No. But also, kind of yes. Broadly, the way you experience it is the correct way to explain it. However, it is a higher quality explanation when the person has some understanding of things like models of disability, of human rights, and has worked on their internalised ableism. The explanations are […]
Author: Vanessa Smith
- This is my life
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The problem with decision making in workplaces
I was reading an article on NDIS changes when a sidebar article drew my attention. It was titled No, work from home culture is not ‘career suicide’. Obviously, this is of interest to me as a disabled person who is a) looking for work and b) can only work from home. Unusually for most […]
Advocacy – pre budget email
Today I was reading the news when I saw politicians claim the federal budget isn’t set in stone yet. So I figured, why not email a relevant minister and tell them what I’m expecting. How their behaviour hasn’t been up to standard recently. It’s not my best work, because the past month has been a […]
I’ve lost respect for community
I’ve lost respect for community. Recently a friend suggested a way to make a personal project into a community project. Their suggestion was valid and logical. It was my own suggestion that surprised me. I felt a large recoil at the thought. This feeling of recoil has been swirling while I thought about things like […]
- This is my life
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The benefit of becoming disabled later in life
A while ago I was chatting in a chronic illness forum and someone was being told they had it easier becoming disabled as a teen or young adult. I didn’t agree at all. Before becoming housebound, I had a pile of stuff behind me and life experience … makes experiences easier. I can […]
Certifying employers as disability confident
Certifying employers as disability confident (or accessible, or whatever the current buzzwords are) has never been something I support. In my experience, it turns into a vanity metric where the employer is centred, not the disabled person. What I’ve found is that when a person or business has done a disability awareness course, they […]
Capitalism + hyperfocus
I was doing a survey on ADHD late last year and one question asked if challenges with attention had any positives. My reply: Hyperfocus can be seen as a positive in certain capitalistic conditions. But it is not financially compensated appropriately. It is also effectively contraindicated with my other condition (ME/CFS) where cognitive […]
Why means testing disability support is a bad idea
Recently in the news, a person suggested means testing disability supports. This is a bad idea, and I’m going to share some of the reasons why in this post. Feel free to add your own in the comments. Why means testing disability support is a bad idea Costs Disability is expensive. It costs […]
Focusing on what I’m putting out there
After my post slash realisations on community, I realised I had been finding my own direction. What I can do in community doesn’t look like the lists that people share. And that’s ok. My focus is on what I’m putting out there. Sharing my video game clips and timelapses, a little distraction when people […]
Discussions about community have been hard to read
A reasonable reaction to the rise of fascism has been to talk about community. I don’t disagree. On paper. The problem is, a lot of the discussions, like many leftist discussions, ignore disability. The general discussion goes: We need community to survive this! (Yes, I agree.) We need to care for each […]