For a lot of Disabled people, posting-as-praxis is what we can do.
I don't have a lot of respect for people who want to denigrate this specific part of community participation.
You can't both shove Disabled people out of offline spaces and then say "online discussion of how not to be a harmful person isn't praxis".
I mean, you can but you're being an asshole.
And for many Disabled people, those offline spaces were never accessible. It's not just masking.
I don't know that folks who haven't been paying attention realize how extremely powerful social media has been for allowing Disabled people who are otherwise isolated and excluded for so many reasons to connect and share ideas and be heard.
This is actually one of the most exciting things to me because, yes, there were Disabled people organizing a lot before social media, but social media allowed different voices to be heard. It's not better than in-person groups, because not everyone can do social media. We need both.
It has certainly exposed me to a viewpoint I much too often take for granted. I'm genuinely grateful for all the people on here talking about their needs. Educating stupid people like me shouldn't be necessary but it seems like one of the better ways to make generational change
CN: ableist language
If you're open to it, one more opportunity for education: language that equates "intellectual inferiority" with "badness" (e.g. "stupid") is part of intellectual ableism AND it builds on an idea of "intelligence" rooted in eugenics.
It's worth it to be more precise.
So if you mean "ignorant", that could be accurate and not reach back into intellectual ableism.
Similarly! Instead of calling people "smart" or whatever, it's worth it to be more accurate/precise about what you really think they're getting right.
I hate it when people lie to my face to save their own.
It's like, sure, there are discussions to be had about posting-as-praxis, but so precious few people seem to be approaching them in truly good faith and with a person-centered, trauma-informed framing.
And the fact of the matter is?...
...that online spaces have been pivotal in plenty of social networking, community building, mutual aid, and organizing.
Like, don't lie to me.
When I was mostly bedbound and in pain 24/7, it was disabled folks online who bought me stuff from my wishlist that helped me stay alive
And so many folks sent a note saying things I'd written had helped *them* stay alive, suffer less, or finally access a formal diagnosis
Interdependence
And also those notes from people really helped me keep going when I was honestly worried about if I could survive
It helped to know that I could still help people (and they could help me), even from the isolation of no mouth words in the bed in the dark
Also I was so lucky in that I had gotten a formal diagnosis for my immune disorder right before I got so sick
So I could actually access treatment (without navigating medical gatekeeping while sick)
And I wouldn't have gotten any of that care without help from other online disabled activists
yeah!! the disabled community online saved my life too
and others had told me my posts helped them and that was nice too!
i also did a lot of sharing info from bed and now benefit from others doing that hehe. awareness campaigns help and that’s just posting what’s happening. amplifying messages
I started following you on Twitter back when I was a relatively healthy undiagnosed autistic climate activist because you did a thread about disability and climate. (I low-key think now I had peri-onset ME for decades and didn't know it, but I perceived myself as healthy and abled.)
Anyway, though you I had found and followed a bunch of other disabled and chronically ill activists for reasons of solidarity and that was the ONLY reason I had any idea what was happening to me after I got the big sick in February 2020.
Nobody can know what it's going to be them.
not only is it wrong (social media can & has been a useful tool for organizing & activism) but it necessitates some level of ignorance & privilege to say that shit during increasing surveillance, eradication of third spaces, criminalization of protests on top of generally inaccessible infrastructure
When I became more severely physically disabled, it was on-line Disabled people who supported me & also modeled how to go through that & not lose myself to despair. They were honest about difficulties but also that joy was still possible. They helped me accept it. That’s praxis. 1/2
No, it’s not full-time joy but many non-disabled people think disability is an automatic pit of despair “I couldn’t live like that” so I needed to see Disabled people Living. Plus offline friends DO fade away while I only got increased support from the online community. 2/2
Having a good internet connection can help in so very many ways.
Someone needed a map of a nearby town so as to check on needy citizens. I got them the info they needed.
Another person didn't understand medicine discount options and I found one option for them.
Y’know what at least when someone posts something fucked up, there’s pushback. I’ve done the local on-the-ground party shit, and half the time when someone says something fucked up, half the room says nothing and the other half nods in agreement. Not sure how the hell THAT is supposed to be of help.
