Ask Lemmy

I would assume that first and foremost it's that, as the old saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. And disabled people and their advocates aren't squeaky enough.

Cynically, I think there's another explanation...

I think a lot of activism doesn't actually generate meaningful results. To some significant degree, it just serves as something for people to fight over and politicians to fundraise and campaign on.

To serve those purposes though, it has to be controversial - there has to be a basis on which one party can take a stance in favor and the other a stance opposed. And another handy feature of that sort of activism is that it doesn't have to actually be enacted, and in fact, it's better for the politicians if it's not. That means that the ones who supported it can fundraise and run merely on having supported it and on the need to counter the evil other party who opposed it, while those who opposed it can fundraise and run merely on having opposed it and on the need to counter the evil other party who proposed it. And since no money was spent on any program, that's that much more money the politicians can funnel to their cronies. It's basically free publicity with a bit of "Let's you and them fight" mixed in.

And LGBT might as well have been tailor-made for that exact purpose.

But with something like advocacy for the disabled, there's no basis on which either party could dare oppose it, so there's nothing to fight over, and worse yet, if it's proposed, there's no excuse for not passing it, which means they'd have to pay for it, and that's money that they'd rather be funneling to their cronies.

So politicians mostly just ignore it.

I dont think I understand what is the end goal of this question?

LGBTQ+ issues are kind of a warzone right now, because conservatives see trans rights issues especially as a wedge issue they can use to pull in people who might support gay marriage but still feel confused or grossed out by things like trans women using women's bathrooms.

This conversation eats up a lot of the space that could be used to talk about things that would (should?) actually be less controversial, like accessibility.

Conservatives don't want to talk about it because it would be a straightforward loser for them. Lots of progressives don't have time to talk about it because they're circling the wagons to fight for trans people having the right to... (checks notes) exist.

This isn't to say disability issues aren't as important. The point of intersectional activism is for many disparate groups to fight together against the kinds of people who want to separate them. A rising tide that helps everyone.

It sucks because it's slow and painful and people get increasingly tribal when they feel under threat.

To add, as most responses here seem correct but I haven't seen this said.

In recent mentors memory there has not been a moral judgement attached to disabilities. There's a lack of societal hate to overcome, everyone agrees disabilities suck and aren't your fault. So there's no rallies, no allies.

For those asking for something that needs help/awareness, chronic pain sufferers (and disabled, but speaking from chronic pain myself) pretty much always have diminished mental clarity due to being in pain or stressed all the time. We can be seen as lazy when we don't have a job or have a hard time contributing, but I think people don't realize that getting medical shit done in america is like a full time job. The amount of hoops you need to jump through, repeat appointments to get your doctor to actually listen to your concerns, dealing with administration of doctors, insurance, and government because THEY STILL COMMUNICATE THROUGH FAXES, and just being dead tired of being a broken human being. You have to shout and scream basically or you will be pushed to the wayside.

So basically, please be aware of invisible illnesses and have patience. We may have the physical capability to do a task on a good day, but shit can get so beaten down. Also medically insurance covered, like, managers/secretaries that help you navigate this bullshit would be great. A real job as a medical advocate for a person should exist.

There could also be more awareness spread against the stigma/stereotype of people coasting off disability. (Often it's snuffed when it's mental) It's not really enough to live on, it can be taken away extremely easily, you have to resign yourself to poverty because if you can make some money you aren't truly disabled. That and disability submission takes 6 months to process, in which most people are denied first just cause. so they then have to get a lawyer to appeal, which takes months+. It's hard to get disability, and it gives you scraps.

Your place of work should be willing and likely already has a policy in place to accommodate disabilities. Talk to them about your needs.

If that gets you nowhere, seek a less shitty employer. I'd start by trying to find other people with the same/similar disability and asking about the companies they work for. Once you find a good one that's compatible with your area of expertise, keep an eye on their postings.

What you DON'T want to do is just suffer in silence - no company is going to lift a finger for you unless you specifically ask it to.

Well, as far as I understand "pride" came as a result of years when people have to hide their orientation since in some contries it was a crime and so on. And "now" they do not have to. Actually, these days, I see pride as outdated and overused - either your orientation your private business or it is a public show you put on your visit card (in this case why others should consider it as as a "private").

Not sure to what degree this is relevant for disabled people. Outside or the pride, I see many things are done to include disabled people in sociaty: -Trains and buses have support for disabled people and special places. And a lot of info labels here and there

• same with mostly all public institutions
• many shops are equipped to be reachable
• I have never seen people were rud with disabled people, and usually are ready to support
• there is special oplimpic games
• in schools there are activities to show children how the life of disabled people looks like in person
• etc...

ould you show example of discrimination you are talking about - no prime month is not a discrimination (many groups of people do not have it)?

Excuse my ignorance because my only (known) disability is needing corrective lenses.

LGBTQ rights and issues are relatively straightforward (where the goal is to love whoever you love and act like the person you want to be). Disability (to me) is much more of a vague and broad concept so I don't know what the aim of a movement would be.

The causes of disability range from a voluntary or involuntary event, whether it's a workplace incident, sports, car crash, or sometimes people have it from birth. People inflicted with conditions such as blindness, deafness, speech impediment, schizophrenia, or being bound to a mobility or other device like a wheelchair, pacemaker, hearing aid. There's such variety and people need assistance in different ways.

I try to help where I can, but I have trouble offering help sometimes. How do I support someone without calling attention to their disability?

There's a lot of LGBT people with the same demand - "Let us be this gender". What demand are chronic illness people making?

Part of the reason is what the consequences are.

Being perceived as gay in public? You get beat. Want to marry your partner? Too bad. Want to be able to advocate for your partner when they’re in the hospital? You’re now trespassing cause your not family. Happen to be watching nieces/nephews? Congrats , you’re now a pedo. The list of atrocities goes on.

This has gotten better over the years due to the protests and pride events

Chronic illnesses are generally met with sympathy. I’ve yet to hear of anyone being beat for their illness except for certain cases of tuberculosis and aids.

Not to say this group should be ignored. It just gets lost relative to everything else. Everyone deserves healthcare and it ends up being drowned out by that I think.

There are disability advocates and most industrial nations are trying to make things more accessible.

I guess it would help if you could bring up one particular issue that you face.