Hi Friends!

It's the last weekend of data collection for my thesis survey on disability, so if you're 18 or older and identify as disabled or partially-disabled (even if you live outside the U.S.) I'd love to hear from you! The survey is about how social friction is perceived in interactions between disabled and able-bodied people, and takes about 15 minutes to complete. It's also completely anonymous.

As an incentive for participation, there's an optional raffle that you can participate in for the chance to win an Amazon gift card (yep, even if you live outside the U.S.).

"Let Me Get That For You": Analyzing Frictional Situations in a Disability Context (via Google Forms)

Big thanks to everyone who has already completed the survey, and if you fall into that group, you don't need to take it again.

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This research survey has received approval (IRB number 2025-037) from Delta State's Institutional Review Board.

My husband and I became catechumens in the EOC for which we are incredibly grateful. Here’s my dilemma though.

I can’t attend Divine Liturgy because of my chronic illness. The priest is very understanding of this and is genuinely trying to accommodate us the best anyone can.

He wants us to get plugged into the community despite my limitations and is thinking of safe ways for us to do so, since I am immunocompromised and my husband (who has lupus) is also facing potential new health concerns. Though we want community as well, I am having debilitating anxiety around it.

My illness is so unpredictable. I have good days and bad days. Some days, I need my wheelchair or another mobility aid (which I don’t like using because I don’t like being vulnerable but I NEED to use them for safety and/or energy preservation). But other days, I do not need anything. Chronic illness has SO MANY facets and triggers and layers of unpredictability! In the past, many people (mostly people from our old church) have accused me of faking my disability when they’ve seen me on a good day, or when they’ve seen me without a mobility aid after needing one a previous day. They’ve told me I’m making excuses, that I’m faking for attention, etc.

No one but my husband ever sees the “details” of my chronic illness, after all. They don’t see me when I’m curled up all night on the bathroom floor bc of gastroparesis agonizing and crying for it all to end, or being SO extremely fatigued due to POTS that I can’t move a limb out of bed. They didn’t see me when I fell that morning which warranted me using my rollator for the rest of the day to prevent another concussion. They don’t see the painful internal struggle of trying to walk in the summer heat without support. Anyone with a chronic illness can relate!

People from my last church (not an OC) said hurtful things and more and told me I’m going to hell for a number of reasons- because I don’t have kids, because I don’t go to church on Sundays etc. i had poured my soul into that parish. Then, everyone left. We felt abandoned.

This served as the catalyst to question our faith -tradition, theology, and everything- and ultimately, everything came together to lead us to Orthodoxy which is a HUGE blessing! But I’m just SO EMOTIONAL because though I’m more than ready to embrace the fullness of faith and the Sacraments when the time comes, I don’t think I can ever be a part of a community.

It’s exhausting to have to try to explain the ins- and- outs of my illness to new people, many of whom wouldn’t even believe me. And I just don’t want to get hurt again. I know it’s wrong of me to assume that every new person I meet will eventually judge me and leave, but that’s just what we’ve consistently experienced. That’s all we know. I have a small circle of friends, and I’ve known all of them for many years - those friendships have stood the test of time and I’m grateful for them.

I honestly don’t know why I’m making this dumb post. I’m not trying to throw myself a pity party, I just need a place to vent and let it all out. I’m also just in a totally bad headspace right now and my anxiety levels overall are insanely high with my husband preparing for a high stakes surgery in a few days and me having side effects from the rescue medication I had to take last night. But if you’re reading this and have any advice, please tell me. And please pray for us. Please pray for peace and healing in our lives, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Please pray that i can stop myself from spiraling into depression - I can feel it happening. I feel like a burden to my husband and the few friends I have and the devil is probably angry that I made the decision to become a catechumen. Please pray that we can find joy this Pascha, even though we are separated from the Church, knowing that we rejoice in Jesus’s resurrection. The pain runs deep but His love runs deeper.

Thank you. 🤍

I also would like to add Bill Shannon as a great source of reference poses for cool crutch positions. He is a wonderful dancer and disability activist and I love his work so much. Hope you enjoy this visual breakdown of some of the poses of Shannon Technique!

Crutches poses

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@fishdavidson in Disabled Hardcore Life community

I'm running a survey for my graduate thesis at Delta State University about how social friction is perceived in interactions between disable

This is an archive link of a previous post I made on January 23, 2025, so I can grab the link for citation and inclusion in thesis appendices. If the link doesn't display the text or you aren't a member of the community in which it was posted, this is what it said:

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I'm running a survey for my graduate thesis at Delta State University about how social friction is perceived in interactions between disabled and able-bodied people. The survey probably takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and I'm looking for respondents from individuals 18 or older who identify as disabled or partially-disabled. If you've already completed the survey, you don't need to do it again. As an incentive for participation, there's an optional raffle that you can participate in for the chance to win an Amazon gift card. Both the survey and the raffle are open to individuals outside the US!

"Let Me Get That For You": Analyzing Frictional Situations in a Disability Context (via Google Forms)

Thank you everyone who has participated in the survey so far, and special thanks to the people who helped identify places where the survey could be improved!

This research survey has received approval (IRB number 2025-037) from Delta State's Institutional Review Board.

ayo this pretty cool

Redpillinnovations

Open Source Wheelchairs

This page provides information on open source wheelchairs.

[id: active style manual wheelchair with frame made of rectangle wood planks screwed together. end id]

as we know active type wheelchair very expensive, & repair need buy from specific medical manufacturer n take very long time. someone (who wheelchair user themself of near 40 years) made open source active manual wheelchair where most (if not all?) material from commercial easy get materials! wood, plastic, pvc pipe, & those commercial aluminum square pipe things. n they put guide made them yourself in link for anyone want try make

this video from their instagram show their wood frame wheelchair actually pretty durable, include clip from everyday use & even drop wheelchair all over place (basically imagine what airline do to them…) - n wheelchair stay in tact! n even if some part break - it easy change because wood planks all screwed together so you just buy wood plank & unscrew & rescrew.

not great for people w advanced seating positioning needs probably (think if only problem is easy butt pressure sore, maybe can still use this + supportive cushion but think beyond that it get hard). but if like you don’t need those things then maybe fun project?

have not use for self so can’t actually talk about experience but it look pretty cool

"gnc straight man being called a faggot doesn't experience homophobia" what the fuck are you talking about. there's absolutely no logic in anything like that. we have kids who literally killed themselves because of homophobic abuse in schools and you would dare to tell them it isn't homophobia that killed them because they weren't actually gay? insane. and so fucking cruel

everyone dunking on that automated fleshlight sex toy needs to remember that disabled people get horny too ok 💜

Where to Start Your Research When Writing a Disabled Character

[large text: Where to Start Your Research When Writing a Disabled Character]

So you have decided that you want to make a disabled character! Awesome. But what's next? What information should you decide on at the early phrase of making the character?

This post will only talk about the disability part of the character creation process. Obviously, a disabled character needs a personality, interests, and backstory as every other one. But by including their disability early in the process, you can actually get it to have a deeper effect on the character - disability shouldn't be their whole life, but it should impact it. That's what disabilities do.

If you don't know what disability you would want to give them in the first place;

[large text: If you don't know what disability you would want to give them in the first place;]

Start broad. Is it sensory, mobility related, cognitive, developmental, autoimmune, neurodegenerative; maybe multiple of these, or maybe something else completely? Pick one and see what disabilities it encompasses; see if anything works for your character. Or...

If you have a specific symptom or aid in mind, see what could cause them. Don't assume or guess; not every wheelchair user is vaguely paralyzed below the waist with no other symptoms, not everyone with extensive scarring got it via physical trauma. Or...

Consider which disabilities are common in real life. Cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, stroke, cataracts, diabetes, intellectual disability, neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, thyroid disorders, autism, dwarfism, arthritis, cancers, brain damage, just to name a few.

Decide what specific type of condition they will have. If you're thinking about them having albinism, will it be ocular, oculocutaneous, or one of the rare syndrome-types? If you want to give them spinal muscular atrophy, which of the many possible onsets will they have? If they have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which one out of the 13 different types do they have? Is their amputation below, or above the knee (it's a major difference)? Not all conditions will have subtypes, but it's worth looking into to not be surprised later. This will help you with further research.

If you're really struggling with figuring out what exact disability would make sense for your character, you can send an ask. Just make sure that you have tried the above and put actual specifics in your ask to give us something to work with. You can also check out our "disabled character ideas" tag.

Here are some ideas for a character using crutches.

Here are some ideas for a character with a facial difference (obligatory link: what is a facial difference?).

If you already know what disability your character is going to have;

[large text: If you already know what disability your character is going to have;]

Start by reading about the onset and cause of the condition. It could be acquired, congenital, progressive, potentially multiple of these. They could be caused by an illness, trauma, or something else entirely. Is your character a congenital amputee, or is it acquired? If acquired - how recently? Has it been a week, or 10 years? What caused them to become disabled - did they have meningitis, or was it an accident? Again, check what your options are - there are going to be more diverse than you expect.

Read about the symptoms. Do not assume or guess what they are. You will almost definitely discover something new. Example: a lot of people making a character with albinism don't realize that it has other symptoms than just lack of melanin, like nystagmus, visual impairment, and photophobia. Decide what your character experiences, to what degree, how frequently, and what do they do (or don't do) to deal with it.

Don't give your character only the most "acceptable" symptoms of their disability and ignore everything else. Example: many writers will omit the topic of incontinence in their para- and tetraplegic characters, even though it's extremely common. Don't shy away from aspects of disability that aren't romanticized.

Don't just... make them abled "because magic". If they're Deaf, don't give them some ability that will make them into an essentially hearing person. Don't give your blind character some "cheat" so that they can see, give them a cane. Don't give an amputee prosthetics that work better than meat limbs. To have a disabled character you need to have a character that's actually disabled. There's no way around it.

Think about complications your character could experience within the story. If your character wears their prosthetic a lot, they might start to experience skin breakdown or pain. Someone who uses a wheelchair a lot has a risk of pressure sores. Glowing and Flickering Fantasy Item might cause problems for someone photophobic or photosensitive. What do they do when that happens, or how do they prevent that from happening?

Look out for comorbidities. It's rare for disabled people to only have one medical condition and nothing else. Disabilities like to show up in pairs. Or dozens.

If relevant, consider mobility aids, assistive devices, and disability aids. Wheelchairs, canes, rollators, braces, AAC, walkers, nasal cannulas, crutches, white canes, feeding tubes, braillers, ostomy bags, insulin pumps, service dogs, trach tubes, hearing aids, orthoses, splints... the list is basically endless, and there's a lot of everyday things that might count as a disability aid as well - even just a hat could be one for someone whose disability requires them to stay out of the sun. Make sure that it's actually based on symptoms, not just your assumptions - most blind people don't wear sunglasses, not all people with SCI use a wheelchair, upper limb prosthetics aren't nearly as useful as you think. Decide which ones your character could have, how often they would use them, and if they switch between different aids.

Basically all of the above aids will have subtypes or variants. There is a lot of options. Does your character use an active manual wheelchair, a powerchair, or a generic hospital wheelchair? Are they using high-, or low-tech AAC? What would be available to them? Does it change over the course of their story, or their life in general?

If relevant, think about what treatment your character might receive. Do they need medication? Physical therapy? Occupational therapy? Orientation and mobility training? Speech therapy? Do they have access to it, and why or why not?

What is your character's support system? Do they have a carer; if yes, then what do they help your character with and what kind of relationship do they have? Is your character happy about it or not at all?

How did their life change after becoming disabled? If your character goes from being an extreme athlete to suddenly being a full-time wheelchair user, it will have an effect - are they going to stop doing sports at all, are they going to just do extreme wheelchair sports now, or are they going to try out wheelchair table tennis instead? Do they know and respect their new limitations? Did they have to get a different job or had to make their house accessible? Do they have support in this transition, or are they on their own - do they wish they had that support?

What about *other* characters? Your character isn't going to be the only disabled person in existence. Do they know other disabled people? Do they have a community? If your character manages their disability with something that's only available to them, what about all the other people with the same disability?

What is the society that your character lives in like? Is the architecture accessible? How do they treat disabled people? Are abled characters knowledgeable about disabilities? How many people speak the local sign language(s)? Are accessible bathrooms common, or does your character have to go home every few hours? Is there access to prosthetists and ocularists, or what do they do when their prosthetic leg or eye requires the routine check-up?

Know the tropes. If a burn survivor character is an evil mask-wearer, if a powerchair user is a constantly rude and ungrateful to everyone villain, if an amputee is a genius mechanic who fixes their own prosthetics, you have A Trope. Not all tropes are made equal; some are actively harmful to real people, while others are just annoying or boring by the nature of having been done to death. During the character creation process, research what tropes might apply and just try to trace your logic. Does your blind character see the future because it's a common superpower in their world, or are you doing the ancient "Blind Seer" trope?

Remember, that not all of the above questions will come up in your writing, but to know which ones won't you need to know the answers to them first. Even if you don't decide to explicitly name your character's condition, you will be aware of what they might function like. You will be able to add more depth to your character if you decide that they have T6 spina bifida, rather than if you made them into an ambiguous wheelchair user with ambiguous symptoms and ambiguous needs. Embrace research as part of your process and your characters will be better representation, sure, but they will also make more sense and seem more like actual people; same with the world that they are a part of.

This post exists to help you establish the basics of your character's disability so that you can do research on your own and answer some of the most common ("what are symptoms of x?") questions by yourself. If you have these things already established, it will also be easier for us to answer any possible questions you might have - e.g. "what would a character with complete high-level paraplegia do in a world where the modern kind of wheelchair has not been invented yet?" is much more concise than just "how do I write a character with paralysis?" - I think it's more helpful for askers as well; a vague answer won't be much help, I think.

I hope that this post is helpful!

Mod Sasza

I think the reason a lot of leftists struggle with disability justice is that they haven't moved past the concept that discrimination isn't bad because it's objectively "wrong." yes, sexists are objectively wrong when they try to claim women are dumber than men. yes, antisemites are objectively wrong that jewish people are inherently greedy and run the state. yes, racists are wrong when they try to claim that white people are the superior race. and so on.

but then with disabled people, there are a lot of objective truths to the discrimination we face. people with IDs/LDs do fall behind and struggle with certain concepts. physically disabled people are often weaker and less capable of performing demanding tasks than able bodied people. many of us with mental illnesses are more reckless and less responsible. a lot of us are dependent on others and do not contribute much "worth".

and guess what? disabled people still deserve a place in the world. disabled people still deserve the supports they need. because they are people, and that should be enough to support them and believe they deserve a place at the table.

if your only rebuttal against discrimination is its objective inaccuracies, you are meeting bigots where they are at. you are validating the very concept that if and when people are truly incapable of being equal to the majority, that means they are worth less. this causes some leftists to then try to deny the objective realities of disabled people and/or become ableist themselves.

your rallying behind marginalized groups should start and end with the fact that people are completely worthy of life and equity, because they are fellow human beings and that should, frankly, be enough.