By Annaham on 8 November, 2010
One of the more bizarre stereotypes (if one can call it that) about people with fibromyalgia is that we obsess over “every little ache and pain,” to the detriment of ourselves and much to the apparent annoyance of the “normal” people around us. Here’s the thing: If I were to obsess over my pain in [...]
Posted in 101, blaming, normality, othering, social attitudes | Tagged abled privilege, chronic illness, chronic pain conditions, disabled people are scary, fibromyalgia, myths and misconceptions, normal is only one option, pain management, positive thinking, rethinking social norms, social attitudes, this all sounds awfully familiar
By Annaham on 14 October, 2010
I am one of those people who often cannot ask for help. At times, I am so afraid of seeming weak, or whiny, or overly-sensitive, or dependent on other people that I tend to either ignore my own needs until I start flailing around at the last minute in order to not get overwhelmed, or [...]
Posted in bodies, feminism, gender, social attitudes | Tagged daily life, disability is a feminist issue, effortless perfection, fibromyalgia, gender, help, medical care, perfectionism, personal, personal stories, rethinking social norms, social attitudes, stereotypes, unexpected obstacles
By Chally on 12 August, 2010
It’s really off-putting when a group of disabled people are trying to have a conversation and a caregiver butts in with “you’re wrong. I know, because I care for someone with such and such a disability”. This makes me squirm. Even worse are those disability organisations or charities that have only parents and caregivers on [...]
Posted in disability activism, politics, social attitudes | Tagged care, caregiving, carers, parenting, privilege, problematic attitudes, rethinking social norms, social attitudes, social treatment
By Chally on 10 February, 2010
I tend to tense up when I hear that question. What I frequently want to say is, ‘I am not doing well at all. I’m exhausted, I’m stressed, there’s so much drama in my life. My legs hurt and and I really need to sit down. I’m just struggling.’ But that’s not what many people [...]
Posted in language | Tagged rethinking social norms, word use
By Chally on 25 January, 2010
Previously: Invisible Identities, Part 1: Invisible to Whom? Invisible Identities, Part 2: The Default Human Note: I’m told that in the American context, when speaking about race, the term “passing” is most associated with black people due to a pretty loaded history. This is not the case where I live, simply because that’s not the [...]
Posted in bodies, identity, race | Tagged invisible disability, life, personal, race, racism, rethinking social norms
By Chally on 9 December, 2009
So, I’ve talked about how the notion of the invisible identity is problematic, particularly through the framework of my personal experiences of being “invisibly” disabled and non-white. Now to the flipside of invisibility. Certain characteristics exist in the societal consciousness as default traits. That is, a person is a man unless they’re pointed out as [...]
Posted in race, social attitudes | Tagged identity, race, rethinking social norms
By Anna on 19 November, 2009
You know That Person. The one Everyone Knows who doesn’t have a real disability. They could work – of course they could! – they’re just in it to scam the system. This One is bad because whatever he claims about his disability, it’s obviously exaggerated because no one could be in that much pain. That One is bad because she decided to move to another province where the disability support payments are better – obviously she’s just in it for the money.
Posted in accessibility, autonomy, blaming, shaming, social attitudes | Tagged ableism, accommodations, awareness, barriers to access, conceptions of disability, rethinking social norms, social treatment
By Anna on 13 November, 2009
What she does for Don is a huge deal in terms of his personal hygiene. All those little things that allow him to be “acceptable” to our neighbours take energy, such as having clean hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Before homecare, Don would often go weeks, if not months, without a proper shave, and look very scruffy and unkempt. But it would be a decision for him – does he shave today, or does he make a meal? There wasn’t enough energy or concentration to do both.
Posted in bodies, feminism, shaming, social attitudes | Tagged caregiving, family, family dynamics, feminism, health care is an accessibility issue, homecare, power, power dynamics, rethinking social norms, second shift, social assistance
By Chally on 9 November, 2009
You keep telling me to accept my limitations, so why don’t we talk about yours? Why can you only think of disabled people as substandard, tragic, less than whole? Why can’t you see us as parts of your life, community, family, lovers, friends, world? Why must we be super crips, stoic heroes, silently suffering? Why [...]
Posted in social attitudes | Tagged ableism, rethinking social norms, things people say
By Chally on 14 October, 2009
[Hi folks! I hope you're enjoying FWD. Thought I'd start my time here with some meta activism.] I’m disappointed when I hear activists prescribing what other activists ought to do. I’m surprised it doesn’t all come from rich, white, etc, etc, men, and here’s why. Traditional forms of activism are often not possible or difficult [...]
Posted in activism, social attitudes | Tagged barriers to access, exclusion, problematic attitudes, rethinking social norms
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