disability

The government has spun the 'benefit scroungers' tale too successfully, but here are some real facts:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jan/10/atos-wca-citizens-advice-right-first-time

tig_b

" David Cameron said he was "very sorry" if he offended anyone by describing Commons heckling by Ed Balls as like "having someone with Tourette's sitting opposite you"."

"The lesson he had to learn however, he suggested, was how to "tune out" barracking from opponents during noisy debates in the chamber. "

Really?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/feedarticle/10030484

Current Mood: angry

jesse_the_k

plucked from one of the scores of disability-related email lists I still read:

2012 Scholarships for Students who have a parent with a disability

Information and applications for the 2012 College Scholarships for Students who have parents with disabilities are now available on Through the Looking Glass’ website. These are national scholarships for high school seniors and current college students.

http://www.lookingglass.org/

Please distribute this information as widely as possibly.

sasha_feather

[copied from

pantryslut]

Call for Submissions: Outlaw Bodies
a themed anthology from The Future Fire

The “Outlaw Bodies” issue of The Future Fire will gather together stories about the future of human bodies that break boundaries—legal, societal, biological, more.

In the future, what sorts of bodies will be expected and which will violate our expectations—of gender, of ability, of appearance, of functionality? What technological interventions with the "natural" body will be available, expected, discouraged, restricted, forbidden? How will societies ensure conformance to their expectations—through law, through which incentives and disincentives? How will individuals who do not conform to embodied expectations (by choice or otherwise) make their way in these future worlds?

The anthology seeks stories that interrogate these questions from feminist, disability rights, queer, postcolonial and other social-political perspectives, especially intersectional ones, for a special issue on the theme of “Outlaw Bodies,” to be guest co-edited by Lori Selke.

Word count is flexible, but we are unlikely to accept any story over 10,000 words. Send your stories as an attachment to outlawbodies.tff@gmail.com. We prefer .doc, .docx, .rtf or .odt
files—query first for any other format.

Deadline: May 1, 2012.
Payment: $35/story.

http://futurefire.net/about/outlawbodies.html

sasha_feather

Hello!

A couple of years ago I took a useful class about living with chronic pain that was offered through my health care provider. I took notes and posted them, and today I decided to re-post them unlocked. Here they are! (start at the bottom). The class was largely about emotional intelligence and growth, and I got a lot out of it.

tig_b

"The government is facing pressure to reverse a highly sensitive spending cut that is preventing disabled people from buying a share in their own homes."
But of course DWP has to support their Minister's position, so there is inevitable meaningless quote at the bottom of this piece.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/dec/29/disabled-spending-cut-homes-frank-field

Current Mood: disappointed

trouble

Behind the cut-tag is a list of communities! Please feel free to add more to the comments, and I will edit this post accordingly.
( A list! )

adventures_with_kat

Hey Guys

I'm new to this site so was hoping someone maybe able to hep me.
Is there a group on here specific to adaptive technology in particular blind/vision impaired adaptive tech as I have a few questions regarding openbook 9 with PERAL, or if any of you use this technology perhaps you can message me, I woud be enternally greatful.

also feel free to add me :)

Current Mood: calm

trouble

Is there a list? Should we make a list? I know there are a lot that are more specific than this one. Maybe we can share the disability-comm love?

Please make a comment with your favourite disability-focused communities!

tig_b

If anyone has time, you might like to post or rate on the latest BBC discussion about the WCA and ATOS?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16253389

capriuni

It occurred to me recently that the whole use of "Crutch" as a derogatory term belies how many people assume we're all faking our disabilities: "I bet they could walk if they really tried; they're just too lazy to carry their own weight.

Compare that with Ladders as a metaphor: climbing the ladder of business success.

And really, crutches are more like ladders than they are not: both are tools to help us get higher than we're capable of, under own own power: ladders help us surmount a steep barrier, and crutches help us get our noses out of the mud. They even kind of look the same, if you think of the hand grip as a rung.

tig_b

I've been reluctant to take my mobility scooter into London, but on Saturday I travelled on a London bus for the first time using my scooter - actually three buses.

All easier than expected, although the drivers had to be nagged a bit by other passengers to let me on/off. Getting on is easy, getting off a bit more of a problem if there isn't enough room to navigate around. (The key is definitely other passengers, who were generally very helpful.)

And it saved me lots of money on taxi fares.

So far I've travelled on the London Underground, buses, trams, trains and planes - not surprising the scooter is looking a bit battered!

And in the end the hardest thing to do is drive along pavements or in shops - where we become invisible.

Current Mood: accomplished

flora

Today, December 8, the latest draft of the Section 508 regulations were posted for public comment. The proposed new regulations give standards and rules for accessible electronic and information technology in the US government. These are an update to the existing/old regulations from the year 2000. Public comments are welcome, anytime between now and March 7, 2012. The public is requested to post comment at the regulations.gov site. If you've already been following the progress of these rules, there's a summary of the changes from the previous (2010) draft.

The Section 508 regulations apply to almost all IT systems that are used by the US Federal Government or its customers. The regulations cover systems that are made for the public, as well as those used by government workers. The new rules draw heavily on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0).

capriuni

(Cross-posted from my personal journals [DreamWidth and LiveJournal])

On Sunday, November 27th, I was having lunch with my long time friend and writing mentor, Irene O'Garden, who founded The Art Garden, and she asked me what writing, other than The Art Garden, that I've been doing. So I started talking about Plato's Nightmare / Aesop's Dream.

And another guest there, Scott Laughead (edited to add: Be advised-- his site has a bright, busy, high-contrast background), got really excited by the idea of what I was doing, and said that I should find a partner, and apply for a grant to support my work on this, because it's important (And that getting a partner would make it easier to get a grant, because it would show potential donors that this is more than just a pet peeve or private pipe dream or fantasy).

I agree that it's important; I truly believe that participating in storytelling (in whatever medium, and whether as teller or audience) is central to our humanity, and that the stories we tell have a profound impact on the realities we bring about. And yes, noticing that the Experience of Disability can be found in folklore (and literature) is one way to acknowledge that Disability is part of human experience. Period. And it's about time we got over the idea that the Disabled are always rare exceptions, and this whole, new "politically correct" thing that we have to change everything for, out of the blue, because some do-gooder got a bee in her bonnet...

And seriously? even the idea that someone might give me money to do something I've loved ever since I can remember loving stuff is a downright heady and intoxicating idea.

But --

Bwah?

Turning Plato's Nightmare / Aesop's Dream into something that would even make sense to use grant money would mean turning it into some form that engages the Capital P "Public," in some way (and that makes the idea very Scary [Capital S]). And right now, it's very much a private, editorial, thing: just my private opinions, based on my own experience (very real and valid, but also limited).

How do I change PNAD from a private noun into a public verb, so to speak?

I'm tickled by the idea, but I'm also stumped.

Any suggestions?

lizcommotion

I've been trying to do some extra yoga at home as everyone seems to recommend it for fibromyalgia (which I have), and I do feel better when I've stretched my muscles and myofascial tissue. I've taken yoga classes in the past but they're currently out of my price range.

I've been using the yoga section in the Mayo Clinic Back Pain Solutions DVD, which is led by Rodney Yee. I've enjoyed it so far, but it does tend to focus rather exclusively on the low back...so my low back feels lovely and float-y at the end of it, but the rest of me could use some extra stretching.

I was wondering if anyone else with chronic pain/mobility issues has recommendations for some yoga home workout DVDs. I'm (currently) able to do more than just seated exercises, although I have trouble with downward facing dog or too many exercises in which weight rests on my wrists (although I can modify/skip those). I don't want to jump into any Yoga for Calorie Burn X-Treme Muscle Workouts, because I think that would be Bad. I also don't want to buy a bunch of DVDs and waste money on them (because then I might as well take the class). I'm going to be investigating what my local library has, but since they have about 100 yoga DVDs that's a lot of titles to sift through...

Any thoughts?

cross-posted to

exercise_every_day

tig_b

Just a few notes about our experiences of travelling with a lightweight travel scooter, and a wheelchair, in Tel Aviv and Haifa. Both cities are difficult, built on hills well before anyone thought of designing places for us.

We landed at Ben Guirion airport and spent a few hours in Tel Aviv
The airport is fully accessible, so a good start. It is possible to use the train service to Tel Aviv - the airport station is also largely accessible - but you still have to book well in advance. The wheelchair user managed fine on the train, we arrived later and got a taxi - at the official rank and with a great driver.

The accessible hotel had steps at the entrance, not so good.

I did see a few scooters travelling along the paths near the marina/beach in Tel Aviv; this area had wide sloping paths and was easy to use. But be warned, most of the pavements are high, and even 'dropped kerbs' are often too high.

Haifa
The area of Haifa we are in is much harder; pavements in poor repair can be an issue, but this and the kerbs were not the major challenges.

So what is?
Two things, cars and dogs.

Cars are regularly parked on pavements, sometimes completely blocking them, often leaving a space too small for us.

Many wheelchair users will know the 'delights' of wheeling along pavements filled with brown piles of excrement. Especially when it transfers from wheels to hands, arms, etc. Dogs are very popular in Haifa as the pavements show. Combined with lots of cars parked on pavements and unmanageable kerbs this makes travelling around very difficult.

And my mobility scooter? So far it appears to be the only one in Haifa (and people look confused when they see me) - with good reason, as the only way I can get out of the flat and across the road to a stretch of passable pavement is with the help of someone to lift/carry it.

So although my scooter and the wheelchair helped us to get around, we depended heavily on help to haul them up and down steps, and I struggled to get across kerbs and gravel paths.

capriuni

Okay, just day before yesterday, I decided to put a crutch-using ghost into my story (because in my universe, ghosts move in the Afterlife the way they moved in Bodily Life), so I'm trying to find a visual timeline or something equivalent so I can figure out what his crutches would look like. I've done some Googling and come up with a lot less information than I was hoping for.

I understand that crutch design varied very little between the Middle-Ages and the Polio outbreaks in the mid-twentieth century, at least in terms of general form and function. But, surely, they must have changed at least some in that time, human tastes and fashion being what they are.

Does Anybody have some clues to improve my Google-fu? Or can point me to just the sort of timeline I'm looking for?

avendya

So, I've been swallowed up by real life recently, and am not sure I have the spare time or energy to mod this community alone. Is there anyone interested in co-modding? There is very little involved; this community is both fairly low-traffic and well-behaived (thank you, community members!).

Reply to this entry if you're interested.

capriuni

Story #49 from Children's and Household Tales, by J. and W. Grimm: The Six Swans

Summary, sort of: the youngest daughter of a king must remain silent for six years, neither speaking nor laughing, in order to save her brothers from a witch's spell. During that time, she is married to a king, gives birth three times, has her children stolen from her, is accused of murdering them, and is nearly burned at the stake, herself, when the six years finally are up and she can speak in her own defense. ...And they all lived happily (yeah, right) ever after.

Part of me wants to put this story in my blog Plato's Nightmare / Aesop's Dream as an entry into discussing the experiences of those who are considered "non-verbal" -- the way they are often at the mercy of authority figures.

But on the other hand, her muteness is voluntary, and all of her "virtue" is tied to her ability to silence herself for the sake of her brothers. So another part of me thinks the story is more "about" misogyny than ableism.

Help me decide?

wanderingscribe

Hi,

disability. I'm wanderingscribe and I'm new here, but that's pretty obvious, isn't it?

Anyway, I'm here to tell you about something that's not so obvious. My disability.

( Long explainy part goes here )

( Sharing my personal experiences part goes here )

Anyway, thanks for reading this. I know it was long, but I had a lot to say.

Current Mood: accomplished

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Report into WCA errors

Again?

College Scholarships for Kids of Disabled Parents

Call for Submissions

Some notes on chronic pain class

Disabled people pay price for cuts to mortgage relief

Master List of Disability-Related Communities on DW (a work in progress)

adaptive tech community

A List of Disability-Focused Communities on DW

More disability bashing?

The idea of Crutches as a Stigma:

The big adventure

New draft Section 508 regulations for accessible IT systems - US government

Someone recently put an Idea in my head, re: my disability in folklore blog, that leads to Questions

Yoga exercise DVD recommendations?

A scooter in Israel

Cross-Posted from the NaNoWriMo "Reference Desk" Forum:

looking for a co-mod

Discussion for / about a Grimms' fairy tale -- Does this count as Ableism, or "just" Misogyny

So a PWN joins a disability community...

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