There are a lot of spaces on the internet where disabled people come together to share tips and advice. It’s one of the few places where community and connection require only the pushes of buttons or speech-to-text and output can take whatever form is most accessible - automated screen-reader voices, meme-ified audio clips, typeset words on a plain background. It’s not perfect, and neither are the people who participate in it, but it’s too often the best (or only) way for us to participate in the world.
I know a lot of great accounts that review disability products, raise awareness, share scientific findings, and shitpost about the weird stuff abled people do. I spend most of my time on Instagram, following the greats like Nina Tame (Nina_Tame) and Imani Barbarin (Crutches_And_Spice). What does my goofy ass have to add to this space? It’s in my bio. I write, I do pretty much everything one can do with yarn, and I collect niche knowlege like tiny porcelain figures all lined up in my brain. And I used to be a chemist (though not a very good one), so I’m sometimes into science and also sometimes extremely over its bullshit.
Just in the course of surviving under capitalism with ME/CFS and POTS, I am constantly researching (while generally supine). Treatments, support options, doctors, tools, accessibility aids, highly specific youtube channels that can hold my interest when the pain flares up without causing a cognitive crash. Like most disabled people, my brain is stuffed to the brim, and I want to make a space where we can get some of it out. For ourselves, for our communities, and for the people who are just starting their journeys into a life they never thought they’d have.
My plan is to aim for one post a month about a thing I’ve recently tried or researched. These will probably meander down lots of side paths, because everything is connected and I’m hyperverbal and excitable that way. I want to keep those free if at all possible, because it’s expensive enough being disabled.
For those who can pay a little each month, I’d like to host a monthly discussion post where subscribers can share advice on a topic. I’ve found this to be therapeautic both in the sharing and in the receiving - our brains need an outlet, and we need to be reminded that our weird little hacks are actually very clever and every effort we make at improving our lives is worth celebrating. We have so much to offer each other and the world, and I hope to make a space for that.
At the moment, I plan to use whatever subscriptions come in to pay people for guest posts. That may change in the future, but it’s important to me that people - especially disabled people - be paid fairly for their work. Normally, that includes me, but I’m trying to shift my freelance writing niche, and this page will likely become a sort of portfolio to help me do that. So that’s what I will be getting out of it.
If I ever feel inspired to do researched deep-dives into a topic beyond my own specific experience, or something that requires formal interviews or editing, I may keep those behind the paywall as well. I’ll probably also start an Amazon storefront if I find enough products worth sharing, but I’ll be very clear about when I’m getting paid and when I’m not.
I’m so glad you’re here, in whatever capacity. Welcome! Let’s begin.
