Just published a blog post tearing into hCaptcha’s so-called “accessibility” mode.

It’s not accessibility. It’s a cookie. And to get that cookie, you now have to submit your email and send a code via SMS to an U.S. phone number. It fails silently. It doesn’t confirm anything. You click “Confirm Code” and get “An error has occurred.” No cookie. No fallback. No support. And if you somehow get it? It’s a third-party cookie your browser probably blocks, and it expires. Then you get to do it all again.

Meanwhile, hCaptcha’s text-based challenge — the only mode that might actually work with a screen reader — isn’t tied to the cookie at all. It only shows up if the website owner specifically enables it. Most don’t. So even if you’re blind, even if you’re using assistive tech, you get the same unusable image grid as everyone else.

This isn’t accessibility. It’s exclusion wrapped in PR.

The blog post breaks it all down: how the cookie flow works (or doesn’t), why the system is broken by design, how developers got misled, and what real alternatives look like. If you care about accessible design or just want to understand how bad this gets, read it.

Link: fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/hel…

#Accessibility #a11y #BlindTech #hCaptcha #HellCaptcha #UX #WebDev #ScreenReaders #Disability #TechRant #DevTools #Ableism #Privacy #FOSS #Inclusion

When I had my hysterectomy, I was told recovery would be quick because I was young, fit & otherwise healthy.

They were wrong. The surgeon made an error and despite signs of post op bleeding, discharged me & went on vacation.

When I returned to the ER, I was ignored & gaslit

They told me it was “normal” to be in more pain 8 days after surgery than on day 1 (it’s not).

They said “what do you want us to do?”

They refused to run any tests beyond basic vitals, and scolded me for wasting their time

I knew something was wrong, but I was young and hadn’t yet learned how to advocate for myself.

The pain, swelling and bruising were getting worse with each passing day. I was dizzy, listless and had no appetite.

I slept ALL the time.

I was not getting better

I did what anyone would do, I went back to the ER. Surely this time they would take me seriously?

They didn’t. They made no attempt to hide their frustration that I had returned”. They made misogynistic comments about how “sensitive” I was & that being in pain was normal

I went home feeling completely dejected and disrespected, but also starting to gaslight myself.

Maybe it wasn’t that bad. Maybe this was normal pain. Maybe I did need to suck it up.

I tried to force myself to eat and go for light walks. I tried to play through the pain.

I was vomiting everything up and frequently collapsing from fatigue.

I could not suck this up.

My boyfriend had to carry me into the ER for a third attempt to get help

They did the exact same thing. Asked what we expected them to do. Told us the pain was normal. Refused to call a consult or run tests.

Thankfully my boyfriend believed me over them. He was certain if I went home, I wouldn’t make it through the night

He refused to let them discharge me. He told them, loudly and sternly, that he was not taking me home to die. That they needed to do their jobs.

They threatened to call security but he did not back down.

Thankfully a doctor overheard him and decided to look in and see if he could calm the situation.

When he saw me, half unconscious and white as a ghost, he immediately ordered tests. He told the triage staff not to call security and to take me into a private room

It turns out my boyfriend was right. Had I gone home that night, I wouldn’t have made it to morning.

I had a massive internal bleed and a giant infected abscess which had been growing since the surgeon sent me home.

I was rushed to another hospital for emergency surgery and given 50/50 odds of survival. I spent over a month in the hospital, developed a second hospital acquired infection, and needed 11 months to fully recover.

I survived due to luck & privilege. Had my boyfriend not believed me, I wouldn’t be here. Had he not been a white man? He likely would have been removed & I would have died

This is medical misogyny. They didn’t listen because I was a woman. They thought I was being dramatic

I tell this story because of what happened to Adriana Smith. A young black woman in Georgia who tried to get medical care for severe headaches, and was dismissed and gaslit instead.

She suffered brain death at home because no one believed her. Because of misogynoir.

To make matters worse, she’s been turned into a medical experiment because she was nine weeks pregnant and living in a state with an abortion ban. She’s on organ & tissue support being treated as a human incubator.

No care when alive & forced “care” when dead

Misogyny in medicine kills. It maims. It disables and traumatizes.

Women are frequently treated as hysterical and not given the medical care they require.

We often need a man to accompany us just to be taken seriously.

It’s not right and it needs to change

I will forever deal with medical PTSD because of what I went through, but at least I survived.

Adriana wasn’t so lucky, and no one’s survival should ever be based on luck, privilege or their ability to find a man to speak for them

I survived due to luck and privilege, Adriana didn’t.

What’s worse, due to abortion bans and dangerous forced birth policies, her body is kept alive on organ and tissue support without her family’s consent.

We must do better:

disabledginger.com/p/adriana-s…

#misogyny #misogynoir #ableism #patriarchy #abortion #mybodymychoice #disability #ableism #uspol

Adriana Smith, Misogyny and the Cruelty of Forced Birth

Adriana Smith couldn't access competent medical care when she needed it, and it killed her. Now the hospital is forcing 'care' on her by keeping her alive as an incubator due to Georgia's abortion ban

^{Broadwaybabyto (The Disabled Ginger)}

Also totally forgot to talk about this yesterday.
As a part of global accessibility awareness day, we put out a new update for the Be My Eyes app for Windows that is completely rebuild from the ground up. Along with giving us a better base to build amazing new features for desktop in the near future, this new app also fixes a lot of the accessibility issues that people have reported over the last 1.5 or so years.
In addition Chat History is now also available on Desktop, so you can start a conversation from mobile and continue it on desktop (and vice versa).

#a11y #bemyeyes #gaad #globalaccessibilityawarenessday
#blind #bme #tech
#disability #assistivetech

Be My Eyes and Innosearch Join Forces to Bring Seamless, AI-Powered eCommerce to Blind and Low Vision Users

‍Be My Eyes announced today – on Global Accessibility Awareness Day – a strategic alliance with Innosearch.ai, an AI-powered eCommerce portal. The alliance will provide super-accessible online shopping to the users of the Be My Eyes app,, without the clutter and noise present of many other websites.

Be My Eyes users will benefit from an exclusive 2% cashback credit into their Innosearch account for use against future purchases made through the Be My Eyes app. The service is currently available in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia, with more regions to follow.

The alliance represents a significant step and new direction for Be My Eyes, as it lays the foundations of the Be My Eyes app and the underlying technology platform becoming the de-facto access-tech of choice for people who are blind or have low vision, wherever they are – at home, at work or at play.

bemyeyes.com/news/be-my-eyes-t…
#globalaccessibilityawearnessday
#gaad #a11y #bemyeyes #innosearchai #innosearch #blind #shopping #disability #assistivetech

Be My Eyes to Provide In-App Accessible Shopping for Blind and Low Vision Users with InnoSearch AI - Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes and Innosearch Team Up to Bring Seamless, AI-Powered eCommerce to Blind and Low Vision Users

^{andyb (Be My Eyes)}

Neither Simple, nor Intelligent parking system for disabled drivers.

So, you park, get into your wheelchair, wheel yourself 100m to the building where the scanner is (inside the Medical Centre), scan your badge, wheel yourself 100m back to the car, return the badge, wheel yourself 100m back to the Medical Centre for your appointment.

Could it be ANY more disabled unfriendly?
#stupidity #disability #DisabilityInclusion #medical #commonsense

Real #disabled life:

In theory, our Crock-Pot is one of the pseudo-accessible models. It literally has one physical dial with four distinct clicks: Off, Low, High, and Warm.

Except after not using it for over a year, my #blind partner and I both forgot the order of those clicks. We made a decision to set it to the rightmost position based on logic, because Low and High are both hotter than Warm. Then we asked a sighted person to verify, but the labels are in English and they only speak Spanish so somehow they got mixed up.

The end result is that our raw chicken has been sitting on the Warm setting, in 32 degrees C weather, for 2.5 hours. This is a cascading set of bad circumstances, all because a device manufacturer can't put tactile markers on their products. It's also why I like devices with companion apps, not as an alternative to physical controls but as an extra line of defense and piece of mind against human error.

#accessibility #disability

Being autistic, I am challenged when it comes to communicating effectively with non-autistic people. (#DualEmpathyProblem) This gives me first-hand experience when it comes to the irony of a disability affecting the very means at my disposal to defend myself against bias, prejudice, and bigotry. I find it infuriating when people throw my disability under the bus, calling someone who is behaving like a jerk "autistic" as an insult.

Having said that, most of you are probably nodding your heads, autistic or not. So, I challenge you to consider what it's like for someone with an intellectual disability. What's the most commonly used type of insult for people behaving badly? It's not that they're autistic. It's that they're stupid, have a low IQ, are an idiot... You get the idea.

Intelligence (or lack thereof) does not define a person's worth or moral standing. In fact, it has *nothing* to do with it.

#Disability
#DisabilityRights
#Slurs

Yesterday at the #PlayStation concert, a young, blind man sat next to me.

We got talking and it turns out he is an accessibility consultant for companies, including video game developers and has worked with Sony on God of War and other products!

He goes by his handle: Sightless Kombat.

He is entirely #blind from birth, but loves video games so is passionate about accessibility in the sector.

I told him to come join Mastodon as I think it’s the friendliest social network for visual impairments, he said he was thinking of joining but wasn’t sure which instance was good. I’m not sure if there is one that’s dedicated to visual impairment? I just told him to join mstdn.games 😅

Anyway, here’s his YouTube & Twitch channels, and website if you’re interested in seeing what he has to offer. The dude has platinumed God of War Ragnarok on its hardest difficulty, what a legend!

YouTube: youtube.com/@sightlesskombat?s…

Twitch: twitch.tv/sightlesskombat

Website: sightlesskombat.com/

#disability #disabled #Accessibility

SightlessKombat - Twitch

I'm an award-winning, multi-credited accessibility consultant and gamer without sight from the UK. If you ever thought "how can someone with no sight play a videogame?", you've come to the right place for answers! Relax, say hi and see just how I enj…

^Twitch

I saw a post from someone at a conference saying that they walked out of their hotel to buy a bagel, and instead ended up in the middle of an unexpected antiques show in the street. It got me thinking about how #disability affects spontaneity.

Not in a depressing, woe-is-me sort of way, but from a practical, logistics point of view. Sadly, for many #blind people, this might've gone something like:

Blind Person (BP) to First Hotel Person (HP1): "I want to get a bagel from <bagel shop name>."

HP1: "We have bagels in the hotel, if you'd like me to take you to the restaurant?"

BP: "No, this bagel shop was recommended to me and I've been looking forward to trying it. It's only across the street."

HP1: "Well... I'm not sure. Let me check if anyone is available."

[BP sits awkwardly in lobby for 10 minutes, not knowing if they'll be there long enough to fold their cane or not.]

HP2: "Hi, my colleague tells me you're heading to <bagel shop>; I can take you there now if you're ready?"

BP: "Yep, let's go."

[BP and HP2 head out of the hotel.]

BP: "Wow, what's all this noise?"

HP2: "Oh, there's... an antiques fair I think it is? Happening this weekend outside the hotel."

BP: "Nice. What sort of stuff do they have?"

HP2: "It looks like furniture, pots... stuff like that. We're just here at the bagel shop, let me get the door. One sec."

[HP2 leads blind person inside, leaving them in the hopefully capable hands of their next unexpecting helper and then running back to the hotel as quickly as they can.]

[BP enjoys a bagel, before repeating the whole charade again to get back to the hotel 35 minutes later.]

What they don't do is: explore the antiques fair, pick out a nice piece for a loved one, wander off to find a quieter spot after finding the whole thing ultimately overwhelming, discover an idyllic inner-city oasis, or any number of other things non-disabled people might do without thinking about them upfront.

Living life as a series of planned transactions, all with a defined end point, can be exhausting and kind of sad.

Note: If you've reached this far and are one of those blind people who would've done things differently in this scenario because you have superpowers, please keep your gloating and judgement of others out of the replies.

please help a #disabled, #queer woman cover a payday loan, her phone bill, water bill, credit card bill, & a new shower chair! her birthday is tomorrow & reaching her goal would really make her day 🎈

$227/$495 needed ASAP

paypal.com/paypalme/ourinsatia…

@mutualaid

#disability #mutualAid #MutualAidRequest #BlackMutualAid #DisabilityCrowdfund #autism #actuallyAutistic #neuroDivergent #LGBTQIA #LGBTQ #poverty #DisabilityMutualAid #HelpRequest #HelpFolksLive2025 #canada #queerMutualAid #queerCrowdfund

Zaplaťte uživateli Tasia Smallwood pomocí služby PayPal.Me

Přejděte na adresu paypal.me/ourinsatiabesouls a zadejte částku. Protože jde o PayPal, je to jednoduché a bezpečné. Nemáte účet PayPal? Nevadí.

^PayPal.Me

When I started The Disabled Ginger I sent it to my friends and family … as most of us do.

I was proud that I was finally standing up for disability rights. That I was taking my pain and putting it on the page in an effort to help others. That I had found something that lit a spark inside me.

Unfortunately, many of my friends didn’t feel the same way.

My disabilities are invisible, and I had become very good at hiding them. Apparently that’s what people expected of me, as they didn’t like this “new” version of Kelly.

Almost none of my friends subscribed. What’s worse, many stopped talking to me. Or would only reply in brief texts.

It’s almost been a year since I launched, and my circle is noticeably smaller. Many people I thought I was close with haven’t reached out for nearly 6 months.

When you find your purpose and your passion, it’s an incredible feeling. Hopefully people support you.

Not everyone will. And that’s ok.

It’s painful seeing so many relationships fade away. It hurts knowing they don’t see the value in me now that I’m “officially” disabled.

As painful as it is, it’s also a perfect example of why I became an advocate. Ableism is a huge problem. Being disabled can be incredibly lonely. I wanted to give a voice to those who haven’t yet found theirs.

In the process I’ve met incredible people from all over the world who inspire me to keep going. Who give me a reason to write every day. Who remind me of the compassion, love and goodness that’s still out there.

Thank you to each and every one of you. I couldn’t do this alone.

My latest looks at the reasons we hide, and what would happen if we all decided to stop hiding and show the world the realities of chronic illness:

disabledginger.com/p/why-are-c…

#chronicillness #longcovid #mecfs #ableism #disability #disabilityrights #eugenics

Why Are Chronically Ill People Forced to Hide Their Pain?

And what would happen if we stopped hiding and showed the world the depths of our suffering?

^{Broadwaybabyto (The Disabled Ginger)}

Can we get one more push on this? I need 160 dollars more for clinic and meds, tomorrow (Monday). EMERGENCY.

paypal.me/ramavabray

patreon.com/squirrellilly

#MutualAidRequest #MutualAid #Disabled #TransCrowdfund #disability #DisabilityMutualAid #DisabilityCrowdfund #IndigenousMutualAid #ChronicIllness #HelpFolksLive2025 #lgbt #crowdfund #intersex #gameDev #crowdfund #ChronicIllness #Fundraiser

@mutualaid

Zaplaťte uživateli Jason Burgess pomocí služby PayPal.Me

Přejděte na adresu paypal.me/ramavabray a zadejte částku. Protože jde o PayPal, je to jednoduché a bezpečné. Nemáte účet PayPal? Nevadí.

^PayPal.Me

140/300

We have only one day to get the rest of this money together. The clinic is ~$200 and meds are ~100.

Please help.

paypal.me/ramavabray

patreon.com/squirrellilly

@mutualaid #MutualAidRequest #MutualAid #Disabled #TransCrowdfund #disability #DisabilityMutualAid #DisabilityCrowdfund #IndigenousMutualAid #ChronicIllness #HelpFolksLive2025 #lgbt #crowdfund #intersex #gameDev #crowdfund #ChronicIllness #Fundraiser

🆕 article by @tink

Understanding the European Accessibility Act (EAA)

#a11y #EU #disability #law

tetralogical.com/blog/2025/03/…

Understanding the European Accessibility Act (EAA) - TetraLogical

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) requires that products and services made available to citizens of the European Union (EU) are accessible.

^TetraLogical

That's the dadgum truth, right there.

#disabled #disability #disabilityawareness #spoonie #accessibility #mentalhealth

Since this got so much attention, I'd like to use this moment of sunshine to invite you all to read with us next week:

inkican.com/gsbcw

Okay, this is just stupid! One of the benefits of having a #website is that people can access your services at any time, day or night, right? Well, I just went to the #SocialSecurity website to try and get a benefit verification letter, which I need because I'm trying to reestablish a #VocationalRehabilitation case. I clicked "Sign In" and was greeted by this message:

This service is not available at this time.
Please try again during our regular service hours (Eastern Time):

| Day | Service Hours |
|-----|--------------|
| Monday-Friday | 4:15 a.m. - 1:00 a.m. |
| Saturday | 5:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. |
| Federal Holidays | Same hours as the day the holiday occurs. |

If you need immediate assistance:

• You may call us Monday through Friday: 8:00AM - 7:00PM at: 1-800-772-1213
• If you are deaf or hard-of-hearing, call our toll-free TTY number: 1-800-325-0778

This of the website limitation is especially frustrating for me because I have a #Non24HourSleepWakeDisorder and an unpredictable schedule. It feels like the website is designed without thinking about people like me who need flexibility.
Has anyone else out there had similar issues with government services or other websites?
#Vent #Venting #Disability #ChronicIllness #Accessibility #DisabilityRights #InclusiveDesign #GovernmentServices #PublicServices
@disability@a.gup.pe @disability@beehaw.org @disabilityjustice @accessibility @chronicillness @spooniechat @spoonies

Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, February 27, 2025 - Volume 1004 ♿️
toptechtidbits.com/tidbits2025…

The Week's News in Access Technology
A Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication
#news #technology #accessibility #a11y #disability #blind #deaf #deafblind #toptechtidbits

Top Tech Tidbits. The world's #1 online resource for current news and trends in access technology.

Subscribers: 36,455 🔢️ subscribers were sent this issue via email.

If you think mask bans are “no big deal” because there’s medical exemptions, please consider the following:

😷 Police are not doctors
😷 Many disabilities are invisible
😷 Disabled people don’t live in a bubble. I need my friends and caregivers to mask to protect me
😷 Everyone should have the right to protect their health, you shouldn’t have to already be sick to be permitted to mask
😷 Criminalizing masks sends a message that maskers are “bad”. It emboldens anti-maskers and increases odds of aggression

The reality is that mask bans are discriminatory, ableist and eugenicist. They push disabled people out of public spaces. They put marginalized and POC at increased risk of police profiling.

There’s no official policy for a medical exemption either, it’s at police discretion.

If you’re stopped and questioned, you will have to prove you’re masking for the “right reasons”

I’m more than willing to admit that if I were stopped by a cop for masking, I would appear nervous, shaky, tachycardic and probably “suspicious”.

Not because I’m doing anything wrong, but because my illnesses do not respond well to stress and the police are stressful.

It’s not right to put the onus on the masker to defend their right to mask. We’re still in a global pandemic. Texas has a measles outbreak. There’s tuberculosis in Kansas. Bird flu is spreading and it’s the worst year for influenza A in over a decade.

Masks are a public health tool. They’re a disability accommodation. They should NOT be criminalized.

For more on mask bans and medical exemptions, I wrote an article on the Nassau County ban here:

disabledginger.com/p/nassau-co…

#nomaskban #uspoli #texas #northcarolina #maskban #disability #uglylaws #publichealth #ableism #eugenics #h5n1 #measles #longcovid #covidisairborne

Nassau County, NY Makes Masking Illegal - Why Medical Exemptions Aren't the Answer

Defendants of mask bans point to medical exemptions as proof that disabled people have nothing to worry about. They're wrong. A look at why bans are ableist, discriminatory and dangerous.

^{Broadwaybabyto (The Disabled Ginger)}

🆕 article from @TetraLogical

Meet Josh: a sportsman who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy

"The missing piece is usability testing with disabled users. Even with good intentions, accessibility efforts can fall short without real user involvement."

#disability #a11y

tetralogical.com/blog/2025/02/…

Meet Josh: a sportsman who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy - TetraLogical

Meet Josh, a sportsman who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Between training for the Olympics and his busy day job, Josh talks to us about how navigating the web is constantly evolving, how he adapts to various assistive technologies, and his hopes and c…

^TetraLogical

Tomorrow will be a dark day for many.

For disabled, marginalized, LGBTQ+ folks & women. For anyone who still cares about others

The disability community saw this coming. It’s important we listen & understand that labelling people as expendable for 5 years leads nowhere good

Since November we’ve watched hate win over and over again.

We’ve witnessed the emboldening of those who think they’re superior to others.

We’ve seen an increase in misogyny, bigotry, ableism, racism & discrimination.

Disabled people begged the Left to pay attention. We begged you to keep masking, to push for clean air, to demand accountability from government.

We implored you to realize that our lives are not less important than your ability to go out for brunch.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people on both sides of the aisle decided that mitigating COVID was “too hard.”

They accepted repeat infections as inevitable so they wouldn’t have to adapt their lives in any way.

They threw away people like me.

We let hate win. And now we’re going to see the consequences of that decision.

Disabled people weren’t surprised in November, we’ve been living in what feels like an alternate reality for years.

But I suspect others are about to feel our pain.

If you’re feeling scared or angry right now, know that you’re not alone. There’s a community standing with you.

I don’t know exactly what comes next, but I do know we have to keep up the fight.

disabledginger.com/p/how-did-w…

#disability #COVIDisAirborne #covidisnotover #uspol #ableism #eugenics #trump #pandemic #longcovid

How Did We Get Here and What Comes Next?

Disabled people have been warning others for nearly 5 years that eugenicist Covid policies would lead to a rise of fascist, racist, bigoted, misogynistic hatred. It's here now. So what’s next?

^{Broadwaybabyto (The Disabled Ginger)}

Recent commentary on OpenAI's O3 large language model suggests, even to me as a non-expert, that it exhibits remarkable problem solving performance and adaptability to tasks for which it was not trained. If this line of research continues successfully, our prior assumptions about the limitations of machine learning systems may be due for revision, including our understanding of the relationship between AI and disability. The assumption reflected in the literature has been that AI systems have little capacity to respond appropriately to human diversity without detailed training in disability-related scenarios - whatever those are for the specific application. This view may soon cease to be valid, or at least not hold to the same extent as it does presently.

arcprize.org/blog/oai-o3-pub-b…
#AI #MachineLearning #disability #discrimination

OpenAI o3 Breakthrough High Score on ARC-AGI-Pub

OpenAI o3 scores 75.7% on ARC-AGI public leaderboard.

^{ARC Prize}

How do you feel about the fact that in the United States people with disabilities can be paid a sub-minimum wage?

Today is the last day to submit a comment to the Federal Register asking for an end to this practice. Right now, people who profit off the back of this exploitation are flooding it with comments.

Allies: please don't miss the opportunity to even the score. It takes less than 5 minutes.

federalregister.gov/documents/…

#Disability #USPol #EqualRights

🏧Aira Access at Chase Banks, Nationwide 🏦

Aira is now available at every Chase Bank branch in the U.S.! Bank customers can connect with a visual interpreter on-demand while in any branch, using Chase Bank ATMs, or when accessing online banking services. All calls are free of charge with the Chase Bank access offer.

"As a Chase customer and Aira user, I'm excited at the added accessibility this offer gives me! I love that I can call in and get the support I need to use the ATM or navigate the store on my own terms." - Aira Explorer

This full roll-out follows a successful pilot at 46 Chase Bank Innovation Lab locations as Chase expands efforts to meet the needs of its blind and low vision members.

Full Article: aira.io/aira-at-chase/

#accessibility #disability #DisabilityAwareness #inclusion #AccessibleTechnology

Just did the "Global Digital Accessibility Salary Survey" by #WebAim. Looking forward to the results!

If you want to participate, go here:

webaim.org/projects/salary/sur…

The link on the website shown after submitting the survey is wrong, by the way...

#a11y #accessibility #disability #survey #salary

Before you tell a disabled person that they need to “just make the healthcare worker mask”… please understand the imbalance of power that exists in hospital settings.

We can’t “just make them” do anything. If they refuse -our options are to take the risk or go without care.

There’s little recourse when a HCW refuses to mask - there’s almost NO recourse that exists in the moment.

You can file a complaint after the fact - but if the care you require is urgent or an emergency - that won’t help you

Imagine you’re taken to the emergency room with an urgent (or life threatening) issue. The doctor comes in and refuses to wear a mask.

Do you walk out? Throw a fit? These are not good options

Even if you manage to keep your composure and strongly advocate for them to reconsider - the longer you argue the more potential virus you’re being exposed to.

The more you “annoy” the staff - the greater the odds of retaliation or reduction in care.

This isn’t like telling a friend or a colleague to mask. The dynamic is completely different.

HCWs have the ability to help you or harm you. You want them on your side.

A note in your chart indicating you’re anxious, difficult, non compliant etc can follow you around and impact all your care going forward. Getting charts corrected and notes removed is a time consuming and difficult process

As a result many patients don’t push the issue. They delay medical care as long as possible and then just cross their fingers they will get a compassionate HCW when they do finally go.

These delays can also cause harm - and shouldn’t be necessary.

Hospitals have never been terribly safe places. They’re where the strongest and most resistant bugs thrive. They’re also where the sickest and most vulnerable people are.

At least before Covid it felt like hospitals were TRYING to prevent infection.

These days it’s as though any amount of infection control is seen as weak. People are actually bragging about how many times they’ve had Covid or about the risks they’re taking with their health. Staff aren’t masking even around babies, cancer & transplant patients

We have to change course. Our healthcare systems could barely handle the amount of chronic illness they were facing before Covid - they certainly can’t handle the constant influx of disabled patients and staff that Covid is causing.

This is why we need mandatory masks in healthcare settings. The responsibility to keep themselves and others safe should NOT fall on the vulnerable patient.

Many are unable to advocate for themselves - and others are unable to mask.

Mandatory masking protects everyone

Lastly - the solution to this problem should not be “don’t go to the hospital”. It’s not right to make ANY patient feel like they’re wrong for seeking care. Like they’ve somehow “failed” if they end up with Covid.

Until you’re facing a life threatening emergency or serious health challenges - you can’t possibly know what you would do.

Is it scary to go to the hospital right now? Of course. Is it also necessary? Absolutely.

Patients should never be blamed for needing care or for being unable to get HCWs to mask. The system is failing us - we aren’t failing each other.

If you need the hospital - you have all my love & support. It’s impossibly hard - and I will keep fighting to make it better.

As long as hospitals refuse to do what’s right to prevent COVID (hello clean air & mandatory masking)… the onus is unfairly on the PATIENT to avoid COVID.

My guide offers tips to reduce your risk of hospital acquired COVID (and other HAIs)

disabledginger.com/p/how-to-st…

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans

How to Stay Covid Safe When in Hospital

A guide to navigating the risk of hospital acquired Covid - as well as how to manage overall risk of nosocomial infections and hospital derived complications.

^{Broadwaybabyto (The Disabled Ginger)}

The G7 countries had a meeting on disability and inclusion for the first time ever.

These groups should really take the next step and add ableism to the meeting topics as it is where lack of inclusion stems from.

g7disabilityinclusion.it/en/g7… @disability #Ableism #Economy #Disability

Reading WITHOUT Sight: Challenging the Ableist Assumptions of Non-Visual Literacy

In today’s world, where accessibility is supposedly ever-expanding, comments on how blind people read – or rather, whether we “really” read – reveal a significant amount of latent ableism. When someone remarks, “You’re not really reading because you have to listen to it,” they are unwittingly touching on deep-seated biases that marginalize blind people and our experience. For me, as a blind person, these comments feel aggressive, like a slur that undermines not only my intellect but my very existence within a literate society. The underlying suggestion that my method of consuming literature is somehow less legitimate than traditional reading reflects a lack of understanding and a failure to appreciate the richness of alternative literacy.

At its core, this statement implies that visual reading is the only valid form of reading – an attitude deeply rooted in ableist assumptions. Just as the sighted world learns and adapts to new ways of accessing information, blind people, too, use technology to bridge gaps that were once insurmountable. By suggesting that listening to an audiobook or using a screen reader is inferior to reading with one’s eyes, the speaker perpetuates a narrow view of literacy that excludes anyone who does not fit their narrow definition of a reader.

The Emotional Impact of Dismissive Comments

Hearing such remarks can be hurtful. When someone tells me I’m not “really reading,” they trivialize the effort, love, and passion I pour into every book. Reading, in any form, is more than just a mechanical process; it’s an engagement with ideas, narratives, and emotions. Denying my capacity to “really” read is akin to erasing my agency in choosing to explore literature. It dismisses my experience and can feel like a personal attack, minimizing my intelligence and curiosity.

Moreover, these comments strip away the nuances of my identity and life experience as a blind person. They ignore the reality that many of us navigate systems not designed with us in mind, yet we adapt with resilience and creativity. Listening to a book, for me, is as much an engagement with its content as sighted reading is for others. This medium allows me to dive into narratives, to imagine worlds, and to connect with characters just as vividly as if I were reading visually. Such a remark does not just invalidate my experience, but it also points to a societal failure to recognize and celebrate the diverse ways people interact with literature.

Understanding the Roots of Ableism

Ableism, at its core, stems from a belief that certain abilities, like sight, are inherently superior. This mindset manifests in the way sighted people sometimes view adaptations like screen readers or braille as substitutes, rather than as equally valid methods of accessing information. This thought pattern diminishes the lived experiences of blind individuals and subtly implies that we’re only half-participating in the world of literature. The comment reflects an ideology that upholds one mode of experiencing the world as ideal, while relegating others to second-class status.

Furthermore, literacy is a concept that should not be defined by sensory modality. Whether through braille, audio, or screen readers, blind readers engage in the same cognitive processes of understanding and analying text. These methods are not merely compensatory but rather alternate pathways that lead to the same destination.

Responding Constructively

Addressing this kind of ableism requires a blend of assertiveness and education. In responding to these comments, I could say something like, “When you suggest that I’m not really reading, it feels as if you’re diminishing my engagement with the text. For me, listening to a book offers the same intellectual and emotional journey as sighted reading does for you. It’s not about the method; it’s about the experience of connecting with the material. I’d appreciate it if we could acknowledge that there are many valid ways to be a reader.”

By framing the response in this way, I affirm my own experience while gently inviting the person to reconsider their assumptions. Another approach could be to highlight the diversity of literacy methods available today: “There’s a wide range of ways people can read now, whether through audio, braille, or text-to-speech technology. These methods open up the world of literature to more people and should be celebrated rather than diminished.”

My hope is that, in responding to these comments, I can foster a moment of reflection for others. Reading is about engaging with ideas and stories, not about the medium through which we access them. Ableist remarks about non-visual reading, though sometimes spoken thoughtlessly, present an opportunity to open minds and broaden perspectives. By sharing my experience, I contribute to a more inclusive understanding of literacy and help to dismantle the harmful stereotypes that still persist.

Conclusion

Reading is not an act confined to the eyes; it is an intellectual and emotional endeavour that transcends sensory modality. For many blind people, it is the ultimate expression of our love for stories, our curiosity, and our intellect. When someone diminishes my experience as “not really reading,” they underscore a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to be a reader. As we continue to expand our understanding of accessibility, it is crucial to challenge and reframe such biases. Only by doing so can we begin to recognize and respect the many ways in which people interact with the written word, enriching our collective experience of literature in all its forms.

#Ableism #Accessibility #Audible #Blind #Braille #Disability #Equality #Inclusion #Kindle

Ugly laws will be enforced in Louisville. Medical masks will be allowed at “police discretion”.

Police chief says: “We do have to look at behavior of person, what they're doing at time, those kinds of things."

I have a disability that makes me LOOK nervous. I “appear” like I could be doing something wrong. As a result these bans terrify me.

Disabled people have been begging others to mask for years because we were afraid of this exact outcome.

Failure to normalize masking means those of us who NEED to wear them are seen as outliers. Deviants. Possibly criminals. There’s a target on our back.

Medical exemptions are not the answer - they leave too many people behind.

Everyone should have the right to protect themselves from a deadly & disabling virus. Whether already disabled or not.

Banning masks and then saying that the police will determine who is “legit” in wearing one based on their overall behaviour? Its terrifying.

This is exactly HOW profiling occurs. These bans will disproportionately impact marginalized individuals and people of colour.

They could also impact someone with a condition like mine. I’m immune compromised and high risk for Covid complications - so I ALWAYS wear a fitted respirator when I’m outside my home.

I also have dysautonomia - a literal malfunctioning of my autonomic nervous system.

If I’m upright - I “look” nervous. I’m sweaty, shaky, twitchy and sometimes wobbling. I’ve been accused of being drunk in public on MANY occasions.

It’s not my fault - Dysautonomia means I can’t regulate my blood pressure, heart rate, sweating & even pupil dilation.

The things that cops are trained to look for and consider “suspicious” are all symptoms of my disease.

In the past - the worst thing I had to worry about was being accused of public drunkenness. Even THAT was scary for me.

Mask bans mean I could be arrested and charged with a crime. Just for trying to keep myself & others safe.

I tell this story to encourage others to speak up against mask bans. To mask up in solidarity and help us normalize them so they will be harder to ban.

To encourage people to stop assuming if you have a “legitimate medical reason” you won’t have to worry. We DO worry.

We need less judgement, assumptions and gaslighting and more allies. These laws are dangerous. They will lead to more death, disability AND division.

Many of us have difficulty convincing HCWs of our illnesses - what hope do we have with police?

Please - if you CAN mask - now is the time. You don’t have to wait for a mandate or permission. You can choose to say “enough is enough” & be part of the solution. Break chains of transmission. Protect the vulnerable. Don’t allow government to decide who is & isn’t expendable.

We all have power and agency and can choose to do the right thing. We don’t have to sit idly by and accept repeated covid infections & exclusion of disabled people from public life.

Let’s work together and stop these bans before it’s too late.

wdrb.com/news/louisville-polic…

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #UglyLaws

I called EMS once and police showed up before paramedics (paramedics were busy).

The first thing they said? “You don’t look sick.”

They waited for paramedics who took me to hospital - but that initial response stuck with me.

It’s why mask bans are dangerous. Police aren’t trained to make medical decisions. They shouldn’t be the ones deciding who can and can’t legally wear a mask.

Many illnesses are invisible - you wouldn’t KNOW we’re disabled to look at us.

Most of us have experienced gaslighting from friends, family and even doctors - people are quick to judge and decide you’re “not that sick.”

So are we really expected to risk criminal charges by wearing a respirator & just HOPE police will believe we truly “need it”?

Not to mention that medical exemptions leave behind anyone who wants to mask to protect and preserve their health - as well as caregivers and family of disabled people.

We rely on them to keep us safe - we NEED them masking in public.

I sincerely hope more people join the fight against mask bans soon - because if we don’t fight against them - more cities and states will pass them and more people will suffer.

A good respirator is excellent protection against covid & other illnesses.

We shouldn’t be further excluding disabled and high risk people from public - but that’s exactly what these ugly laws do.

Call your elected officials - tell them medical masks can not and should not be banned.

Don’t embrace escalating fascism and eugenics just because you don’t think it will impact you.

Don’t celebrate it because you hold a grudge about mask mandates.

It won’t stop with disabled people. Help us now & your future self will thank you.

My full article on mask bans, medical exemptions and how we’re witnessing (and even welcoming) escalating eugenics and fascism: disabledginger.com/p/we-are-wi…

#CovidIsAirborne #CovidCautious #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir #WearaMask #Disability #LongCovid #Ableism #Denial #CleanAir #Pandemic #PublicHealth #InfectionControl #Eugenics #SafeHealthcare #N95 #Respirators #MasksWork #MaskUp #Spoonie #Discrimination #Dysautonomia #mecfs #pots #mcas #communitycare #wearamask #chronicillness #keepmasksinhealthcare #MaskBans #NoMaskBans #bullying #CleanAirClassrooms #UglyLaws