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   Kaliah (kaliah@dragonscave.space)'s status on Thursday, 02-May-2024 15:04:39 JST Kaliah

   Okay... I want to say this. Right here and right now. When you're around disabled people, you should do the following:
   1. Don't speak to someone else who is with the disabled person as if the person can't speak for themself. This is incredibly rude and harmful. There's nothing wrong with communicating with a disabled person. Ever. There isn't a problem. There. Is. Not. A. Problem. With any of it. Talk directly to us.
   2. Don't ignore disabled people. Talk to us. Ask us questions. We are people just like anyone else living in this world. Asking questions and having conversations with disabled people is not wrong, rude, disrespectful or harmful. It's okay. Seriously. It's fine.
   3. If a disabled person tells you to stop doing something, even if you think it's somehow helpful to them or you think they need you to do it for them, stop. Seriously. Just stop doing it. They're telling you to stop for a reason. Society has this common need to overdo it when it comes to helping disabled people. If they're asking you to stop, then stop.
   4. Respect us. There is not a single person, and that includes disabled people, in this world who doesn't deserve basic human respect.
   5. Don't look down on us. We have disabilities, but we can still live our lives. We just do things differently than people without disabilities do. It isn't something to be ashamed of. I also hate the societal stereotype that disabled people going about their lives are an inspiration. Stop thinking that too. We're people. We live. We exist. We have just adapted in our own ways, and as such, we may live a little differently. And that's okay.
   Once again. Ableism needs to stop existing. Please, please do not participate in it. It's a real problem that hurts so many people

   • Aral Balkan repeated this.
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     Brandon Tyson (btyson@dragonscave.space)'s status on Thursday, 02-May-2024 15:05:23 JST Brandon Tyson

     in reply to

     @Kaliah Oh, and can I add to this to not do the thing where you question if a blind person actually knows who you are/if you're there, even if they haven't said something to you directly? I.e. One of my Uncles was sitting next to me talking to someone else and I knew he was sitting there next to me, yet he felt it necessary to ask, "Who am I? What's my name?" It tempts me to purposely say the wrong name just to get him to react. I have no idea why he does that but it really bothers me.