I’m just curious about this. As someone with a chronic illness, I pretty much never hear anyone talk about things related to the sorts of difficulties and discrimination I and others might face within society. I’m not aware of companies or governments doing anything special to bring awareness on the same scale of say, pride month for instance. In fact certain aspects of accessibility were only normalized during the pandemic when healthy people needed them and now they’re being gradually rescinded now that they don’t. It’s annoying for those who’ve come to prefer those accommodations. It’s cruel for those who rely on them.
And just to be clear, I’m not suggesting this is an either or sort of thing. I’m just wondering why it’s not a that and this sort of thing. It’s possible I’m not considering the whole picture here, and I don’t mean for this to be controversial.
I mean, you’re basically describing the point of intersectional activism.
Time for a wiki-kick. I don’t know much about it. I’ve literally been living outside society for over a decade.
It’s harder to throw a parade?
This is actually true. Parents of disabled kids were trying to rally in my country for better school support but unfortunately parents of autistic kids couldn’t take them (and many are autistic too) because of the noise and commotion that revolves around a protest. Those are really triggering circumstances and no one wants to be in pain.
It’s really hard for some disabled/chronically ill people to join a protest or a rally/march too. There were a small group of protesters outside Downing Street here in the UK a while back, calling for changes in how disabled people applying for benefits are assessed. I would have loved to join them but it’s so far beyond my capabilities the idea is almost laughable. Creating public awareness or demonstrating your discontent with the status quo is really hard when your practically housebound.
Early Tomm Scott.
I think the ADA is a positive step, but that was over three decades ago now. The silence in terms of further steps since then is significant.
There hasn’t been silence, I think you’re just not listening: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_disability_rights_in_the_United_States
I’ve lived it every day for the last dozen years. I think I know what my experience in this regard has been.
Like what? You want a month? Do you know when National Disability Employment Awareness Month is? I’ll give you a few minutes to go look it up.
Bisexual with an autoimmune disorder here.
I think the simplest explanation is that LGBT acceptance doesn’t cost anyone anything - in fact it’s the opposite as they no longer have to expend energy on hatred and exclusion. Nothing had to be built or spent to give equal rights to a marginalised group, just a signature on some paper. No government funds needed to be allocated to rolling out this change.
It’s much easier to stop doing something current than to start doing something new. Disability/chronic illness accommodations are extremely varied, costly, take time and money to implement, which creates a natural barrier. From an individual perspective, it costs time and energy to help support someone with a disability or chronic condition. It costs no time or energy to agree that everyone should be treated equitably.
No chronic illnesses and not LGBTQ here, so please correct me if I get anything wrong.
The reason many LGBTQ issues sees widespread support now wasn’t because governments and companies decided it was ok, it was because of decades of small battles and struggles that really accelerated into widespread acceptance throughout the 10’s, and to which we are already seeing a backlash in terms of the attacks on trans rights (just to note that acceptance is far from complete or just a constant journey in one direction).
Companies adopted pride not because they are allies but because it became more profitable to be pro-LGBTQ than against. Govs don’t work off profitability exactly, but public opinion shifted so far that Obama went from tepidly approving of civil unions to basically every mainstream democrat being pro-LGBTQ now. Even many Republican senators signed on to the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022.
I don’t have a lot of answers for why that doesn’t exist for people with chronic issues / disabilities yet. I’m sure there are many people working to advocate to make it so and I think we all have a responsibility to encourage accessibility as a right. I don’t think anyone saw the acceleration of pro-LGBTQ popular acceptance that was the 10’s coming, and I don’t think you can attribute it to one particular cause. The tough and unsatisfying answer is “it’s complicated,” but I hope that the example of LGBTQ progress can be a source of solidarity and support for advocating for accessibility.
Those of us with chronic disabilities tend to have to be very careful about how we spend our energy. Obviously it varies from person to person, disability to disability. But a lot of us just…can’t. We can’t lobby our local politicians or run for government positions, we can’t go to protests or rallies, we can’t volunteer for campaigns–we just can’t. Or at least, not much. Again, it’ll depend on the person.
And even organizing can take a lot of energy. Someone would have to organize all of us together, across all of these many different disabilities. How do you find them all and reach out to them, let alone manage to do all of that organizing despite your disability?
I know it can happen and that’s how the ADA was created, but the hurdles are great.
Totally fair, and I think that’s why allyship and solidarity are so important. I can’t speak to what it feels like to have a chronic disability, but I can amplify the voices of those who do and help to organize broader coalitions in support of accessibility.
