By s.e. smith on 7 December, 2009
I am on the 38 Geary, coming back from an appointment with the cardiologist. There is a large box on my lap. I am sitting in the disabled seating, because it was the only seating available when I got on the bus. Normally I try to sit further back, to make room for those who [...]
Posted in i'm right here, introspective, shaming, social attitudes
By Anna on 6 December, 2009
Last year I attended Halifax’s first “Not So Silent Vigil”. Instead of focusing on the murders in Montreal, this vigil was for all the women in Canada who have been victims of domestic violence. Speakers, singers, dancers, and even a hilarious feminist comedienne took on the subject of violence and sexism. There was a moment of silence, in memory of our dead. There was a moment of screaming, for the women who cannot or will not scream.
Posted in activism, bodies, introspective, social attitudes, violence | Tagged charles-antoine blais, chelsea craig, december 6th, katie-lynn baker, marc lepin, murder, tracy latimer, violence, violence against women
By abby jean on 4 December, 2009
I’d heard mentions recently of the show Hoarders, on A&E. (I’m not going to link to their site.) The show, from what I gather, is a series with episodes focusing on individuals who compulsively hoard possessions. I’ve never watched it and do not plan to, as I’m extremely uneasy about television shows that focus on [...]
Posted in blaming, media and pop culture, mental health, shaming, social attitudes, television
By Annaham on 3 December, 2009
I suggested a treatment/”cure” to a PWD for her/his/zie’s condition, and they ignored my suggestion/did not throw themselves at my feet with gratitude/got upset. Why? I was only trying to help! Many people who do not live with chronic health issues, perhaps in a spirit of wanting to help those they know who are in [...]
Posted in 101, autonomy, blaming, bodies, identity, life changes, normality, resistance, shaming, social attitudes
By s.e. smith on 30 November, 2009
“Treat us like you would anyone else.” It’s a common catchphrase you hear in some spheres of disability rights activism when an able bodied person asks about how to behave around people with disabilities. Pretty simple, right? Treat us like you would anyone else. Acknowledge that we are human beings. That we have a right [...]
Posted in 101, accessibility, disability activism, normality, social attitudes | Tagged accommodations
By Anna on 26 November, 2009
One of the hardest things for me in dealing with my mental health condition is my very strong theory that everyone else is having exactly the same problems that I am, but they’re just 8 million times better at dealing with them, and hiding them from everyone else. And thus, I don’t talk about my mental health, much, because everyone else is obviously coping with the same thing, and I’m just a big whiner who can’t cope and fails at everything and is useless and should just run away and everyone will be better and–
Posted in blaming, mental health, social attitudes | Tagged mental health, mental health concerns, mental illness, personal, stigma
By Chally on 25 November, 2009
Before I begin, I’d like to make a note on policing and culture. I’m going to go ahead and assume many of you are American. Please keep in mind that American experiences of race don’t apply everywhere. (What I’m particularly concerned with for the purposes of this post is that I’ve encountered a lot of [...]
Posted in identity, race, social attitudes | Tagged invisible disability, race
By s.e. smith on 25 November, 2009
I’m starting this post off with an anecdote (I do that a lot, don’t I). But it’s such a perfect anecdote that it really does belong here. I recently attended an event in a historic building which lacked wheelchair access from the front, although it was accessible (kinda, you had to go down a sort [...]
Posted in accessibility, justice, social attitudes
By Guest on 25 November, 2009
The first time I held my cane, I cried.
It wasn’t a feeling I expected, to be honest. I’d been fired the week before from a job I enjoyed, for telling my employer I was in too much pain to stand for the entire shift, but things were coming out on my side. I had all my friends and family supporting me, and I’d found enough self-esteem to file a complaint with the provincial Human Rights Commission, alleging discrimination on the basis of disability. It was time, in my mind, to give up beating around the bush.
Posted in bodies, guest post, social attitudes | Tagged assistive devices, biography, self-acceptance
By s.e. smith on 24 November, 2009
I and others are going to be talking about the medicalization and pathologization of trans* gender identities here at FWD/Forward in the coming weeks and months, so I wanted to put up a definitions post so that we can all get familiar with the kind of language we will be using. I want to note [...]
Posted in bodies, gender, identity, intersectionality, language, normality, social attitudes | Tagged binarism, binary, cis, cissexism, gender binary, nonbinary, trans, trans gender
Latest Comments
Sasha_Feather, Joanna, Ms. M, Jo, Vertigo
Quijotesca, Nana, Teressa, Dani Alexis, Indigo Jo, Quijotesca [...]
Sharon Wachsler
Bruce Triggs
sanabituranima, Sharon Wachsler
Teressa
Jayn, jeneli, Indigo Jo, Jack, The Untoward Lady, Kaz [...]
GallingGalla, Megan, cim, Ben, tekanji, Static Nonsense [...]