#invisibledisability — Public Fediverse posts

New housing hope for Britain’s young disabled people as ‘The Bristol Model’ solves funding problem

“There are 2,000 people in hospital, who d…
#Bristol #UnitedKingdom #UK #GB #England #Headlines #News #Europe #EU #BristolCityCouncil #BristolLive #Britain #Disability #DisabilityBenefits #Disabilityequality #Disabilityrights #Environment #GreatBritain #Horfield #HousingCrisis #Invisibledisability #Knowle #KnowleWest #Learningdisability #Planning #SouthBristol
https://www.europesays.com/uk/919926/

https://www.europesays.com/uk/919926/ New housing hope for Britain’s young disabled people as ‘The Bristol Model’ solves funding problem #Bristol #BristolCityCouncil #BristolLive #Britain #Disability #DisabilityBenefits #DisabilityEquality #DisabilityRights #England #Environment #GreatBritain #Horfield #HousingCrisis #InvisibleDisability #Knowle #KnowleWest #LearningDisability #Planning #SouthBristol #UK #UnitedKingdom

https://www.europesays.com/britain/22495/ New housing hope for Britain’s young disabled people as ‘The Bristol Model’ solves funding problem #BristolCityCouncil #BristolLive #Britain #Disability #DisabilityBenefits #DisabilityEquality #DisabilityRights #Environment #Horfield #HousingCrisis #InvisibleDisability #Knowle #KnowleWest #LearningDisability #Planning #SouthBristol

New:
"How visible and hidden disabilities are treated differently in clinical practice"

From:
Non-visible disability in the medical curriculum: what medicine overlooks, patients inherit

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2026.1701393/full

#Hiddendisabilities #invisibleillness #Invisibledisability #hiddenillness #chronicillness #MEcfs #PwME #ME #MyalgicE
@mecfs

An incredibly important read on inclusive workplace design

"Inclusivity begins with the basics of workplace design. (...) Before you talk about “next-gen workplace experience,” ask yourself: can everyone see, hear, move, breathe and focus here without struggle?"

https://www.leesmanindex.com/articles/parallel-realities/

#workplaceDesign #Architecture #inclusion #InclusiveDesign #invisibleDisability #disability

Blue Badge* Myths – Busted

*a blue badge is what a disabled parking badge/permit is called in the UK

https://x.com/DRDisabilityReb/status/2003444813694116345?s=20

#Disabled #Disability #Hiddendisability #Invisibledisability #chronicillness #hiddenillness #invisibleillness #Spoonie
@mecfs
#MEcfs #CFS #PwME @longcovid
#LongCovid #POTS @pots

I am 100% Potato here and Mr. Owltistic is Cupcake. lol

#ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptance #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent
#AuDHD #AutisticAdults #InvisibleDisability #webcomics #Sick #Illness #Guilt #Disabled #Disability

On International Day of #People with #Disabilities, please note some disabilities are #invisible

#invisibleillness #disabled #disabledpeople #DisabilityRights #DisabilityRightsAreHumanRights
#IDPD #IDPD2025 #IDPD25 #IDPWD #IDPWD25 #IDPWD2025 #Disability
@mecfs @longcovid @pots
#LongCovid #MEcfs #CFS #PwME #hiddenillness #chronicillness #Invisibledisability

#ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptance #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #RedInstead
#AuDHD #AutisticAdults
#InvisibleDisability #webcomics #Thanksgiving #Thankful #EatTheRich

If your Autistic child, friend, partner, family member, etc seems "dramatic" due to their routine being disrupted, they're not. It is truly world breaking for them when it happens. It feels awful. And it isn't their fault. Have patience, and take it a step at a time.

#ActuallyAutistic #AutismAcceptance #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #RedInstead
#AuDHD #AutisticAdults
#AutisticPride #InvisibleDisability #webcomics #Routine

Who else is like this? 😅

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #AuDHD #InvisibleDisability #webcomics #Guilt #ADHD #Productive #Rest #Restless

2/

"Akin to the ideal victim, the ideal claimant of hidden disability must navigate a system built by (and from the perspective of) those with specific preconceived notions of what it means to be a person with a disability and to present as one."

#MEcfs #invisibleillness #hiddenillness #spoonie @mecfs #hiddendisability #invisibledisabilityawareness #invisibledisability #invisibledisabilities

My page name is a pun. 🙈

#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyOwltistic #AutismAcceptance #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #RedInstead
#AuDHD #AutisticAdults
#AutisticPride #InvisibleDisability #webcomics #Puns #Cheese #TuftedTitmouse #Titmouse #CheesePuns #Humor #Coping #CopingMechanism

When my husband & I first started watching Miraculous Ladybug, we were sure it was just going to be utterly ridiculous and not worth continuing. Well, we continued & the show gets DEEP. We got soooo hooked we've rewatched it three times now, and there's plenty of seasons left to be made still. It's also very inclusive, especially season 6. 🌈

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #RedInstead
#AuDHD #AutisticAdults
#InvisibleDisability #webcomics #Cosplay #MiraculousLadybug #Fandom

📣🐦New character alert!🐦📣
Let's welcome Camembert! 🩶

#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyOwltistic #AutismAcceptance #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #RedInstead #AutisticAdults
#AutisticPride #InvisibleDisability #webcomic #webcomicseries #queerartist #TuftedTitmouse #Titmouse

Please, no unsolicited advice on my page. It makes me spiral.

#ActuallyAutistic #ActuallyOwltistic #AutismAcceptance #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #InvisibleDisability #webcomics #UnsolicitedAdvice #RSD #ADHD #AuDHD #RejectionSensitiveDysphoria

It takes a lot of planning but I'm excited to go and make it work 💃🏼

If you meet me there:
😷 mask up if you can
🪫 ask me about my energy levels (always good to be reminded by friends) and
🤐 expect me to step out of conversations when it gets too much. Not a sign of disinterest

#Sunbelt2025 #invisibleDisability

It will also be my first full blown conference attendance since developing #LongCovid so I will have to pace and manage my energy like the strictest school teacher

I will #WearAMask (because #CovidIsNotOver) and compression socks, bring my handheld HEPA filter as well as a foldable chair to sit down in coffee breaks as some of my mitigation measures. Plus taking regular breaks

#Sunbelt2025 #InvisibleDisability

Everyone's experience and feelings will be different. This is just one perspective.

#ActuallyAutistic #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #AutisticAdults
#AutisticPride #InvisibleDisability #lateDiagnosed

7.7: Ariel & Christina Discuss Living with a Disability as a Solarpunk

Today Christina talks to Ariel about what it's been like to live as a solarpunk with a visible - and then invisible - disability. Science fiction has spent decades dreaming of how future tech will make disabled people able to function as if they were fully abled. Now solarpunk has arrived on the scene to ask why should disabled bodies have to always be the ones to adapt? It can be uncomfortable, intrusive - not to mention expensive. Solarpunk wonders why can't cities, society, workplaces, and the like be the ones to use the tech to make themselves more accessible to and inclusive of disabled people?

Tune in as Ariel and Christina discuss the portrayal of disability in science fiction and solarpunk and how having to suddenly live with a disability opens your eyes to many of the ways cities fail people with disabilities.

https://youtu.be/nITURrKfwvI

#solarpunk #SolarpunkPresentsPodcast #Episode #SeasonSeven #disability #spoony #SpoonTheory #spoonies #ChronicPain #ChronicFatigue #SolarpunkAndDisability #Ableism #InvisibleDisability #ScienceFiction #SciFiAndDisability

Ah yes, awareness month. Be VERY aware. We walk among you... Muahahaha!

Reshare~

#AutismAcceptance #Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #RedInstead #AutismAcceptanceMonth #InvisibleDisability

That physiotherapy I had yesterday helped. Earlier this week, I couldn't go into child's pose, and today I could. I also made my bed without it hurting, and I was able to do an intense workout with lots of rowing and pressing motions.

I'm supposed to keep stretching my shoulder several times a day, taking it to the pain point and keeping it there (but not pushing further). It sucks a lot, but apparently it will help me retain more mobility than if I don't do this.
#FrozenShoulder #FitAfter50 #shoulder #InvisibleDisability

This morning I went for my annual lung checkup. My lung capacity is down a negligible amount, but is rated as excellent. My asthma is well-controlled because I am healthy and medicate daily. A cold, RSV, flu, or COVID could change all that rapidly.

After my appointment, I went to an X-ray clinic to get my knees X-rayed, and although several people there were wearing masks, several people with nasty coughs were not wearing masks. I hope my N95 did its job. I threw it out as soon as I was out of the clinic. I don't understand why people are so inconsiderate. I don't care if it's "just a cold." I've had to go to the hospital on numerous occasions because a common cold put me in a breathing emergency.

If you're sick and you're not wearing a mask in public, you could very well disable or kill someone. Don't be a dick. Mask up.
#MaskUp #disability #InvisibleDisability #asthma #RespiratoryDisease #DisabilityRights #InvisibleDisabilityRights

Yesterday was the international day for disabled people. I only know of one local event celebrating it, and it isn't accessible because attendees aren't being asked to wear masks. Also, it isn't being streamed. It claims to be accessible and inclusive.

I do not appreciate the irony.
https://centreinthesquare.com/event/disability-unleashed/
#MaskUp #InvisibleDisability #InternationalDayOfPeopleWithDisabilities #accessibility #ImmuneCompromised #RespiratoryDisease #hypocrisy @WaterlooEvents

On International Day of People with #Disabilities, I thought I'd share this article on #invisibledisabilities.

This individual has ME/CFS & ulcerative colitis
https://meassociation.org.uk/2021/10/invisible-disabilities-week-2021-jessica-logan/

#IDPD #IDPD2024 #IDPD24 #IDPWD #invisibledisability #Hiddendisability
#Hiddendisabilities @chronicillness
@spoonies
@disability
@mecfs
#MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #MEcfs #CFS #PwME
#ulcerativecolitis
@ibd #ibd

As we end another #NationalPainWeek, I note that it has been 7548 days since my last pain-free day.

Coincidently, I was awarded another gold medal for one of my poems, Invisible Battles. So let's celebrate that.

You can read it here: https://allpoetry.com/poem/17894962-Invisible-Battles-by-David-Wakeham-adult

#InvisibleDisability #ChronicPain #Stigma #Ablesim #Gaslighting #Depression #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #cPTSD #InvisibleIllness #SocialMedia

Wrote a new #poem

Fair warning, there are some explicit themes including abuse, however I do hope the worst ones are written implicitly enough.

I can’t talk for all experiences obviously, but those who have been #gaslighted due to their #InvisibleDisability and or #ChronicPain this may speak to you.

https://www.postpoems.org/authors/cynosure/poem/1122283

Why are we so ill? The working-age health crisis - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68849843

#ChronicallyIll
#Disabled
#MentalHealth
#MentallyIll
#Mentalillness
#ChronicPain
#InvisibleIllness
#InvisibleDisability
#VersesArthritis
#SocialDeprivation
#Diabetes
#NHS
#Funding
#Employers
#Brexit
#Pandemic
#ResolutionFoundation
#WaitingLists

My latest post: How A Man’s Worst Headache Turned Into A Lifelong Invisible Disability via @forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/judystone/2024/02/28/how-a-mans-worst-headache-turned-into-a-lifelong-invisible-disability/ #SAH #brainaneurysm #disability #invisibledisability #neurology #NeuWriteVoices @ScienceWriters

Photo of me in performance in 2012. My last performance before I went through a major flareup of an underlying and undiagnosed hip condition. #dancer #dance #PerformancePhotography #HighKick #InvisibleDisability

#GoodMorning 🌞
#GutenMorgen ☀️ #Mastodon

Unfortunately still dealing with a recurring #migraine attack (now on day four). Staying home from work and trying to chill.

But I hope y’all keep on being excellent to one another 🤘🏼🎸

#photography #fotografie #berlin #kladow #disability #disabled #invisibledisability

One of the things I hate about looking up things about mobility issues is that they're always related to elderly people.

Which, don't get me wrong, yes there should be more info about mobility issues regarding the elderly. But I'm not even 30 yet, I'm not that geriatric! Can y'all talk about us invisible disabled folks who aren't senior citizens?

Thanks

#disability #disabilitypride #invisibledisability #backpain #mobilityissues

"10 year Boy with Down Syndrome Assaulted by Bus Driver - Abuse of Students with Invisible Disabilities by Educators"

⚠️ CW - Stories on mistreatment and abuse of students with invisible disabilities in schools across the country. May be disturbing to some.

Yesterday, a bus driver for the Upper Darby school district in Pennsylvania, was charged with assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child.

Juliet Pratt was captured on surveillance cameras, duct taping the a student with Downs Syndrome around the ankles and chest to restrain him. The footage also show the child, who was already in a safety harness, caused no disturbance and remained in his seat. Regardless,  nothing warrants this kind of abusive behavior to people with invisible disabilities, especially by someone involved in child education. The March 8th incident was not the only. The bus driver admitted doing this appalling act to the child, at least one other time. Pratt cut the tape restraints with a seat belt cutter to free the boy upon arrival at the school.

There seems to be no mention of charges related to disability protectections in news reports. Has she done this to others? Would she have done this if the child did not have a disability? If Ms. Pratt singled the child out for this treatment because of any disability related reason, (ie - thinking she could get away with it because of the boy's DS), authorities may want to consider this an ableist hate crime.

Unfortunately, this problem is not uncommon. In some places, the techniques used are legal, bringing harm to many students with invisible disabilities. In Virginia, a 10 year old autistic boy, had the "bones in his hand and foot crushed" by an educator. The injuries were caused by a staff member who was isolating and confining the child, in what was called the "scream room".

Many reports of similar abuses have surfaced in Connecticut schools as well. In one case, a second grader with ADHD was held down, and locked in confinement after a manifestation of symptoms. Aside from the mental and emotional wounds caused, just as in many other cases, the child suffered physically injury. According to the story linked below, students have been restrained and isolated "thousands of times causing dozens of injuries" in Connecticut schools. This hardly sounds like accommodation and community intergration.

Then, there's Xavier Hernandez, who died as a result if being held down and restained by multiple staff members at "Boulevard Heights" school for "students with disabilities" in Texas.

These are the people entrusted with the job of shaping young minds? What lesson does this type of behavior teach other students about interacting with people with invisible disabilities; that they should be restrained, isolated and subjected to physical and mental damage? Considering these, and many other such acts, it seems many educators could use a lesson on understanding and accommodation of persons with invisible disabilities.

© OutOfExile_IDR - Invisible Disability Rights

PA Bus Driver:
https://www.phillyvoice.com/school-bus-driver-duct-tape-upper-darby-student-delaware-county/

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/bus-driver-accused-of-duct-taping-10-year-old-boy-on-bus/3575865/

Boy with autism in Virginia:
https://www.propublica.org/article/schools-restraints-seclusions

Girl with ADHD and other abuse in Connecticut:
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/connecticut-schools-restraint-seclusion-injuries-17474991.php

Xavier Hernandez death from a disability standpoint:
https://neuroclastic.com/xavier-hernandez-fort-worth-autism-restraint-death/#content

Hernandez - Death by medication and restraint:
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crossroads-lab/article253421369.html

Image courtesy of: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/young-disabled-students-shackled-misbehaving-lawsuit-claims-n403421

#Education #ActuallyAutistic #ADHA #PTSD #CPSTD #ChildEducation #abuse #advocacy #disability #InvisibleDisability #TBI #InvisibleDisabilityRights #DownSyndrome #BrainInjury #EndAbleism #AbleistHateCrime #accommodation #CommunityIntergration #stigmatude #TearDownTheWall
#DOE #action #DepartmentOfEducation

@actuallyautistic @disabilityjustice @disability

#TopicTuesday Long Read: Disability Inclusion within Brimbank.
My first question raided at this months council meeting was as follows:
“Brimbank's 2022-2026 Disability Action Plan was released around 4 months ago, yet there is no reference to Neurodivergent people (other than reference to a symbol identifier), let alone any planning to ensure their inclusion in our community. Neurodivergent people should not need to wait until 2026 before their barriers to inclusion in Brimbank events will be considered, so what action is Brimbank City Council taking, to ensure their inclusion is possible at council run events?”

1/8

(continued in replies.)

#WeAreBrimbank #Brimbank #disability #disabled #neurodiversity #neurodiverse #neurodivergent #autism #autismawareness #autisminclusion #sensory #sensoryoverload #disabilityinclusion #neurodiversityacceptance #disabilityawareness #invisibledisability #invisibledisabilityawareness #immunecompromised #atrisk #isolation #community #CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsntOver #covidisstillhere #COVIDisAirborne

#TopicTuesday Long Read: Disability Inclusion within Brimbank.
My first question raided at this months council meeting was as follows:
“Brimbank's 2022-2026 Disability Action Plan was released around 4 months ago, yet there is no reference to Neurodivergent people (other than reference to a symbol identifier), let alone any planning to ensure their inclusion in our community. Neurodivergent people should not need to wait until 2026 before their barriers to inclusion in Brimbank events will be considered, so what action is Brimbank City Council taking, to ensure their inclusion is possible at council run events?”

1/8

(continued in replies.)

#WeAreBrimbank #Brimbank #disability #disabled #neurodiversity #neurodiverse #neurodivergent #autism #autismawareness #autisminclusion #sensory #sensoryoverload #disabilityinclusion #neurodiversityacceptance #disabilityawareness #invisibledisability #invisibledisabilityawareness #immunecompromised #atrisk #isolation #community #CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsntOver #covidisstillhere #COVIDisAirborne

“Cannabis,  Alzheimers, TBI and Invisible Disability"

Click here 🧠 to expand.

Cannabis can still be a controversial topic. The medical benefits for those with physical and invisible disabilities are no secret. People with Invisible disabilities, such as brain injury and PTSD, can be afforded great relief from symptoms by the flower.

Israeli Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, is a well known cannabis research pioneer who has been studying the plant for decades. Read about some of his work in the link below.

Other Research indicates that individuals living with Alzheimers and Dementia may also benefit with less risk and damaging effects than other drugs currently used. 

Findings from another Israeli Researcher, Dedi Meiri, argue that there may be benefits to these individuals as well.

"There is a large and growing body of anecdotal accounts of the efficacy of cannabis for treating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The shortcomings ... life-threatening dangers...with... frequently prescribed pharmaceutical treatments... makes cannabis a particularly compelling option – especially considering its solid safety profile."

Even more research from the National Library of Medicine (PubMed.gov), speaks about the neuroprotectant antioxidant qualities of the herb. The PubMed link below contains several links to other studies on cannabis and it’s benefits for people with disabilities.

The human body is said to have CBD receptors "built" in. I am neither condoning, nor condemning the use of “Natures Pharmaceutical"; nor am I suggesting it's use. I am merely presenting medical findings.

According to laws in many places amidst these findings, the jury is still out on the subject.

MedGov:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10863546/

Dr. Mechoulam:
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/cannabis-research-pioneer-hopes-latest-discovery-not-overlooked-again-n1059116

Alzheimers:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/abbierosner/2020/06/18/notes-from-the-cutting-edge-israeli-researcher-dedi-meiri-on-cannabis-alzheimers-and-dementia/

NHL alum study on concussion and Cannabis:
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nhl-alumni-association-teams-up-with-canopy-growth-to-research-concussions-and-cannabinoids-300805451.html

On regeneration and prevention ofAlzheimers:
https://www.cryptosavvy.com/2018/09/cannabis-regenerate-aging-brain-dementia.html

On reversing aging:
https://dailyhealthpost.com/cannabis-reverses-aging-processes-in-the-brain/

Image courtesy of:
https://merryjane.com/culture/heres-how-scientists-think-cannabis-can-repair-brain-cells-and-improve-memory

#RaphaelMechoulam #CannabisResearch #Pain #Relief #neuroprotectant #antioxidant #InvisibleDisability #disability #MentalHealth #anxiety #CBD #CbdReceptors #THC #TBI #alzheimers #PTSD #BrainInjury #SpineInjury #cannabis #flower #herb #Truth #KanehBosem #biblical #pot #TheDevilsParsley #ganja #NaturesPharmaceutical #InvisibleDisabilityRights
#HashtagsNobodyWillEverSearch

Originally posted Dec 04, 2022, 02:15 by OutOfExile_IDR

"Ableist Slurs"

What is a slur?  What is an ableist slur?  Is the consideration of a slur at the at the discretion of the speaker, the recipient or a third party?

Websters defines a slur as:
slur: [noun] an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo : aspersion. a shaming or degrading effect : stain, stigma.

Lizzo's song GRRRLZ, brought outrage by many for her use of the word "sp*z" in the opening stanza. After the outcry, Lizzo changed the lyric.

Weeks later, Beyonce’ also found public disapproval because of her song “Heated”,  which contained a disparaging term about a form of cerebral palsy know as spastic diplegia. She also apologized and made the nessesary correction.  It’s nice to see some people own, and make amends for their mistakes.

Last week I posted the following:
“Simply put:
Ableism is to disability, as Racism is to Race.
Slurs of any kind are unacceptable and have no place in society.”

In regard to racial slurs but, considering ableism:

J. Alan HartSouthworth, a diversity and inclusion consultant in Potomac, Maryland: (said)

“The definition of a “racial slur” is rather vague. I would think that if anyone says anything that negatively impacts or speaks negatively about another group, (WHETHER OR NOT a “racial slur”) that it should not be tolerated.

Since there is not official list of “racial slurs,” it has to be based on interpretation by the people who can hear the word(s) – whether that is the ‘target’ group or bystanders. …but if it is defined as a ‘statement that is divisive, contentious, disruptive or in some way does harm,” ….
It is a slur,  to finish this person’s statement myself.

I have had many of the standard issue ableist slurs hurled at my soul countless times including: “freak", “nutjob", “fruitcake", "weirdo", “dumbass" and the far too common, and seeminly accepted word, “crazy".

A few unorthodox things I’ve been stabbed in the heart with include: being told by a former friend that he does "not want to hear what comes out of" my "twisted little brain", after I gave my opinion. Medical imagery actually shows my neck, spine and brain are slightly askew.  How very thoughtful some friends are.

The most memorable (or hardest to forget) slur was, “F#¿&ing psychotic psycho b!#¿h".  This one seemed to be a favorite of the neighbor that I did nothing to, except live next door, request to be left alone and apparently, continue to breathe. 

Just last week, a thread was discussing how pleasant and interesting everyone on Mastodon is.  One participant on c.im, a former teacher (according to the profile), commented how interesting people on Mastodon are and added:

“Interesting in a good way. Not the Ummm...He's Crazy, But I'm Going to Pretend I'm Polite”.

 This person had another post complaining about a limited amount of “special education" teachers.  “Special" is also considered an ableist term by many people living with invisible disabilities as well.  Shaping young minds with archaic attitudes of ignorance, how wonderful.  Needless to say, I did not find that conversation very interesting or pleasant.

So what do you think?  Are words like “crazy" and “freak" a slur when used in a derogatory way and directed at persons with invisible disabilities? I asked 25 people with invisible disabilities today and all ageed, these are slurs.  Should the government draft legislation regarding ableist slurs to include the disabled community,  which makes up 26% of the US population?  Who should decide what an ableist slur is… the masses, the government or the victims of this kind of hate speech?

What do I think? Try one on me or any disabled person within earshot and find out. Think before you use words that can wound.  A consideration we can all learn from.

#stigmatude #disabilities #slurs #InvisibleDisability #ableism #EndAbleism #BrainInjury #ActuallyAutistic #MentalHealth #CerebralPalsy #TBI #ABI #InvisibleDisabilityRights #change #DisabilitySolidarity #equality

Image courtesy of:

https://www.ameridisability.com/beyonces-new-album-drops-ableist-slur-hitting-wrong-note-with-disability-advocates/

It is an historical fact that the privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture, but, as we are reminded, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals .

We know, through painful experience that! freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.
-Martin Luther King Jr.

#vote #CivilRights #InvisibleDisability #EndAbleism #EndRacism #LGBTQRights #WomensRights #StopAsianHate #EndBigotry #UnityConquers #ReproductiveRights #TearDownTheWall #IDR

"Ridge Home for Mental Defectives"

[⚠️ CW: Historically, the treatment of people with invisible disabilities by institutions, policies and society, has often been inhumane. Examples cited in this piece, though not gory, may be unsettling to some.]

"Ridge Home for Mental Defectives – Are You a Mental Defective?":

Do I belong in a cage because I have invisible disabilities (IDs)? Should I be abused under the guise of “caretaking" that I do not require?  Should I be jailed, even if I did not commit a crime, soley because I live with #TBI, am #ActuallyAutistic and have other #InvisibleDisabilities. Do I belong locked away from sunshine and society? Am I mentally incompetent or a “Mental Defective”? That’s exactly what so many others with invisible disabilities were categorized as, and subjected to, in a part of Colorado's dark history.

“The Ridge State Home and Training Center for Mental Defectives ”, and some state laws that still existed in just the last decade, are only two examples of some of the barbaric practices.  Some of the articles linked below even demonstrate #stigmatude with use of words like “inmates" and the mental “R" slur.  People with downs syndrome are not the “R" word and those with invisible disabilities and mental health chalenges, are not defectictives.

Did you know, if you were having a mental health crisis, that you could be jailed in Colorado if there was no room in medical facilities?  That law was recently changed and funding from cannabis tax revenues was redirected for that purpose but, in some places, it still occurs.  Colorado law gives officials 28 days to get people with such experience proper treatment and placement but, in some cases people with invisible disabilities spent six months incarcerated without even an evaluation.  Is it any wonder that many do not want to ask for help?

So, what about the home for “Mental Defectives ”? My blood boils and I cringe everytime I hear that name… “Mental Defective", as if we are a broken toy or a factory second.  We are people with health issues just like someone with cancer or diabetes.  What if your loved one was locked away because they had #covid?

In 1909, Colorado chose 310 acres just west of Arvada to establish the “Ridge State Home and Training Center for Mental Defectives”.  The wording in the “Golden History” link below refers to residents as “inmates" and cites the first such “inmate” arrived in July, 1912. By 1936, the Ridge Home’s capacity of 300 was already at 260 people with IDs, many of which, were “exiled” and abandoned by their own families.

I will surely expend my generous character limit if I give all of my thoughts, so I will give just a few of the low-lights.

The 1937 newspaper headline in the image below claimed that “Everyone”s Happy at Ridge Home for Mental Defectives".  This propaganda is easily refuted by many accounts of actual occurrences at Colorado’s “prison” for people with ID and Mental Illnesses.

Aside from residents being forced to work on the “Ridge farm”, other abuses and atrocities were common.  One employee was charged with crimes of abuse against multiple residents after he bragged about his deplorable actions to friends.  The only means of release was by transfer to relative’s homes, to the so called “asylum” in Pueblo or death.

In the 1940s, the facility practiced “forced sterilization” of people with invisible disabilities, which some feel was a  attempt at a form of genocide.

In the 50s, stories of underfunding, overcrowding and abuse began to surface.  One administrator was quoted in a news article saying that many held captive in “Ridge” were “much too competent” to be in the home but, laws and family abandonment kept them there.

In the 1970s, fire safety issues, cracked walls and foundation caused part of the facility to be closed by order of the state. There were no proper fire exit routes, and not even a single fire escape.  In the 80s reports of neglect allegedly due to funding and staffing problems came to light.

As recently as the 1980s, “time outs” for those with behavioral issues resulted in some being put in cages.  One report cites a child was caged for nine month with only a bucket and a mattress. Others were said to be packed in wet sheets and ice for acting up.  Does that sound like treatment that will improve mental health, or torture that would make matters worse?

From Denver ABC 7:
“They were so mistreated. It just wasn’t right,” said Rhonda Sherill, who said she worked at Ridge in the 1980s. “Some of them would be put in what they call time out, which was basically a cage they would put him in until they weren’t combative.”

Eventually, this “section of hell" disguised as a medical facility was closed and sat abandon for years. Now, mostly demolished, “Ridge Home and Training Center for Mental Defectives” is the site of apartments and shops.

I personally would rather be homeless and not shop than to step one foot on those grounds. One can only imagine the horrors that these individuals must have lived but, one thing is apparent: Everyone was not happy at "Ridge Home for Mental Defectives."

Sadly, despite these changes, there is still much work to be done in bringing people living with invisible disabilities and mental illness “out of exile".

OutOfExile_IDR © 2022

https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/memories-remain-of-abandoned-state-hospital-that-spawned-eerie-stories

https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/spooky-history-arvadas-ridge-home

https://disabilitylawco.org/mental-illness-protection-and-advocacy-program

https://www.mentalhealthcolorado.org/colorado-jails-wont-used-hold-mentally-ill/

https://www.asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=State_Home_and_Training_School_for_Mental_Defectives

Golden History - 303-278-3557:  
https://www.goldenhistory.org/places/ridge-home/

Pictures:
http://www.coloradoaerialphoto.com/pow.cgi?POW_ID=63

#stigmatude #MentalHealth #MedicalIndustry #abuse #advocacy #disabilities #InvisibleDisability #colorado #InvisibleDisabilityRights #evil #DarkHistory #DownSyndrome #MentalDefectives #BrainInjury #HashtagsNobodyWillEverSearch

Kaneh-bosem, really?
Who'd of thunk it? #KanehBosem

PubMed.gov:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33256496/

Cannabis and Traumatic Brain Injury:
What the Research is Revealing: https://mycompassionateclinic.com/cannabis-and-traumatic-brain-injury-tbi-what-the-research-is-revealing/

Not an endorsement #BrainInjury
#neuroprotectant #TBI
#ABI #InvisibleDisability #PSTD #alzheimers #dementia #mmj #anxiety #disability #relief

The soliloquy of a man's inner self is the reflection, not of what others perceive, but what he truly is.

For in the cool of the day, sheltered by the fog, for a man at peace with himself; there is no other.

Out of Exile - 1991

I've always thought about artists rendering their impressions of my poems. What would this look like?

#poetry #SelfReflection #FindingPeace #SelfAwareness #writing #prose #philosophy #PoetryCommunity #HashtagsNobodyWillEverSearch #InvisibleDisability #PoetryNobodyWillEverFind
@OutOfExile_IDR_Voice

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Un peu de moi?
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Don't forget the ALT text.

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Un peu de moi?
Je ne parle pas couramment Français. I like using #HashtagsNobodyWillEverSearch
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Ex-#musician #Songwriter Passé
💐⚘🌺🏵 #GardenCreator extraordinaire. #FlowerGardens #PhotorealisticImagination
Et Bien plus encore.

🙏, ✌️, 💛, :solidarity: #accommodation for people with #InvisibleDisability
Just like many of us, this list is incomplete and still evolving. (he, him, they– any)

Blog page: @[email protected]
Mastodon blog profile: @[email protected]

Don't forget the ALT text.

Hashtag Intro.
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The Proverbial list Evolved:

#InvisibleDisabilityRights #IDR
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#BeYou #BeKind #BePatient
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Un peu de moi?
Je ne parle pas couramment Français. I like using #HashtagsNobodyWillEverSearch
#FilmMaking #Writing #poetry
Ex-#musician #Songwriter Passé
💐⚘🌺🏵 #GardenCreator extraordinaire. #FlowerGardens #PhotorealisticImagination
Et Bien plus encore.

🙏, ✌️, 💛, :solidarity: #accommodation for people with #InvisibleDisability
Just like many of us, this list is incomplete and still evolving. (he, him, they– any)

Blog page: @[email protected]
Mastodon blog profile: @[email protected]

Don't forget the ALT text.