Life Without Barriers’ Post

Let’s talk about sex. Yes, sex. For too long, people with disability have faced barriers to building healthy, respectful, and consensual relationships. That’s where the LWB Relationships, Intimacy, and Sexuality initiative comes in - it’s about breaking down those barriers, fostering a culture of respect, and empowering everyone to pursue safe and meaningful connections. It’s such an important conversation, and I’d love to hear your thoughts…..how can we better support inclusion and respect?

what if we added both pronouns and processing as descriptors after our names? you'll see that I've done that here on LinkedIn and it's in my email signature. pronouns: she/her processing: AuDHD HSP i went one step further to share that i have invisible/non-visible/non-apparent disabilities. invisible disablility: 🌻 last week, i had a client ask me if my signature was mandated by my organization Hidden Disabilities Sunflower 🌻🇺🇸🇨🇦 - North America or whether it was my idea. these adds are mine along with my time zone and guidance on how to best reach me if urgent. the person i was corresponding with is in charge of accessibility and thought perhaps to implement some of these ideas in their organization. disclosure is a very personal choice but i have learned in recent years that sharing this information helps us better understand each other and overall i think it has invited compassion. what's in your email signature? will you adopt any of these ideas? #inclusivity #communication #disability #neurodivergent

Many films and shows with casual and deliberate disability representation are winning awards and accolades for doing the bare minimum. Just having a disabled character, or a story on disability isn't enough. Filmmakers must do justice to these stories. 🌻 Sets, production, and editing spaces are hardly ever accessible. 🌻 Disabled characters are often played by non-disabled actors 🌻 Disabled writers, directors, producers are not involved in the making which makes it an outsider's perspective of disability as opposed to an authentic lived experience 🌻 Most such portrayals perpetuate stereotypes and stigma about disabilities and mental illnesses. For example: Schizophrenia and bipolar still remain so stigmatized because films and shows have made horror plots based on these conditions The audience doesn't want crap portrayals anymore, this is proof that the audience is sensitive and they demand true, authentic, real representation. Data source: Inevitable Foundation For personal stories, community wisdom visit www.muchmuchspectrum.com Read the full story (link in the comments 🔗) #Media #Representation #Disability #Neurodiversity #MuchMuchSpectrum #MentalHealth #Films

Did you know that 85% of people who are blind or visually impaired have some usable vision? Blindness is a spectrum, yet this important fact is often overlooked. Blindness can be an invisible or a visible disability. For me, that means I might use my white cane one day, and not need it the next if I am walking a familiar route. This can greatly impact those who are blind and visually impaired looking for work. In fact, the unemployment rate for blind and visually impaired individuals in the United States stands at a staggering 70%. It’s crucial for us to foster a more inclusive environment in the workplace and recognize the diversity within the blindness community. Video description: Lee is standing wearing a blue floral shirt with a small microphone. #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #Blind #Blindness #BlindnessIsASpectrum #InclusionMatters #Accessibility #A11y

Lee Rogers possesses a keen insight into the realities faced by visually impaired people. With her sharp understanding of technology and media, I find myself eagerly absorbing her posts—they're a treasure trove. In her latest post, Lee sheds light on the shocking unemployment and underemployment rates among blind and low-vision people. This is an enormous untapped reservoir of talent just waiting to be engaged. If you’re an employer, consider this: your HR onboarding and training videos are leaving visually impaired candidates in the dark. Not only does this disadvantage them, but it also limits your organization’s access to a massively motivated and capable talent pool. The good news? Making your HR videos accessible has never been easier. We’ve developed technology that empowers you to bridge this gap effortlessly and affordably, with no technical expertise required. Turn potential into reality. Try Audible Sight for free at audiblesight.ai

Lee Rogers possesses a keen insight into the realities faced by visually impaired people. With her sharp understanding of technology and media, I find myself eagerly absorbing her posts—they're a treasure trove. In her latest post, Lee sheds light on the shocking unemployment and underemployment rates among blind and low-vision people. This is an enormous untapped reservoir of talent just waiting to be engaged. If you’re an employer, consider this: your HR onboarding and training videos are leaving visually impaired candidates in the dark. Not only does this disadvantage them, but it also limits your organization’s access to a massively motivated and capable talent pool. The good news? Making your HR videos accessible has never been easier. We’ve developed technology that empowers you to bridge this gap effortlessly and affordably, with no technical expertise required. Turn potential into reality. Try Audible Sight for free at audiblesight.ai

When it comes to impairments, using the right language is so important. Even at that level that's where ablwim festers. Now that you know better, you can do better.

Happy Disabilty Pride Month! Here is background on this flag design, first created by Ann Magill in 2019 and revamped in 2021 to make it more accessible. From RespectAbility "Magill’s updated design features muted colors and a straight diagonal band from the top left to the bottom right corner. The original flag’s zigzags represented how disabled people creatively navigate barriers. On the improved flag, the parallel stripes stand for intracommunal solidarity. The colors on the flag symbolize various disability experiences. The black background mourns disabled people who have died due to negligence, suicide, rebellion, illness, and eugenics. The stripe’s color represents disability types: Red: physical disabilities Gold: cognitive and intellectual disabilities White: nonvisible and undiagnosed disabilities Blue: psychiatric disabilities Green: sensory disabilities" ID: Disability Pride Flag as described above #DisabilityPrideMonth #Disability #deaf #DeafAutistic #adhd #fibrowarrior

This is a valuable read for anyone looking for clarification about language to avoid or question when speaking about Autism. Specifically, she highlights that some people prefer person first language, while others prefer identity first. It is important for professionals to acknowledge different preferences within the disability community. Too often, future teachers of the blind/visually impaired are trained to use only person first language by default. Even when a blind person, such as my wife, says that she prefers to be called a blind person and to call others blind by default, the field at large refuses to acknowledge her choice as valid. Imagine if we told other minority groups, like the Black community, that they could not choose what to call other black people? Rather, they had to conform to a phrase designed largely by people who were not black. This is the case in the blindness field. We are told by sighted professionals what we can and cannot call ourselves and other blind people. It is one thing to respect the preferences of an individual. It is quite another to dictate to a minority group what term we should use to identify others within our community at large. We will decide what term to use by default amongst ourselves, and tell professionals what to call us, not the other way around. #blind #DisabilityRights #SpecialEducation

Reposting for Autism Acceptance/Awarenss month, a very helpful and useful language guide! See below for details and keep in mind - language matters and preferences may vary ⬇️