i cant even imagine where id be without "thats a really mean way to think about me, i wish you wouldnt think that i dont know what im doing when i love you." and "people want to be useful, trying to do everything yourself makes the people around you think that you dont trust them or that you think theyre incapable" and "people are made to be burdens. we are made to carry each other and not leave anyone behind." and "its rotten work / not to me. not if its you."
Hey hot tip for any spoonies out there:
Use the aid. Doesn't matter if you can function without it, doesn't matter if you think other people "need it more" or whatever, if it helps you, use it. I started showering sitting down recently and I feel so much better cus I don't have to expend energy showering on my feet. Like, sure, I could, and it's not Too Bad, but to hell with it.
It doesn't make you noble to suffer. Use the aid.
I know I'm preaching to the choir but like. You know you can wear masks for other sicknesses. Not just covid. If you have the flu or a cold or a stomach bug you can still wear a mask to help prevent the spread of it to others if you insist on going out! I just think it's the polite thing to do
Especially since people's immune systems are getting weaker and weaker due to covid damaging the body's immune system. Illnesses that for most people never used to be much of a big deal are getting increasingly dangerous for bigger and bigger parts of the population.
nothing more frustrating than the kind of chronic exhaustion where you feel like you're physically locked out of your body clawing uselessly at the fog that's choking up your entire system
reminder: if you're getting an intramuscular injection (e.g. a covid booster or flu shot) and you're above 200 lbs with estrogen-based body fat distribution or 260 lbs with testosterone-based body fat distribution, you should be requesting a 1.5-inch/38mm needle. you might want to print out this sheet and bring it with you, because I have had pharmacy employees blithely tell me the 1-inch needle is fine for everyone, and I find a clear directive from the CDC just makes life a little easier.
(this is one major reason why obesity is associated with so many negative health outcomes, btw—shit is not designed for us and providers are not educated about our needs, so we have to educate ourselves about appropriate care and then make special requests to receive that care just to get to the baseline chances of success straight-sized people have by default.)
thabk you so much "the cdc recommends" were magic words and they were absolutely gonna use a standard 1" on me
tetanus fact: it's an old wives' tale that tetanus is caused by rusty metal. it's actually caused by puncture wounds substantially deeper than they are wide, which introduce ubiquitous anaerobic spores (i.e. the "seeds" of single-celled organisms which cannot grow if exposed to oxygen) into a warm, poorly-oxygenated space in the body. so receiving shallow cuts from a rusty knife is not likely to give you tetanus but puncture wounds from clean but non-sterile objects can. this is great news if you like receiving superficial wounds from rusty knives and blades and swords all over your dumbass body
People in this demographic, please let me know how to tag to get a hold of you as someone who doesn't need Image Descriptions!!
Alt text! ALWAYS alt text, because in the HTML page structure, it’s PART of the image element’s attributes.
If it’s not, it gets separated and, particularly with the way modern content management systems render text (often as weird separate chunks), can’t be easily found.
Putting “image id” text in front of a description is NOT standard accessibility practice. Using ALT text is supported by all browsers and screen reader software.
DO NOT duplicate alt text and visible text, because then a visually impaired user has to listen to it twice.
If you need visible captions paired with images, use the HTML figure and figcaption elements - you can use different alt text there to add information a visually impaired user needs, and the figcaption to explain the meaning for all audiences.
Also, learn to write helpful image descriptions! And generally, only write alt text for images that are informative, not decorative.
XKit Rewritten (available on firefox and chrome) has a setting to display alt text under images, so if you need or want to see the description, this makes it automatic.
Once you install the extension, open its menu, find and enable AccessKit, then click on it to open the list of accessibility settings. "Move alt text to captions below images" is the setting you're looking for.
summoning a fucking break, dude. i'm so tired.
"Why am I so tired," I mutter, knowing full well I've got at least four different comorbid conditions that cause sleepy bitch disorder.
You know what.
Yes, I do need people to talk in simplified language with me. Yes I do need people to speak slowly. Yes I do need people to explain things more to me. Yes I do need people to talk to me with simple language. Yes I do need hand over hand with things. Yes I do need things explained multiple times. Yes I do need these things.
That is me. I need that. That doesn’t make me any less.
What do I put on a medical ID?
I made a post 10mo ago about getting a medical ID and what to put on it. I’ve since made 3 other medical bracelets and I’ve learned a lot.
What should you put on it?
This is highly individualized to your specific conditions and needs, but you should prioritize the information that emergency services need to be aware of.
- Allergies: are there any allergies that EMS needs to know that could have contributed to a medical emergency.
- Medication: Do you have any meds that have serious interactions with common meds? Are you on blood thinners? Do you have rescue medications? Example: I am on Metformin and it can send you into lactic acidosis under anesthesia, so I have to stop it days before any scheduled surgeries. This isn’t possible for emergency surgery so they need to know this.
- Conditions/Past Medical History: if you’re like me, it’s possible not all of your medical conditions will fit onto one ID. Choose the ones that are most likely to cause a medical emergency or be relevant in one.
- Implants/Medical devices: certain medical devices can interact with medical imaging. And it’s important for EMS to just know it’s there. I’ve had medical professionals almost tug on my GJ tube because they thought it was an IV tube or EKG lead.
- Identification: up to you- but would be helpful to get access to your records at the hospital. If you carry your ID/license on you, you can probably get away with not listing your name and birthday. Be careful putting identity information if you think you could lose an ID bracelet easily.
- Emergency contact
- Other relevant information: blood type, diet considerations, where to find your rescue meds
Here are my medical bracelets! I have a general one, a medication ID, and a bracelet with my port details.
ALT
ALT
ALT
ALT
If you can’t wear bracelets, they make other medical ID necklaces. they also make IDs that can go over your watch band. I prefer bracelets because there’s more room.
I generally don’t recommend the ones that require you to use a USB or scan a QR code, because I find it highly unlikely that EMS would waste time to do this. A lot of companies will send blank ID wallet cards that you can fill out with more extensive information.
Make it yours! Add as little or as much information as you want, but make sure it’s medically relevant. Paramedics don’t need to know you have seasonal allergies.
It is actually way better for 100 addicts to get their fix on pain pills than a single person in pain go without. I call this the "Torture is bad" principle. You should be able to get the good stuff forever after a single doctor's visit. If you're worried about addicts fund rehab centers and needle exchanges instead of torturing people.
Among other things if you can't use the legit market you turn to the black market anyway.
if you're worried about addiction, build a society where people get their basic needs met, including pain management.
Honestly as a blind person I’m so tired of seeing fictional blind characters who don’t use white canes or other guides. “They have special powers so they know what’s around them” or “they’re confident enough to not need a guide” are common tropes, and I’m tired.
Are people scared that using a white cane will make their blind character seem weak? They can’t use a cane because they’re so special that they already know what’s around them, and other blind people who use guides are inferior because they’re not special?
I’m tired. Give your blind characters white canes and other guides. Let them hold onto their friends, let them have guide dogs. Don’t make white cane users feel ostracized for not being “strong enough” to go without.
Another thing that pisses me off is when a sighted character comes up with the fantasy equivalent of braille and teaches it to the blind character. Braille was invented by Louis Braille, a blind man, in 1824. The blind character should be the one coming up with it.
Tldr I’m blind and tired of sighted people lol
🔪 Sighted People MUST Reblog This 🔪
"we'll get you in" and "someone can help you" do NOT mean the venue is accessible. if i call up in advance of an event and ask if i will be able to attend, i want to know if i can actually attend or if going there will be a disastrous waste of my time, money, and energy. if you have stairs just fucking say you have stairs, fucking hell, "uhhhh we can carry your wheelchair with you in it" is not an answer to whether there is step-free access
im so sick of able bodied cowards wringing their hands & being too embarrassed to admit over the phone that their building's architecture is hostile to disabled people. like yeah you SHOULD feel bad about it, but you also have a duty to be honest. if you dance around and try avoid telling me the building is not accessible, you risk me showing up and getting stuck and causing an even worse scene because you lied about accessibility and now you've got a distressed cripple in your foyer.
like. i don't care how ashamed you are. i don't care how embarrassed you are. i will think so, so much less of you if you try to hide the shitty access from me instead of just informing me. i need that information for my physical safety. i am not saying that you personally are responsible for the inaccessibility. i just want to plan my fuckin day without getting stranded somewhere for once.
let me rephrase this a little more kindly
if you work at an inaccessible venue and a disabled person calls up to ask if there is wheelchair access, you are doing them a favor and being a good ally by saying the truth and warning that person about inaccessibility. if you want to help disabled people, you need to make an effort not to put obstacles in our way, and that means informing us of access issues so that we can plan around them and avoid getting stuck or hurt.
if you lie about or try to minimize access issues, you are instead putting us in danger.
we will learn about the inaccessibility one way or another: either by you telling us, or by going there and finding out for ourselves when we hit a roadblock. don't let it be the second one, it's much less pleasant for everyone involved.
a fun thing about being on medication that carries warnings like 'if you suddenly stop taking this you might have effects that can range from feeling crummy to psychosis' is that the pharmacy will still go 'haha oopsie we forget to get those pills you order every single month, you can do without for a while right'