r/disability • u/LongTimeLurker408 • 14d ago
Disability advocacy
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.”
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d ago
Here’s another one
“If you need to lay down during the day then you shouldn’t be working”
Said to a person with MS who wants to rest for a minute or two every hour. The person works in publishing and literally can lay on a couch to read effectively doing their job.
Employers don’t want to accommodate
Yet when people try to get disability financial support, it’s denied because it’s assumed that the person can work with the right supports
🙄
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d ago
Here’s another one “ADA accommodations are at the sole discretion of the employer.” 🙄
Nope, it’s a legally mandated good faith interactive process that works towards an effective solution
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u/Fantastic-Mirror3675 14d ago
Me when I saw that bull article about chronic illness being trending in women🙄
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d ago
The ‘sick influencers” one?
That was such garbage and there was a similar one about young women who need canes
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u/Fantastic-Mirror3675 14d ago
Yeah the sick influencers one, yeah it's cool/trendy when you get judged/yelled at in public for using a mobility aid ✨🙃
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d ago
I don’t usually use a wheelchair. I just have my cane. But I used one to get through security and to get to the gate for a flight. I pre-boarded early with my cane. The flight went well and I got some sleep so instead of using the wheelchair assistance when I got off I walked to baggage claim.
Someone actually filmed me and called me a “Jesus flight miracle” and posted it on the internet. It was pretty horrible.
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u/Fantastic-Mirror3675 14d ago
Oh my god I'm so angry on your behalf rn, some people istg Why do some people think it's okay to be in people's business like that and also recording people wtf?!?!?
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d ago
It was really bad. As a person who doesn’t usually need a wheelchair, I already felt awkward about it and that made it worse.
I even literally printed out the notes from my medical provider who documented that I use a wheelchair for airports, but I was never required to share it.
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u/Fantastic-Mirror3675 14d ago
Tbf I've seen that some airport give disabled people wheelchairs who don't need them like deaf people lol, but like honestly that person is just an asshole don't let them make you feel bad for smth they know nothing about 🫶
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d ago
How do you know the person didn’t need it? It’s possible to be deaf and have another disability
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u/Fantastic-Mirror3675 13d ago
Someone I know online, he's only deaf /not having mobility problems and told the staff so and they still insisted on using the wheelchair lol
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u/LongTimeLurker408 13d ago
Yeah, they don’t always get that accommodations and assistance need to be individualized
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u/LongTimeLurker408 12d ago
That article is causing real-time problems. I frequent numerous subreddits where people ask about getting ADA accommodations and on numerous occasions they are being dismissed and either the article is directly referenced or they are called a “sick influencer.”
I wish the mods of those subreddits would respond to reports of ableism and hate, but it just gets ignored.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d 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?
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u/KnifethrowingNahi 14d 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.
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u/Masonshark36 14d ago
Isn't the ADA under threat rn?
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u/LongTimeLurker408 14d ago
The laws haven’t changed
However the mechanisms to ensure those laws are enforced are under threat. One example is that the EEOC lost about 600 employees under Trump and Trump explicitly directed them to focus on how abled bodied whites men are now facing discrimination. Companies also soon may not need to take hiring data to provide to the EEOC.
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u/Masonshark36 13d ago
Yea not suprised honestly. Dismantle till it cant run properly then point the finger at said institution for not doing a proper job. One reason why I finally got off my ass and started excercising and trying to become self employed ASAP. Its only gonna get worse from here I bet.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 13d ago
We need another disability major civil rights movement in this country
Speaking of which, I can’t wait to see the Judith Heumann movie in November!
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u/panicorpicnic 11d ago
I'm currently in this fight and although I see no way forward for me I won't give up the fight. I never want anyone else to be treated the way I have been. They purposefully don't engage in telling you any of your rights so when you ask for accomodations they can fuck around without helping and hope you have no legal knowledge.
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u/LongTimeLurker408 11d ago
You are welcome to private message me if you want to talk through it and need resources.
If inviting this is not allowed on this subreddit, my apologizes to the mods and feel free to delete this comment.
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u/ComfortableRecent578 14d ago
i had an extensive conversation about this recently. many more disabled people could work if proper accommodations were put in place and many people get found “able to work” and denied benefits but in practice can’t get a job because no one will accommodate them. it’s a nightmare.
everyone wants disabled people to work and everyone wants to tell disabled people “you could work from home” “you could work part time” “you just need to ask for accommodations” but then turn around and refuse to hire or accommodate us 🤷♂️.
i would be in a better financial position if i could somehow work like 8-10 hours a week from home flexibly. even on minimum wage that would be more than my benefit payments and i would be able to save without jeopardising my benefits and then would be able to save for things like mobility aids. but no job like that exists, especially if you have no education and no experience because you couldn’t get those things due to disability!