This beautiful and honest piece was written by Charlotte Farhan, an artist and activist, who suffers from BPD, PTSD, OCD and agoraphobia. I copied her entire status, as I feel it hits right in the middle, specially when it comes to public presentation of dis/abled people.
" i am alone amongst my close friends and family as a disabled person, I am always around able people.
When I say able people I mean anyone who is able to function the “normal” daily tasks a human is “meant” to perform in order to have a valued life and ability to access opportunity without oppressive forces disallowing you due to the system being neurotypical and able bodied/minded focused.
People who can: work, drive, go wherever and whenever they want, use public transport, access all education, be paid for work they do, being included in-group activities, not being made fun of or stigmatised, not made into the butt of jokes on TV and Film, you are represented in film, TV and literature in a positive way with lots of role models, you are not made into inspiration porn.
You can get from point A to point B without worrying about how you are going to get there, you have independence, no one thinks you get “special treatment” for your disabilities, you can vote easily, you can communicate your needs easily, you don’t have to “fit in” to be liked, you can take exams, you are not thought of as a danger to yourself and others, you are not judged for having children, you are represented in mainstream politics…
The list goes on and on and is different for each individual who is disabled.
I have to hear people compare their able bodied/minded position to mine all the time and I am fed up with this!
Please check your privilege and please do not silence us!
I can’t always fight you for this, sometimes I need an ally and I need people to understand - they don’t understand.
#ableism #ableprivilege #privilege #neurodivergence #neurotypicalprivilege #stigma #hearme #mystory #myvoice