Comic: Stop mocking accessibility and mobility tools for the disabled and elderly
Almost ANY products that make physical tasks easier are always a subject of controversy among The Ableds.
by JeCorey Holder
Between these edgy ass jibes about “Darwinism” and brushing off superviruses as “just a flu” as if people aren’t out here dying from the flu every season, this Covid-19 quarantine seems to be making ableism even more apparent than usual.
Now we know people on mobility scooters are always the subject of scorn and high-key classism, but it seems almost ANY products that make physical tasks easier are always a subject of controversy among The Ableds.
Because they have nothing better to do.
RELATED: Yup. Non-profit culture and performative activism perpetuate ableism and anti-Blackness
Devices that help people put on their socks, hold jugs for effortless pouring, and make opening jars simpler all seem to have their own forums of people who are utterly outraged about their existence. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here, minding my quarantined business, wondering how folks have the nerve to say all this shit about people using these devices and then turn around and use a smartphone or a computer?
I mean, it is easy and far too common to overlook people with invisible disabilities such as cystic fibrosis and nerve damage. But what is their beef with the people who have clearly visible disabilities who could use these devices to make their lives a little easier?
While writing their hot-takes on “laziness”, did folks forget about people with obvious physical injuries and disabilities? The elderly gran-mammies and pappies they never talk to?
If one is not living life in constant pain to the point where they can’t do simple every-day tasks, put the keyboard aside and take this time to consider why such devices can be necessary before having to learn the hard way. Lord knows, most people complaining about them wouldn’t last a week in the shoes of the disabled.
Please never forget that all it takes is one bad day to lose most, if not *all*, of that able-bodied privilege.
RELATED: Medical Ableism is a Cultural and Institutional Issue, not an Individual Problem
Gamer, geek, and social activist. JeCorey Holder has been weaving tapestries of shade and fury since the early 2000’s. Pro-LGBTQ, pro-black, and pro intersectional feminism, he is full of feelings and opinions that try to call out and tear down the oppressive status quo.
