I'm in the US and I am getting really annoyed at this. I am not hard of hearing myself but I keep noticing how inaccessible this sort of thing is. I couldn't cancel Xfinity online; I had to call them on the phone. It seems really fishy to make it even harder for disabled people to cancel their subscription.
My bf is kinda forcing me to do this because I've been letting my disability take over my life. I'm 20 years old, and I'm a female if that's at all relevant. I've been to a bunch of different specialists and none of them know what's wrong with me I have moments where I faint or my body just goes limp I'm constantly exhausted and its only gotten worse over the years. From the tests I've gotten done, there's nothing wrong with my brain, heart, or lungs. I don't have POTS or narcolepsy. If I'm being honest, I've completely given up. I lay in bed all day because that's all I can handle most days. If I'm lucky, I can sit on the couch and cross stitch. I can't go out on my own, but I also don't have friends who have cars or free time, and my bf just got a job, so I can't rely on him to drive me around. I'm just stuck. I'm depressed amd honestly, I wanna give up.
Ok, this is an extremely complicated situation so I’m going to try and list all the contributing factors in the situation as briefly as possible)
My (18M) GF (X20) is getting her wisdom teeth out tomorrow. We have set up as many supports beforehand that we could (plenty of easy activities she can do in bed, plenty of foods she can eat, her mom is up for tomorrow and Thursday till midday, lots of comfort items) so all I’m worried about is her emotions and supporting her through that and through the pain.
We are both autistic and I have fibromyalgia (and highly suspected ME/CFS) and often use forearm crutches to move around (besides at work and in our one bedroom apartment)
I need advice on how I can support her and care for her after her mom leaves till she is healed. I will now list all the things to keep in mind
If there is anything else you feel you need to know, let me know.
Edit #2: So emotional I forgot to say that I acquired this disability from that job.
ETA: Just remembered. I want to reassure everyone I am not having any dark thoughts or anything dangerous just really angry, sad and feeling alone.
I was recently forced to resign from my job of over a decade because my disability became medically incompatible with an essential function. My employer rejected every meaningful accommodation, ignored multiple medical professionals who warned that what they were offering was unsafe, and left me with the choice of testing something unsafe for my condition or eventually being fired.
I’m devastated. I’m cleared to work anywhere except this specific job, and I’m working with vocational rehabilitation, but right now I’m having a really hard time seeing hope for the future. I keep crying on and off.
I did talk to lawyers, and I have a case that could potentially go to court, but they and my medical providers advised me not to do it because it would make me more sick. I've been trying to line up a new job for over six months before it got to this point, but its the toughest job market I've ever seen (U.S.). Has anyone else been through something like this? I’d really like to know I’m not alone.
I don't belong here. I'm not disabled enough.
My issues are minimal compared to many on this Reddit but I have some questions.
I am 76 years old and due to new physical limitations I find I need to use a Rollator to get around when I am outside the house.
Simple question: what do you do at the movies? On an airplane? What about when you are in crowds like a street festival?
Simple stuff but all new to me.
Thanks
My girlfriend became disabled like a year ago and navigating it as her partner has been confusing, anytime we go out its a battle of me having to use all my strength to push her up ramps that were 100% originally meant for bikes or something and then they just went oh wait ig this counts as a wheelchair ramp cool no need to do that then!
One restaurant we went to had online "wheelchair accessible" oh cool! How convenient! WRONG!! They had removed the actual ramp and button for the door!! Why?? Who knows!!
I can clearly see that shes also mad but also just tired, being disabled takes a lot of energy and you might not have much left to be mad but I have all the energy in the world and I will use it to be upset with the world!!
ALSO!! ONE TIME THE WHEELCHAIR ELEVATOR WAS TOO NARROW TO FIT A NORMAL WHEELCHAIR?!? ACCESSIBLE MY ASS.
This all has brought me a completely new perspective on the world and it makes me angry. Especially for people who don't have able bodied girlfriends to carry them around, why do people expect everyone to have working legs and arms?? Thats so stupid!!
If it had been me who got disabled I wouldve committed some kind of crime by now out of anger and hatred. How can she still be a nice and fun person and not be filled with rage I dont understand.
I would love to know how people deal with this though.
Hi! So. I [19NB] might be needing to use a wheelchair soon. My knees and ankles are fucked for no reason whatsoever and if I walk on them too long I am in Unending Agony until I sit down and rest them, usually for 20 or 30 minutes to several hours. We don't know exactly what's causing it but it's been an issue for a few months now
So, does anybody have any like, general tips for using wheelchairs? Mainly because I have never used a wheelchair independently before. I've always been pushed by another person and I haven't even used a wheelchair outside of a hospital context until very recently, so I barely know what I'm doing other than the basic "push the wheels to make the chair move".
I don't even know what kind of wheelchair I'll be using, if I'll be renting one or using the one we already have which I don't know what kind it is. It's frustrating. But yeah, any advice is appreciated.
Mind you, my parents try to be open minded (they're my carers despite me being an adult) & my abled & able bodied friends (most of whom are neurodivergent) are lovely, but I just feel so lonely. I'm only in my twenties, my body is slowly failing itself, I'm learning about new symptoms I had previously ignored so often now, & I've been more times at the doctor's office in the past two years than most 90 year olds go in their entire lifetime. I'm coming up on 40 visits across 3 years by now. I don't want to keep bothering my friends with my complaining because they have their spoon limits too, & I'm autistic (MSN) so I get it. But I don't have anyone else to really talk to about my failing physical health. My parents are trying to hold onto some 'hope' that I will get better, but even with physical therapy my physical health isn't going anywhere, it's just getting bad slightly more slowly. I don't know who to talk to or who to turn to & i feel so lonely being physically & mentally disabled so young, without any sort of community, constantly ranting to my able bodied friends that this popped out of place or this hurts now, & then worrying that I'm being too much & they're getting tired of my constant complaining. I dunno what to do with myself sometimes
Neurodevelopmental disabilities like autism, SPD, and ADHD aren't just something that exists in someone's consciousness or something, they are physical differences in how somebody's brain is structured. So why is there a separation? It seems arbitrary to me because all disabilities have the same thing in common: they have real physical consequences and affect how disabled people live their lives. I am sorry if this take is offensive. Genuinely please correct me if I am just saying a bunch of ableist nonsense and I need to shut up.
I made a post in r/espresso just with a pic of today's cappuccino explaining I can't do latte art, but I wanted to show off my foam dot.
A full half of the responses I got were people telling me I could do latte art, telling me it's so easy, or explaining the method of how to do a specific latte art like I'm dumb.
I've watched the videos, I've attempted the latte art to abominably fail. I'm fine with the tasty foam dot.
Then they started down voting me for explaining my disability so they could understand I cannot in fact do what they find so easy to do.
Ugh... Espresso is hard... But they will pry my coffee out of my cold dead hands
I am 27 years old. Woman. I have master's degree. I do sports, I dance. I work. I am cool and understanding. Have a sense of humor. Great empathy and ability to see the bad, the devil in the world.. None of this matters. It doesn't matter. Because I also have scoliosis.. my back is fused with titanium... I was on a disability...although my condition doesn't actually interfere with my everyday activities, I can even do physical activities... There isn't a day I dont see myself as a disabled, as excluded, as less than a person, as no worthy of having a husband.
I like communicating with people, they also like me. I have many friends...yet I will never be "normal" like them... I can't include myself in most conversations because they include activities only healthy people could do. I know that everyone secretly judges me because of this and when they notice the rib hump or scar...I know everyone considers this ugly and ugly people shouldn't live, according to society...
What does society wants from us? Will everyone live better if we all, the people with disabilities, suddenly are not living anymore? Why society wants to get rid of us, instead of seeing the ABILITIES we DO have?
I read on reddit and even we hate on each other...
I can proudly but sadly say I don't meet intelligent people like me and my family often. And I am sure its because we endured this health challenge for which no one has fault. I have not done anything wrong to society. In fact, the opposite. Why am I more hated just because I happened to be unlucky and have scoliosis?
I am so tired...
Hi everyone 👋
I’m a student working on an assistive-technology project involving smart glasses for blind and low-vision users.
The original idea was pretty simple:
>
But the more I think about it, the more I realize there’s a huge problem with that approach:
I’m not blind. So how do I know which problems are actually worth solving?
I don’t want to build a pair of “cool AI glasses” that looks impressive in a presentation but becomes useless in real life.
I want to hear from the people who actually live with these problems.
We often hear about white canes, guide dogs, GPS, smartphone apps, and environmental sounds.
But what do these tools still NOT solve for you?
When you're walking somewhere, what is the moment where you think:
>
Maybe it's finding a specific entrance.
Maybe it's understanding what's happening in an unfamiliar building.
Maybe it's crossing a complicated area.
Maybe it's knowing whether you've passed the place you're looking for.
Maybe it's something completely different.
What is your biggest everyday navigation frustration?
And something I'm especially interested in:
I've read and heard that environmental sounds can provide a huge amount of information when navigating.
So I'd love to know:
What do you actually listen for when walking?
Traffic? Footsteps? Voices? Echoes? Doors? Public announcements? Something else?
And would an AI device talking constantly be helpful or actually make things worse by covering up those sounds?
What if navigation isn't even the biggest problem?
Forget the glasses for a moment.
Forget AI.
Forget my project.
What other everyday problem caused by blindness/low vision frustrates you the most?
It could be something incredibly simple:
Finding something you've put down.
Reading a label.
Identifying an object.
Cooking.
Shopping.
Using technology.
School/work.
Knowing what's happening visually in a room.
Recognizing people.
Knowing which button or control you're touching.
Or something that people who aren't blind would probably never think about.
Tell me about the small annoying problem that happens over and over again.
The thing that seems insignificant to everyone else but makes your day harder.
Those are the problems I'm most interested in.
And please don't feel like you need to give me “good ideas.”
I'd actually like to hear the opposite too.
Have you tried an assistive device that sounded amazing but was completely useless in practice?
What made you stop using it?
Was it inaccurate?
Too slow?
Too expensive?
Uncomfortable?
Too much audio?
Too complicated?
Not reliable enough?
Or did it simply solve a problem you didn't really have?
If you could magically fix ONE problem in your everyday life with technology, what would you choose?
I'm not looking for a perfect answer.
I'm looking for the real answer.
Even if it's something tiny.
Because my goal isn't to make the most advanced glasses.
It's to find a problem actually worth solving.
Thank you to anyone willing to share. Every honest answer could change the direction of this project. 🙏
I’m a teen with dyspraxia and hypotonia and much more. I have pain when I walk long distances and frequently need to sit down. I’m unbalanced when I walk. I just don’t want to look dramatic if I use a wheelchair, my mom made a fuss when I wanted to use a rollator the first time. (sorry mom, I know you’re reading this). I can stand and walk for at least a while. I do use an electric scooter in big stores like Target If they have one.
During a prior class a woman commented that she couldn’t have flashing lights on as she had epilepsy.
During the most recent class, the same instructor had the AUDACITY to ask if we wanted to have the lights, WITH the epileptic woman in there. I made a comment that we should not use the lights if it can trigger a seizure. Other people stated that the instructor should do what she wants, as it’s her class.
Then the instructor made a comment about the fact that she was asking due to the possibility of a seizure with this particular woman.
She started the class with the lights, but with them being placed a bit further from said woman.
Wtf is wrong with people? Why are flashing lights that important? Are people THAT obsessed with control? Over fucking lights? It’s pathetic.
I didn’t know what to do. Honestly I was pretty close to causing a bit of a stink over it, but I didn’t want that woman to feel more ostracized than she likely already was.
I am getting really sick of seeing people be so incredibly self-centered and selfish, over essentially nothing.
I am debating on writing an email to the gym owner, but again, I don’t want to overstep and make the woman with epilepsy uncomfortable.
I am not physically disabled. I do, however, have severe ADHD that makes it impossible for me to function without being medicated and accommodated by my school/workplace. I also potentially have autism but I do not have a diagnosis of it yet so I'm not going to say I have that for sure. Do people like me who have a severe mental disorder but are able bodied belong on this subreddit? I understand if the answer is no.
I will travel to Germany in a few days. A long while ago, i applied to request the European Disability Card, a document that helps prove my disabled status in every EU country.
Unfortunately, i just got news that due to printing problems, they will send it to my home much later than anticipated, and specifically two days after i'll have already returned from my trip, and i can't be granted an digital version of it because i can only request that after getting the physical version of the card. In other words, i'm forced to depart without it.
I have been in call with various call centers to try and get more infos, and i got fairly conflicting responses. Some said that without this card is basically impossible to have my disabled status proved in another country, on the other i was told having it is not a completely strict need and i can still prove my status with my regular disability documents provided they have a scannable QR code and a rough english translation. Has anyone got some experience with it to confirm which one of the two is true ?
I started an on-site job 6 weeks ago. I really like it and I am more than qualified for the position. I have learned fast and gotten rave feedback. They have invested over $20,000 on courses to help get me prepared for certification, which would lead to a raise and promotion.
I have lupus and I haven't worked on-site in over a decade.
Week 3, I started to lose steam physically, but carried on okay.
Week 4, I overslept due to fatigue on Wednesday and was late.
Week 5, it happened again, on Tuesday.
My boss hugged me and told me not to worry. She suggested I get an ADA accommodation to allow for things like that. At this point, I blamed it on medication and did not disclose that I have lupus.
Week 6, I was okay all week until Thursday. I hit the wall, hard. My judgy and extremely nosey co-worker was all in my business nearly demanding to know what was wrong. I wasn't ready to disclose my medical situation to her. I ended up leaving early.
I sent an email to my supervisors that I was unwell and needed to leave. I just grabbed my bag and speed walked to the elevator.
My boss was out of office, but she texted me on Friday. At this point, I disclosed my lupus and requested to go remote. There is no part of my position that requires me to be there, and they have several remote and hybrid employees.
She responded that since she is out of office, she would get with her manager (HR Manager) and we would "circle back" on Monday.
I am a coward and I do not want to go into the office Monday. I know eyes will be on me, especially from the nosey coworker. I keep asking myself: Will they approve my location change? Will they offer hybrid?
Will they just fire me?
I'm hoping that they wouldn't fire me the very next business day after learning of my illness. I am so anxious about facing my poor attendance and accommodation request. I am also anxious about facing nosey. She is...intense.
I like this job. I'm good at it and it pays well. I really want this to work out!
This was mostly just a vent, but I am open to advice!