagged stripes with much more vivid colors, "to represent how disabled people have to maneuver around all the barriers we face” Ep. 106: The Accessible Stall Interviews Ann Magill, Disability Pride Flag Creator. The flag started to gain popularity around 2019 and was updated in 2021 to the more accessible version widely used today. Magill has released any copyright claims and classified the design as public domain to encourage its use. The flag uses the six standard international flag colors (green, blue, white, gold, black, and red) to denote a global disabled community united by shared experiences. The diagonal band is for 'cutting across' the walls and barriers that separate disabled people from society, and also represents the light and creativity of the disability community that cuts through the darkness of ableism.

What the Disability Pride flag colors are meant to represent:

  • Black or charcoal: meant to represent the grief and anger of and for disabled persons who are victimized and lost to abuse, negligence, and ableist violence
  • Green: signifies sensory disabilities
  • Blue: signifies psychiatric disabilities
  • White: signifies invisible disabilities, including not yet diagnosed, or misdiagnosed
  • Gold or yellow: signifies cognitive, intellectual, and neurodivergent disabilities
  • Red: signifies physical disabilities

Disability Pride Flag Image

Alt Text for Image: a muted black or charcoal rectangle with five thick, multi-colored stripes running diagonally through the middle of the rectangle from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. The stripe colors, from top to bottom, are green, blue, white, yellow, and red.


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Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

12
 
 

May you find the time to renew your strength, lay your sorrow down, and rest a while.


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

13
 
 

Friendly reminder to please use

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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

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Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

14
 
 

The world may sometimes outpace our ability to keep up with it, but we are still here, and we are all catching up on the things we need to. Wishing you all another two weeks of the ability to rest, and - if possible - to catch up on the things that are important to you. Love you all <3


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

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15
 
 

I hope this week treats you gently and all your needs are met.


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

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16
 
 

"For centuries, community builders, social justice engineers and freedom fighters--most of whom are multiply marginalized--have been doing exhausting and traumatizing life-changing & life-saving work with and for no money; with no sleep, health or mental health care; and with no institutional support. Our work is done for advancement not accolades; for freedom, not financing; for liberation, not to be lauded. Our work is not trackable, billable, fungible, settlement negotiable. Our work is invaluable. Our work is deeply rooted in love. I honor you."


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17
 
 

"Disability doesn't make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does."

A transcript of the video is available on the Ted Talk Website in 35 languages


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.

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Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

18
 
 

My thoughts these days go to the medical professionals who, despite the pressures and stress they're facing, are putting in the effort and time to understand our struggles, take them seriously, and try to help to the best of their ability, sometimes even beyond. All medical professionals should be like this; I'm glad there's at least some who are.


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Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

19
 
 

"...our society is only pro-disability until you scratch the surface...[making] it inevitable that many people with disability become cornered and tired and silenced. From then on, it's a matter of applying common sense; people who are cornered and tired and silenced are often riddled with self doubt or self hatred. It takes time and a conscious effort of will to overcome those things...Without pride in ourselves we cannot create pride in those around us...Like becoming that person with multiple labels, goals and ambitions, becoming a better society for people with disability is not a one-shot process. It's going to take a long time and a lot of thought. The first step is to recognise all our contradictions, traumas and mistakes. The second step is to stop hating them."


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Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

20
 
 

Hey comrades :), hopefully you are doing well I know I have been sharing this in different hexbear communities , but I wanted to post here too in case anyone missed it or wants to help.

Thanks to the support people gave before, Olivia’s hospital bills are cleared and kair’s bailout and honestly, that’s such a huge relief. I can’t fully put into words how grateful I am to everyone who helped us get there.

But my heart is still heavy. My sister Charity is still in jail and it’s been over a month. The conditions inside are really harsh and every day she stays there puts her health at more risk. I’m really scared for her and it’s weighing on me constantly.

We’re still trying to raise $213 for her bail so she can get out before things get worse. I know that’s a lot but even $5 or $10 helps and if donating isn’t possible, just a share, a bump or helping this reach someone else would mean so much. I can’t do this alone but together it feels possible.

Any extra support also helps with basic needs like food while we wait. Please comrades, even if you can only hold us in your thoughts or share this post, it makes a difference. Your solidarity keeps us going in ways I can’t fully explain.

Support link is in my profile if you’re able

21
 
 

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/17696

Since Donald Trump marched back into the White House in January 2025, his administration has waged an all-out war on disabled people. Trump has issued executive orders rolling back civil rights protections, slashed funding for vital services and support, and advocated for legislation that would ramp up institutionalization.

The administration’s actions reflect the cruel and dehumanizing language it uses to speak about disabled people, who comprise more than a quarter of the nation’s population: One February 2025 executive order characterized children being diagnosed with autism or ADD/ADHD as “a dire threat to the American people and our way of life,” while, according to a memoir by Trump’s nephew, the president thinks some disabled people “should just die.”

Trump’s second-term assault on the disability community comes as many continue to shoulder the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately killed disabled and aging Americans, worsened the nation’s care worker shortage, and left at least 20 million people ill or disabled with long COVID. Rather than commit to plugging gaps in the nation’s public health system and preparing for future crises, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is implementing an extremist anti-science agenda that public health experts have warned “endanger[s] every American’s health.”

Truthout asked several disability justice advocates and organizers from across the U.S. to explain what’s at stake for disabled people in Trump’s attacks on voting rights, education, the climate and Indigenous land stewardship, health care, and trans rights. They also shared where they’re finding hope and how you can join the struggle for disability rights and justice as it continues into the second year of Trump 2.0.

Source


From Truthout via This RSS Feed.

22
 
 

"Interpersonal Systemic Shame makes it easy to see people's laziness, sloppiness, or apathy as the source of the problem rather than a consequence of repeated structural failures. Interpersonal Systemic Shame often involves blaming and shaming people who share identities or experiences with us, because they reflect the qualities we've been conditioned to hate in ourselves."


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Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

23
 
 

Short vent post, but I've noticed a tendency for some people to think that any meta-discussion of issues on the site is automatically a struggle session, or that the person starting the discussion is trying to "wreck" or create drama.

I find this frankly a bit hurtful. I think the extreme irony and refusal to engage seriously you sometimes see on the site are much more harmful than sincere discussions about topics some people consider controversial, and I think that deploying "drama" or "wrecker" accusations against sincerity is at least partially a symptom of that culture of irony (the idea that people can't be sincere online, I guess).

I think mistaken "wrecker" accusations also, on average, probably end up pointed at marginalized users a lot more because they perceive issues or perspectives that others might not and sometimes (especially ND users) have different communication styles. I'm not saying people who call others "wreckers" are bigots, just that they might not realize they're just looking at someone with a different perspective who is being sincere. I think this site is one of the better spaces online (by far), but we could all benefit from just engaging sincerely a bit more and not assuming someone is being malicious just because we perceive things or communicate differently (I have done this myself as well).

Anyway, thank you for coming to my Hex Talk, please let me know your thoughts. Please do not let me know you think this post is "wrecking", I will very sternly shake my finger at you and grumble.

24
 
 

Ableism is both necessary for and dependent on white supremacy, imperialism and colonialism, capitalism, queermisia and transmisia, and misogyny.

-'What I do know about COVID-19', Autistic Hoya Blog by Lydia X.Z. Brown, dated March 26, 2020


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After clicking it, substitute the second "spoiler" with your content warning and the three underscores ( ___ ) with your sensitive content.


As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

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Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

25
 
 

We're in for another two weeks of struggling, yet we are also never alone in these struggles. I hope that all of you find some respite despite the issues you're facing, and that you know you are appreciated, loved, and respected here.


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As always, we ask that in order to participate in the weekly megathread, one self-identifies as some form of disabled, which is broadly defined in the community sidebar:

"Disability" is an umbrella term which encompasses physical disabilities, emotional/psychiatric disabilities, neurodivergence, intellectual/developmental disabilities, sensory disabilities, invisible disabilities, and more. You do not have to have an official diagnosis to consider yourself disabled.

Mask up, love one another, and stay alive for one more week.

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