Warning: Offsite links are not safe spaces. Articles and comments in the links may contain ableist, sexist, and other -ist language and ideas of varying intensity. Opinions expressed in the articles may not reflect the opinions held by the compiler of the post and links are provided as topics of interest and exploration only. I attempt to provide extra warnings for material like extreme violence/rape; however, your triggers/issues may vary, so please read with care.

Clarissa’s Blog: So you’re telling me you don’t have autism?

I really admire you, you know. Not having autism must be so tough. My friend’s son was diagnosed with not having autism and she was heartbroken. She cried for three days. What do you mean why? Of course, you seem completely normal but have you seen those neurotypical people they show on TV? (In a dramatic whisper.) They are all freaky and weird and they keep banging their heads against the wall. Well, you are right, of course, anybody would bang their head against the wall if their mother cried for 3 days because they are the way they are, but still . . . It’s tragic for a parent to realize their child will never be happy, or have a career, or get married. Yes, it’s true, you seem pretty happy, and your career is great, and you even have a husband.

Switchin’ to glide: Maybe it’s the anti-depressants working

And now… I’m sitting here crying the biggest cry I have in years, wondering what life could have been like if I had been allowed to feel validated, or if I had ever been allowed to validate myself; because all of these small things together form a picture of person who has actually done alright, but I have felt–been made to feel–the whole time like a perpetual failure.

Ms. Marx: On Pop Culture: Anorexia jokes and celebrity diets

I don’t think there is ever an appropriate time for anorexia humor… it just isn’t funny. It is a very serious medical condition that kills women (and men, but mostly women). With websites purposefully encouraging anorexia, it needs to be clear that none of this is funny.

Please Tape Me Back Together: My head is spinning with questions

I’m frustrated.  My neurologist told me he thought I had a mini-stroke (TIA) but ran no tests.  He just told me to take an aspirin a day and asked me to show him my EDS.  Actually he didn’t ask he grabbed my hand and tried putting it backwards.  I don’t like people touching me so I took my hand away and bent it backwards.  It was a painful day anyway and that caused even more pain.  I was kinda pissed that he didn’t seem to believe me.  He’d never heard of EDS, either.  How could he not believe me when he didn’t even know what EDS is?

HR Morning.com: Employee commutes: New area for ADA accommodations? (Thanks to Codeman38 for the link!)

Would changing an employee’s commute qualify as a “reasonable accommodation” under the Americans with Disabilities Act? A federal appeals court says yes.

The case involves a woman who worked for a retail chain in Oregon as a wine steward. She developed a visual impairment that affected her depth perception in low-light conditions, which made it difficult for her to drive after dark.

She requested — and was granted — a schedule that allowed her to come in and leave work during daylight hours. The company didn’t run into any problems with her working the modified hours — indeed, sales in her department went up.

Nonetheless, the company reversed its decision.

When the woman refused to work her new shift — which would have required her to commute home after dark — she was fired.