Thank you all so much for watching, ilu ❤❤❤ Bautumn shirts: www.bonfire.com/bautumn Link to my Patreon: / aaronansuini Link to my Amazon Wishlist: a.co/5Kw0M9M Shirt Designs: aaronisaplant.threadless.com Instagram: / aaronisahouseplant
I had a therapist that tried to enforce people first language and at one told me I identify too much with my diagnosis simply because I mentioned something being a symptom of it- I just thought it was relevant to the conversation! Thank you talking about this, people just don’t get it and then they act like policing the way we speak about our lives is helping us. It’s incredibly frustrating. Empowerment is really personal, there is no reason to tell another person what is empowering to them - even if you deal with it yourself!
sourgreendolly YES! I find it so empowering to acknowledge that certain things are a symptom of my diagnosis and not just me being weird or lazy or whatever people told me I am and what I believed about myself for way too long!
Ugh I feel for you, I've had several doctors, therapists, & even professors try to convince me to use person first language. I will gladly use it for others - in fact I usually default to person first language if I don't know what someone's preference is, as that's what we're taught in the medical & psych fields - but I refuse to use it for myself. I should not have to change how I personally identify, or how I refer to myself, just because it makes someone else uncomfortable, especially someone who's not in that group. If they aren't part of the community, their opinion doesn't matter, nor do they have the right to change or control us. If a disabled person says they prefer to be called "a disabled person" or simply "disabled" vs person first language (a person with a disability) THAT'S THEIR CHOICE! Anything an abled person tries to use as an explanation or reason why you should/shouldn't use certain terms for yourself, or identify in certain ways, are simply because THEY are uncomfortable.
I had a similar experience, I tried to explain that I wasn’t ashamed of my disorders, and that they’re as much a part of me as anything else and the therapist just kept saying I was making excuses, or “covering” for the stigma. Like no I’m not pretending to like my disabilities, I hate them honestly, but they’re part of me, the same as the fact that I have brown hair, brown eyes, and write with me left hand lol. They’re just facts about me, I don’t get offended or anything because... it’s just who I am? He was really trying to get me to use person first and claimed it would “help immensely” and all I could think of was... is this fact about myself so bad people want to use fancy speech and just talk it away? Is a disability so bad we have to pretend it’s not there and shove it to the back of the sentence? Rough times man.. 🙃
I am physically disabled as well as have mental illnesses and hate the term "differently abled" because I find it very condescending. Reclaiming the word disabled is empowering and I am so happy that you have made this video. This needs to be talked about. I took my son to Niagara falls and rode the maid of the mist. It claimed to be accessible however it was really hard to walk the ramps at angles and distance with my walker. They made the effort to make it accessible but it could be improved upon. This was a great video. Well done Aaron.
Loved this! Reminds me of the perspective Jessica Kellgren-Fozard talks about a lot in her videos where she mentions she uses the term disabled to help gain access to things, and how her wheelchair when she uses it isn't dehumanising or anything else other people might think it is but simply a tool that helps her be more independent
I recently got diagnosed with ADHD and PTSD (on top of depression and anxiety). Ive had some issues with self acceptance. Seeing how open you are about disabilities is really refreshing, thank u plant boi
I’m so glad you talk about learning disabilities as well, my sister and I have learning disabilities and we both had issues in school because people assumed we where just “stupid” or “lazy” and teachers often screamed at us and would ignore our questions or requests to do something to accommodate. Ever since 8th grade, I realized that the school system is flawed for not being accommodating, not me.
Tyler Is a Cactus it’s sad that your school didn’t help you. Many schools, especially in NY now, do and MUST accommodate Learning Disabilities. It’s one of the 13 classifications from the state.
I hate that people think that identifying with a disability is a bad thing. Coming to terms with my disability and accepting it as a part of me is one of the most empowering things I've ever done. I don't get along with my body all the time obviously, but separating oneself from their disability isn't going to make things better. I think it's linked to the stigma of disability like you said. People used to describe me as the person with a limp when they saw me and didn't know who I was and it used to really hurt me and it's still annoying and slightly dehumanizing (imo) but it is a part of me. The thing that really pisses me off as I've gotten older is when people tell me they're sorry. I've decided to start asking people why when they respond like that.
@6 ! I'm happy for you! It's so important that we don't let our disabilities define us, but recognize that they're an integral part of who we are. It makes life easier, more fulfilling in a way. Good luck with your recovery!
This reminds me so much of how my mother wouldn't let me call myself bipolar even though she's a therapist and I was diagnosed with it. She would keep saying you're just someone with bipolar traits and I never thought you had bipolar disorder. The way she spoke about it made it clear she didn't want me to identify with my diagnosis because of negative associations she has with the word. Same goes when I'd talk about professionals thinking I have personality disorders like bpd. You'd think a therapist would try to not have stigma surrounding those labels. It felt very invalidating to have her say no I don't think you have so and so diagnosis. Though you covered why you think diagnosises are important in another video or maybe on the podcast.
this is so cool! i’m physically disabled, i have cp, and i’ve felt so much insecurity my entire life surrounding my disability, and you saying how it can be an empowering term you want to reclaim and how being disabled isn’t a bad thing is super awesome, i’ve never really thought about it that way and i really appreciate your kind words.
Wow. I really appreciate you making this video and sharing your own perspective. I know you don't speak for the entire disabled community, but for the longest time I have been using person first language because I thought it was the most "PC" and respectable language. I used to work at an accessible community centre and have since become very passionate about accessibility and being a receptive ally to the disabled community. Your analysis and explanation of using and reclaiming the word "disabled" as a means of obtaining access and basic rights to various resources has really shifted my perspective. It also makes sentence structure a heck of a lot easier to navigate, which was well described in your example of other characteristics. I would love to hear other disabled RU-vidrs speak on this topic. Once again, thank you so much for this Aaron. I love your content and appreciate your insight so so much.
I'm not a RU-vidr, but I run a page on Instagram, Facebook, and Wordpress called Am I In Your Way? and have posted about this before. I've also seen polls done in groups, and the majority prefer identity-first language (eg: disabled, autistic) and another portion don't mind either way. The best advice I give people is to use IFL for the majority and by default, but if someone tells you - even through their own wording - that they prefer PFL, use that for them.
Holy shit man, he’s basically me. I’m basically Aaron. And a note taker??? That’s a thing????? I NEED THAT. I can’t take notes for the life of me! And the slide vs listening thing???? 100% me. Like I cannot listen AND take notes. Plus it takes me forever to write things down!
I have worked with disabled people as a volunteer for 15 years. I prefer to use the specific condition the person has. By using the word "disabled" most people think of a wheel chair user, as it is the common sign for disability. Disability encompasses much more, like sight loss, hearing loss or other invisible disabilities. I agree that disabled is not a bad word, but society automatically connects something negative with it. They do not know how to deal with a person who is disabled, as they only see the disability, like you described. They do not see the other qualities a person has. I love this video and I hope it gets shared lot. Btw, I have ordered a autumn shirt!
Wheelchair does seem to be the automatic connection with able bodied people. I have a disability placard for my car and I've been told off so many times by people for using those spaces because I'm young and don't use a wheelchair or crutches.
You have a good point & your perspective is valid. I refuse to use person first language for myself, but I actually default to using it with other people when I don't know their preference. In my view, if I don't know how someone identifies or which terms they prefer & I haven't had the chance to ask yet, person first language is the most polite option. At least I'm showing that I see them AS A PERSON rather than only seeing their disability. Or as you said, I'm acknowledging their other qualities. Not that disabilities are bad, because I fully believe they aren't! But society can be cruel & we have a long way to go before we obtain equality, so my way of fighting back is to not use those terms for myself, & try to educate people whenever I can!
Knew this was coming from the last podcast! And I've been looking forward to this one because I am technically mentally disabled. I'm getting a psychiatric service dog to help and because of the stigma around the word it's made me and makes me feel invalid and doubtful if I need help at times. So thank you for this
LightsAflame my therapist is amazing but holy hell its expensive, I hope I’m not this much of a mess in my next life, I’m still waiting for a call to get diagnosed with asd, I have faith we’ll figure it out
I already agreed with you before this video, but you made a good point that I've never thought of before. Not only are terms like "differently abled" part of the euphemisms used to make certain groups of people sound "less bad," they're not even for OUR benefit. Abled people don't like saying "disabled" because it makes them uncomfortable. Their fears & prejudices against disabled people - which are often internalized to the point where they don't even realize they have them - are ingrained due to poor representation of disabled people in the media, among other things, which of course leads to society as a whole viewing disabled people as inferior. If abled people want to support us & be our "allies" (if it's okay to use that word here) then they probably feel discomfort over the oppression we endure, so they pick euphemisms to avoid that discomfort without realizing, thanks to cognitive dissonance, that it's only perpetuating the problematic opinions & behaviors they wish to fight against. Disabled people want to be treated the same as abled people. We want equality. One way to fight the negative stigma is by reclaiming the term "disabled" so people know it's not a bad word. There's nothing wrong with disabilities, so there's nothing wrong with saying the word!
Yay! This was a fun video. When I was in high school, I thought that if I used my accomodations that it meant admitting I was inadequate. I wish I knew what I know now back then. It would’ve gone so much smoother.
Thank you! This video is so important. I'm autistic and mentally ill (depression, add, ocd) and not afraid to claim that for myself. It took me so long to accept this and by people trying to police the language I use takes away from my autonomy and identity. Being disabled is not a problem. It's how people treat those with disabilities and systems that limit access to proper care that is the problem.
Thank you for creating videos like this, Aaron. It's so nice to watch a youtuber who understands the intersection of trans and non neurotypical, and/or disabled. It means a lot to have visibility like this and from someone I really admire.
Thank you for this video! I'm disabled and have autism, adhd, hearing loss and wear hearing aids and still don't hear well even with them. I'm definitely on board for asl being taught in schools and oh yes there aren't interpreters unless I pay or request one
I’m so glad I found your videos. They help me so much. I struggle so much with my A.D.D and having sensory overload etc. It effects all aspects of my life, but trying to explain this to people - no one takes seriously. I feel like you actually get it and your video’s make me feel a little more confident without me shutting down.
I've been looking forward to this video since it was mentioned in the podcast. I just... I love how you get your point across. It's just really masterful, the way you organise what you say and how you get it across. It's enjoyable content and gets your information across really well. Also, I just really like the colour scheme of the thumbnail.
Aaron, I just want to say thank you. You are an inspiration to me. I'm like 10 seconds in and might already be crying... You are so pure and perfect. You are also a good representation of me. I aspire to be even half of what an amazing human bean you are.
As a fellow disabled person I just want to say "YES!" to this video, it's what i've been trying to say to people for awhile now but it's not easy to get everything across right. Thank you for making this video
There have been several times previously that I have been told I shouldn't call myself disabled, I should say differently abled instead or I should call myself special instead. In terms of differently abled it I dislike it for similar reasons to Aaron, everyone has different abilities, regardless of whether or not they have a disability. And special? Really? The only times people have called me special in terms of me being disabled is in a really patronising way so why would I call myself that? And if I did go around saying "I'm special" people will either think that I'm big-headed and think I'm better than everyone else (I'm not big-headed or think anything along those lines) or they would correctly assume that I meant I'm disabled but would treat me as a child because I'm saying special instead of disabled when I'm not a child, I'm a disabled adult.
something I'd like to add is that identifying with the illnesses/disabilities not only can empower us as taking ownership of these things people like to say are forced upon us, but it also can be a major part of our personalities/existence as a whole! since I got sick, I've been severely impacted by my chronic pain and (likely) EDS hypermobility. I was 15 when it became disabling (another reason I use "disabled") so I was in junior year of high school. I missed at least one day a week for an entire semester, more often than not it was 2-3 days of at least partially missing school. second semester I had to switch to online classes because physically existing in class was so taxing, and online wasn't really any better because I was in so much pain I couldn't think or learn. I managed to graduate at 17 (literally a miracle, I had VERY understanding teachers who passed me because they were kind), and since then I've been completely house bound almost 24/7. I saw so few people other than my mom that my voice nearly stopped working, and when I was forced back into speaking often, it was incredibly shaky and gave out after an hour or two. the fact that I'm chronically ill and disabled from my illnesses has ENTIRELY changed who I was and what my life was like. I lost ALL of my friends, I went from being a competitive cheerleader to completely sedentary, standing for more than a few minutes causes extreme pain and while I CAN do it its dangerous, I'm unable to work or go to college, and most of all, my personality as a whole has changed. I'm MUCH more mature, I speak up for myself now, I don't let people treat me like garbage, I've learned so much about what I can handle and what I can survive, I don't let just anyone take up my time and energy who doesn't deserve it, and I think about myself in ways I couldn't fathom doing before even when it was necessary. I'M disabled, not just my body or mind, but me as an entity. it IS who I am, it DOES control me, and yes I'm a more complex being than JUST that but that doesn't mean I'm NOT that. I AM DISABLED. and while a lot of parts about that are sucky, that's not a bad thing to accept. accepting that I am disabled isn't giving up on the hope that one day I may "cope better", its accepting that I'm different, and right now, I'm struggling.
Hey Aaron! I was a part of this debate on Twitter! I want to thank you profusely for making this video. I am one who hates the word disabled because of the stigma and thus claim differently able. I want to thank you because your view on the word and how reclaiming it would help us gain access to what can give us a better quality of life has given me a new perspective on the word and what it means to me and my community. Also, thank you for making that Twitter post. I am very honored that I could share my opinion and experiences with you and others similar to myself.
I 100% agree with you. I will change the way I phrase my disabilities based on the grammar of the sentence I am using rather than deliberately choosing person-first language. If I rearrange my sentence to be person-first, it makes the words stand out in a way that clearly indicates that they are "bad things". So, sometimes, I am ADHD or anxious or a migraineur, etc. Other times, I have ADHD, anxiety, or migraines. The only disability of mine that I choose not to identify with is depression, but that's because it makes it easier to fight if I treat it as something other than myself, not because I feel like I am less of a person for having it.
People first language, for me, is much more empowering because I AM more than my disabilities. I'm a person with anxiety and depression, not an anxious or depressed person, and it actually causes me more depression to think of myself the other way around.
💕👍🏼 I was diagnosed in my teens with learning disabilities (ADD, dyslexia and APD) and required several accommodations for school. Back in High School it was much harder to get accommodations. I’m now 42 years old, so that was a while ago. I lived in Canada until I was 21 and went to college in the USA. I still had a few college professors, within the last 10 years, who didn’t like the idea of letting me use them, such as taking a test in a quiet room. They are legally obligated to provide accommodations to students with disabilities, yet the amount of times I’ve been given flack for using them by teachers is shocking. Some teachers flat out didn’t believe in learning disabilities while others believed that people who use accommodations are all cheating. As you explained it, we need a ‘booster seat’ just to be at the same starting level as our peers, so we can have the same chance and equal access as everyone else does. You always explain things so well and so clearly. I always enjoy your videos. 💕
I just wanted to say that I'm so thankful for your videos. You are basically a shining light in the absolute shitstorm that is my life right now. I can be in the worst mental place ever and everytime I watch your videos it really uplifts my mood. I love you and please never stop being yourself 💕💕
Hello Aaron, This is the first video of yours that I've seen and I want to just say "wow". I love your use of language and vocabulary. I also am a trans guy who has disabilities. I have Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and PTSD so I can relate a lot to this video. Very well spoken!
Hey there, I’m on the autism spectrum and also have a major anxiety disorder. I’ve carried around a small sand filled frog for nearly a year, the weight of it and having it in my hands is really calming and is just something small I can do for myself to make it easier to get through the day. At my old school, I had it for a little over a month when a teacher who was aware of my “issues” took it away from me after noticing it simply sitting in my lap. The frog is about four inches big, but it’s a comfort item. My best friend at the time explained why I had it because I was so uncomfortable and somewhat shocked I couldn’t explain for myself. She refused to give it back because it was considered a distraction. I ended up having a breakdown in the middle of class and she still wouldn’t give it back. It ended up being a whole thing with the school and I ended up being taken out of said school about three days later. Yikes.
Yassssssss! Preach it! I hate when neurotipicals think disabled is a bad word! I'm actually about to tell an aunt not to contact me anymore because she's doing everything your saying in this video. She thinks she's giving me a kick in the butt to do something but she's really just hurting me mentally and physically. Thank you for saying so eloquently what I can't.
I was once in my community and families studies class and my teacher said “we used to say “a disabled person”, but now we say “a person with a disability”.”. I just turned to her with a smile on my face and said “I’m a disabled person”. She didn’t know what to say to that. I say I’m half blind, not a person with a blind left eye. I am more than my limited vision though and people don’t assume that my blindness is all that I am when I say I’m half blind. I have chronic tics, I don’t say I’m a person with chronic motor tic disorder. I had an eating disorder and depression, I don’t say I’m a person who had an eating disorder or depression. It takes too long to say the latter sentences anyways. Saying “I’m (insert disability)” is much easier.
I have so much to say about this video. First of all, Aaron you are so amazing. It makes me so happy to see other disabled trans people speaking about this kind of stuff. I had to drop out of high school because of my disabilities. Although I was given accommodations through my IEP, my school was unable to provide the type of learning environment I needed and I feel like I really missed out on a lot because of that. I’m still pursuing the career I want and I’m very excited for the future, but I still find myself constantly having to look for accommodations in my day to day life. Its not fair for someone to tell me I cant identify with my disabilities when they are a large part of who I am and how I live my life. Its totally okay for people to not want to identify with their disabilities, but don’t control how other people identify with theirs. Thank you so much Aaron ❤️
Here I go “ratatatatata” on my device, but in a good way. I am a speech language therapist working in the school system in NYC, and of course, I consider the fields of speech language pathology and education system to be inherently corrupt for numerous reasons. These systems are inherently racist, biased towards English monolingual speakers, ableist, etc. Also, in the US, speech and language pathologists are primarily cishetnormative middle - upper class neurotypical women. There is an utter lack of diversity or representation of marginalized groups of individuals to reflect the populations that we as clinicians are working with, and that is highly problematic. Also, we receive little input in our studies and during professional development opportunities to learn from neurodivergent individuals, and the perspective is often from a neurotypical viewpoint. It’s quite ironic. That said, I so deeply value your articulately explained insights with Chase on the You’re So Brave podcast and your RU-vid videos! I have been aiming to internalize the concept of social disability when planning therapy sessions (and their classrooms, tasks targeted in school, and home environments, if possible) for my students. As usual, I love how eloquently you describe disability and use “disabled” to reclaim its meaning and impact. This video came at an eerily perfect time, as I was just thinking earlier today about why person first language does not resonate with every disabled person. Also, I would love to hear more about how you suggest teachers of neurodivergent individuals set up their classroom environments,,. And I have more and more and more questions, but I’ll stop right here! Thank you for your videos!
Side note, I kind of quipped to my SLP colleagues (who I share a room with) that I would be down for pasting paper of a more neutral shade all over the walls, obtaining sound proofing material to go on a door that leads to the auditorium (where dance classes take place), do away with fluorescent lighting by setting up floor lamps, etc. I kind of just want to do it, because it’s just too much stimuli for anyone to filter
I stopped speech therapy after 4th grade so I don’t have as much advice because that was 14 years ago but I would say that if I were to give advice for a speech teacher it would be to not have to miss the class you enjoy to go to speech because then when you go back to class you missed out and everyone else might have a cool art project. My advice for teachers would be to choose partners wisely but also not let the students choose partners because if you have autism when the teacher says to get with a partner you may not know how to talk to people or be too shy then later on the teachers aide will get mad at you for not having a partner. I am asking because I also live in NYC and have autism but what would your advice be for someone like me who is (in 15 days) 24 and is looking to network for a job? I keep applying to so many jobs but no one even hires me and I interviewed at some biscuits and baths and other dog places and did not get the job, I am shy and get nervous for interviewing. My dream is to work at buzzfeed as a video producer but I don’t know how to get that job and without a job I enjoy it is making me depressed as I only go to a program 1 or 2 days a week. My mom tried to call access VR a few years ago and I did 2 job programs from goodwill but they did not help at all! I keep trying to network but I don’t know people to network with and I’ve already asked all my parent’s friends. I live in Manhattan and would be willing to relocate for a job but my parents can’t pay for me to move somewhere else but I NEED independence. Thank you I hope you can help answer my question.
Hey Aaron! I’m so happy to see this video! I have watched lots of your podcasts with Chase. This is so essential for everyone to hear! I am a retired special education teacher and I’ve become disabled by chronic pain after surgery. I love this groundswell of information about accommodations and disabilities. Keep it up! Education is essential to exact change.
As someone who hasn’t given the topics enough time to reflect upon I immensely appreciate this video. Thank you for sharing your insight! Also I lost it at you are a person with funniness. Funny and poignant. Also also this video was extremely clear and direct and concise and I definitely get the anxiety about whether I communicated what I wanted to but I haven’t found a video yours that wasn’t skillfully put together.
thank you for this video!! your opinion/education on this topic was really helpful! personally, I don’t know too much about disabled people, but have been wanting to learn more, and this was so useful! thank you! I’m sorry to hear that you struggle with these things, but thanks again for being such an inspiration to others! :)
Hey Aaron, I really appreciate you making this. I'm also really glad that for once, RU-vid did a Good Thing*tm* and put this on my home page right when I needed it. I wrote a blog post about what happened just before I came home and saw this, and I'll attach it in a reply. I also went into a similar form of oppression that people do in an attempt to free us of oppression.
I struggle a lot with internalized and external ablism when it comes to calling myself disabled. I have been told I won’t get the job(s) I want if I’m public about my chronic rib pain and other disabilities. It’s still something I’m navigating and I’m glad you talk about why it’s not a bad thing to call yourself disabled.
I came to this video as research for a blog post. It is a massive gripe of mine when people tell me that i am "differently abled" or "a person With a disablility." Its always said in the same tone you would speak to a young child. Yet they think they're enpowering me?
I never realized that by not being neurotipical I am disabled. But OMG this made me feel so much better and explained so much of my life experiences and struggles. 💚💚
You make a great point about people-first language. I went to school to be a therapist and this is what I was taught. I was taught this way because of the stigma against mental illness, but I like your point about it perpetuating the stigma by creating otherness in language. I was, however, also taught to let a person identify however they see fit. I might personally use people-first language when speaking of someone with a mental illness, but I would never tell them what lanuage to use. I think if I'm ever able to break into the field and become a therapist, I'd challenge the idea of using this language all together as it's not necessarily as useful as people in various psych professions think it is.
ALL OF THIS. Yet another fabulous video on a very important topic, thank you dear sweet Aaron!! I would like to add to this conversation the two reasons for why I purposely use the terms, "disabled" and "crippled" when referring to myself: 1) Like you mentioned, some people find power in reclaiming words that have been previously used to harm them. This is the case for me with the word "crippled". I feel as if my using it, and using it in a positive manner (like "cripple fabulous" or something similar), takes the negative power away from the word and the people who would seek to use it in an attempt to hurt me and my community 2) I am disabled. There. That's literally it. My body is a piece of shit that does disable me from doing a lot of things that I would otherwise love to be doing and it sucks. A lot. But that's just reality. And it's fine. I don't need people constantly bouncing around trying to put a positive spin on it. In fact, when people tell me that I shouldn't identify as disabled, or that "it's really not that bad", regardless of their intention, it often feels as if they are dismissing all my struggles and suffering, along with all the fight I have had to put in to pushing through them and surviving If you're abled, and currently feeling very confused, I don't blame you. The easiest way to make sure you don't accidentally offend someone is to ask the persyn in what way they would like to be referred. Although in general just using, "disabled" will be fine in the vast majority of situations. I have literally never met someone who is chronically ill or disabled who would ever take offense at being referred to as such.
I agree with most of what you said, if you replace a word with a "nice" word, it does two things. One, if the old was being used an insult the new "nice" word, will be taken by the people using the old word as an insult and use the new one as an insult as well, so it's not the words fault it's being used as an insult and I don't think it needs to change (unless a more practical word is found), it's societal perception's fault, just changing the word is like putting air freshener on rotting fish, it's just masking the fish temporally. (also it makes more insults..) And two, the whole thing now looks bad, because otherwise it wouldn't have gotten a "nice" word, this is what I dislike about differently-abled, it makes it seem, ironically, like it's bad to be disabled, it's not good to be disabled, but it's not bad, it just is. (also it's less precise in my opinion) This is one of my opinions that hasn't changed much since elementary school when I would get mad at being called "special", because I felt like they were trying to mask that I had problems and mask that they thought I and most people also with special needs in my class weren't smart (they might not have thought this, they probably didn't, but it felt like they did, because if they didn't think negatively, what was the point of excessively complimenting).
I agree 100%, there is nothing wrong with being disabled and the people who use "differently abled" are making it sound like "disabled" is a bad thing and discounting the real challenges that come with having a disability. Don't agree 100% on the society thing, but I get what you're generally saying.
“Hi hello hi” I can’t get over how cute that is, hey adorable plant! Caelum the model xD, I found this ring on Etsy that’s 14$s it’s black so you can wear it on your middle right finger for ace people, buuuuuht I live for these rants, your mask is so cute on you, one of them kpop bois! I walk a lot for work and my hips hurt so bad when I’m done, asl, it would help my nephew Abel who I think will have speech problems
Thanks for this video, Aaron. I really would love to learn sign language and wished I had before I got disabled in terms of neurological functions - even if your words about it gave me some small push I agree: If you are able to and have the financial privilege to do so please at least try to learn it. I experience a lot of internalized ableism at the moment, your videos about disability help me a lot to work on this, thank you
i actually agree with you on this. i have ocd and an anxiety disorder and sometimes they overlap which makes it harder to focus on things if i don’t do a specific thing that makes my brain stfu. when i was in high school, i would always have to sit in a specific seat in each class or else i will be thinking about that instead of the actual discussion in the class.
Honestly, I think this is one of the most worthwhile videos I've ever watched?! I work within services for disabled people and LGBT+ people, and am also gay + disabled, but I've been using person-first language for so long!! Time to change!
I have what I would consider a disability because of my medical history and as I was looking for a college, even though my disability isn't SUPER visible most of the time, I made sure that the school I chose had a good Disability Services Office and possible accomodations, I'm proud of my disability and I'm proud that I know my opinion can help others with more severe disabilities.
i totally agree that we should all learn sign language at school, and i add that we should also all learn braille at school because these are easy to learn while young and terribly hard to learn when old, and knowing these two would make our society so much more inclusive and would also prepare all of us for possible losses at a later point in life. i wish i had learnt these while young.
Yes, this is basically what I rant about all the time! I use the word cripple to describe myself. It gives me the power over my own language. I can call myself cripple yet able-bodied people cannot. Thus, giving me power over my own expression as a disabled person. ----- My friends and I made matching snap-backs that say "cripple crew" on them and we turn a lot of heads when we are rolling and walking down the street. Keep up the great work! - PS - I have the same shirt.
Thank youuuu! The term differently-abled is incredibly ableist to me and it’s only benefit appears to be to make able-bodied individuals more comfortable, when people refer to me as such that is often a red flag in my experience
1. I got an ad! I just hope the monetization is going to you! 2. I really liked hearing your views on this and such! I like hearing your opinions on things, one because I respect you and your views a lot and two, I don't have much connection with the disabled community and I always want to help out and be a good ally to any group that needs it, my family has always been very hush hush about things like disabilities so its only recently I've been looking into it and talking about it because there were so many thigs I just didn't look into before. But better late than never right? Also Aaron I really can't thank you enough for making all these videos about your disabilities and just being visible. There's a lot of things I have problems with like interpreting sound and such, I just always assumed it was a "weird Caspian thing" but hearing you talk about your own issues and how you've overcome them has really been eyeopening and made me realize I'm probably less neurotypical than I thought. Even if not, these videos are super helpful and cool!
Honestly yes yes YES to all you said! So good to hear things specially the stuff about the people first language that is validating and summed up what I’ve been feeling and trying to say for ever! I always explained how it didn’t feel right to me saying “I’m a person who is blah blah blah rather then hi I’m disabled.” As it’s separating my disability from me which isn’t right as who I am is greatly shaped by my disability like it literally effects how I think and process the world and just everything! Take my disability away from me and I’m not me and I would whole other person! Not like you can turn a disability off too, I’m always disabled, I don’t just have my disability with me in my backpack as a seperate entity that I bring out and be like hey y’all it’s me a person with a completely detached accessory disability. Might just link people to this video tho you summarise and explain it so clearly !
Hello Aaron! Thank so much for this video! I definitely agree that Sign Language should be a required class. I was diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder as a teenager, so accommodations were not available to me at my school. If every person knew ASL, or my school had access to ASL interpreters, life would be a lot easier.
thanks Aaron very well put....I am disabled and I get everything you said in this video. the one thing that did not occur to me was the "People first language", but I must agree with you on that as well. my daughter is blind and it would be totaly absurd for her to say "I'm a person with blindness" . face it she is blind, just like I have chronic regional pain syndrome, and a whole host of other disabilities and require accommodations just to navigate my environment. one dead give away is the wheelchair, um that does not go unnoticed . It is a very useful tool to get me from point A to point B, and to CELEBRATE the use of it I ordered the brightest and most colorful one I could buy. No disabilities are not fun but if you are disabled embrace it and laugh with it and hold your head up and live. I think you are doing just that! thanks.
I hate how people react to additions to places that helps disabled people, for example, when my small towns high school put in a small roughly one person sized elevator in the very large 3 story highschool there was a MASSIVE outcry with people saying theyre encouraging laziness but not everybody can climb multiple flights of stairs in one day (such as people in wheelchairs, injuries, or certain disabilities)
"Neutrality never helps the victim, only the oppressor" -Elie Wiesel That's basically my response when you said disabled people need that booster seat to be equal
I'm currently having an issue where I'm unable to work, but unable to get registered as a person with a disability for financial assistance because the doctors don't want to label me as disabled. Because they think I will just stop looking for treatment and stop looking for work once I have the money. Which I think is absolutely crazy, considering I have chronic pain and am absolutely currently unable to work. There is currently no treatment options available because they can't find a diagnosis. So I'm stuck in limbo in a financial situation where absolutely all of the money I recieve from income assistance goes to rent. It would be really nice if the doctors saw me as a person who is absolutely unable to work, instead of someone who is just looking for an excuse to give up and not work because I'm lazy. It would be really nice if society wasn't trying to prevent me from labeling myself as disabled, to the point where doctors themselves refuse to sign off that I am in fact disabled.
I've always felt like someone looks at me differently when I tell them I have a learning disability. I hate it so much because I wish people were more educated about people who have disabilities as a whole. This is a lot of ignorance out there, and I wish people talked about it more. They don't realize I can understand as much as they can, but I just learn differently. Thank you for this video. :)
(sorry this is long aaaaaaaah) honestly same mood. i hate language like "handicapable" and "differently abled". it sort of plays into the able bodied/non-learning disabled view of disabled people as existing purely as inspiration porn. also i just genuinely don't understand why it would be appealing to call myself anything other than disabled because i feel like that just wouldn't be truthful in a way. i am literally physically unable to do some things because of the way my body is and the amount of pain i'm in or the way my mind works; and other things take me much longer than other people or i have to do them differently but i can still do them. i am literally limited by the way my mind and body operate and by the way society is structured because it's designed to actively push out people like me and disabled seems to be the only word that fits the way my life works completely
Wow I didn't know that the note taking/listening thing was a thing! In school I never understood the concept of note taking bc I found that if I took notes, I couldn't remember the lesson at all cause I just spent the entire class stressed out taking notes. But if I just paid attention to the lesson itself, I'd retain a lot more information. I ended up just starting to doodle while listening to the lesson so that it would look like I was writing stuff down and I wouldn't get yelled at to take more notes during class so I'd actually be able to learn :o
Hey, I think you are very well-spoken and I hadn't realised the problem with person-first language before. That brings me to my question though, because you specifically talked about letting disabled people identify with their disability, but I was wondering if you think the same when talking about disabled people? Because I study Psychology and one of ny teachers specifically told us to use person-first language when writing about people with ASD (and other disabilities) so do you think that also in that scenario it would be better to say autistic people for example rather than person-first language?
Thank you so much for talking about this! I think you are very well spoken on this subject! I agree with you on most of it, but I personally have very mixed feelings on diagnosis specially for neurodiversities. For me my autism diagnosis has both helped and hurt me. But I suppose the latter has mostly to do with ableism.
I am currently in university, diagnosed with ADHD and am thinking about seeking a second opinion for ASD. What if any types of accommodations are available for that in post secondary?
