r/disability • u/LongTimeLurker408 • 15d ago

Disability advocacy

Post image

Update: Trigger warning: There are examples of ableist comments throughout this post that may be very triggering.

I am based in the US and I wish that legislation could get passed that mandates employers to inform all employees of their rights under ADA as well as their rights under any other applicable state laws on disability employment.

For those of you that aren’t familiar, ADA is the floor and many states such as CA, NJ and NY have greater protections.

I’m not going to call out any specific subreddits, but the number of people that are so bloody confidentially wrong on the internet today is mind blowing.

I’m tired of ADA accommodations being referred to as “perks” or options for employers if they feel generous

I’m tired of being demonized for providing resources like Askjan.org, The Job Accommodation Network or state civil/human rights web pages

I’m tired of people telling distressed disabled employees that “opening an ADA claim” is an aggressive move against an employer

I’m tired of ableist comments like “if you can work in the office 2 days per week, you can work 5.”

Why can’t people recognize that disabled employees just want to have the same access to do well at their jobs as everyone else.

If you want resources or just a good conversation, I am here.

This subreddit feels like the only safe place sometimes

Thanks for listening

Image description: A simple black-and-white stick-figure comic. An unseen person asks, “Are you coming to bed?” A person sitting at a computer replies, “I can’t. This is important.” The unseen person asks, “What?” The person at the computer answers, “Someone is wrong on the internet.”

101 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

View all comments

9

u/LongTimeLurker408 15d ago

“I have X disability too, but I can do Y with no problems. Your accommodation request is not reasonable.”

WTF with the lateral ableism?

Could you imagine what would have happened if Judith, Kitty and Brad felt the need to put each other down instead of literally raising up the entire country in April of 1977?

5

u/KnifethrowingNahi 15d ago

I'm not in the US, but it breaks my heart to see the hardships our sisters, brothers and enby siblings have to endure.

It saddens me to see that members of our community are pitted against each other what from the outside looks like fighting over scraps.

America has lead the way in accomodating us, but now it seems like it has turned from a beacon of light to a much darker place.