Disabled people are not ok. The pandemic has turned society against us (even more than before).

People were quietly ableist before. Now they’re openly hateful.

It was hard to access healthcare before. Now it’s impossible.

It was lonely before. Now it’s a pit of despair

It’s been an incredibly difficult 4 years for disabled and vulnerable individuals. We’ve had to endure terror of knowing we will be triaged out of medical care if system is overwhelmed, have DNRs forced on us & are witnessing aggressive expansion of medically assisted death

We’ve watched as the world clamours to get “back to normal” while completely leaving us behind. We are told to “just stay home” because people don’t want to push for clean air initiatives and can’t be bothered to mask.

Even in hospitals - the one place we have no choice but to go - masking is not required & you run the risk of being labeled difficult or anxious for requesting a HCW mask in your presence. We’re expected to just go along and risk our health & baseline for the comfort of others

When we speak up - we’re shouted down by people who are utterly convinced that the pandemic is over and there’s no risk. We’re told we’re wrong, exaggerating, hypochondriacs or worse. We endure endless trolling & criticism for just wanting to survive.

It didn’t used to be like this. Ableism has always existed - but it was never as aggressively in your face as it is now. People are experiencing trauma from Covid… and rather than cope with it they seem to be lashing out at disabled individuals.

I don’t know if it’s because many mitigations were sold as a means of protecting the vulnerable - or maybe it’s just because we represent a reality people can’t face.

That health is not a permanent state. That Covid is not over and that anyone can become disabled at any time

Whatever the reason - the result is the same. A society that treats disabled people as “less than”. That wants us out of sight & out of mind and that won’t do the bare minimum to protect us. That look the other way when we tell them eugenicist policies are going to end lives

It’s exhausting and terrifying and sad. I’m tired. We are ALL tired. Yet so many of us spend whatever incredibly limited energy we have continuing to advocate for safe public spaces, safe healthcare and an end to eugenics. We fight for equality. And we need allies.

Please remember this the next time you’re entering a public space without a mask. Or tempted to mock a vulnerable person for wearing one. Or accessing healthcare. If it’s easy for you access care - try and imagine how scary it would be if it wasn’t.

Try and have compassion and empathy for people who are different than you. Try and face the difficult truth that one day you too will be disabled - and when that day comes you will want to be treated better than we are currently being treated.

I promise you it’s far easier to advocate from a position of health & strength… so join us. Be our allies. Listen & believe us when we tell stories of unsafe spaces, eugenics and discrimination. Help us change things so that everyone will be better off. /end

#Disability #DisabilityJustice #Eugenics #Ableism #DisabilityRights #WearaMask #ChronicIllness #CovidIsNotOver #CovidIsAirborne #sarscov2