outofexile_idr - Network

Yo, "Neurodifferent me". What's up?

Yo, "Neurodifferent me".
What's up?

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." – Mother TeresaNot all disabilities are alike and not all disabilities are...

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." – Mother Teresa

Not all disabilities are alike and not all disabilities are visible.

Vivaldi – Setting an Example for Other Instances on Mastodon regarding Ableism:I don't often have good things to say about many...

Vivaldi – Setting an Example for Other Instances on Mastodon regarding Ableism:

I don't often have good things to say about many companies, however, in this case I have no choice but to commend the makers of #VivaldiBrowser in regard to their @Vivaldi instance, here on Mastodon.

Many users with disabilities, including myself, have often taken exception to most instance rules and the wording of the "Mastodon Server Covenant". I have had a piece on the back burner about this issue for quite some time, while examples of this problem continued to occur. Many disabled users have said they feel excluded by these rules, and therefore, left vulnerable to ableism. I personally have had certain instance administrators ignore blatant examples of ableism, seemingly on the technicality that, it does not violate their rules; or that of the Mastodon Server Covenant. To be clear, the instances I have accounts on (kolektiva.social and neurodifferent.me) do list ableism as an offense, and neurodifferent.me seems particularly protective of CERTAIN users in this way.

Servers on mastodon are required under the covenant to have:
"Active moderation against racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia.
Users must have the confidence that they are joining a safe space, free from white supremacy, anti-semitism and transphobia of other platforms."
There is absolutely no mention of ableism or any categorization that it would fall under. So, what about Vivaldi social?

I downloaded the Vivaldi browser last week and have not completely familiarized myself with it but, if you like the bells and whistles that go along with customizable browsers, you should like Vivaldi. It's equipped with many fantastic features for research and writing, as well. They have also recently taken steps to protect the privacy of it's browser users from prying Google eyes. After discovering that they had an instance here on Mastodon, I reached out to Vivaldi who graciously responded to me on several occasions. Their Mastodon instance even offers its users a blog space for writing. This was an exciting prospect for me.

When I looked up instance rules for Vivaldi social, I found the rules to be very similar to many instances and Mastodon's server covenant with a couple of additions including: xenophobia and casteism. Though xenophobia would seem to encompass ableism, I asked about the absence of the term on their server rules. Today, I received a response that speaks volumes about the character of those involved with Vivaldi and their Mastodon instance.

The correspondence said in part: "While for us it's common sense that any form of discrimination is not acceptable, it probably is best to spell it out more clearly. So, we've tweaked the wording of the server rules now." So what do Vivaldi's "tweaked" rules say?

"No discrimination of any form (incl. racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, casteism, ableism, etc.)".

I was pleasantly flabbergasted by this. Words like "fantabulous" and "bravissimo" are not a strong enough complement to this statement of equality and inclusion of the disability community by Vivaldi. Thank you so much for this consideration. Hopefully, other servers will follow the example you have set by adding one simple word to your server rules. You are truly a friend and ally to people with invisible disabilities throughout the world. There is no doubt in my mind about another statement on Vivaldi's server registration page: "EVERYONE IS WELCOME". Thank you again Vivaldi.

#VivaldiBrowser #DisabilityAlly #EndAbleism #privacy #disability #equality #inclusion

⚠️ CW – Suicide Prevention Month (TBI and Suicide)⚠️ September is National suicide prevention month and many members of the...

⚠️ CW – Suicide Prevention Month (TBI and Suicide)⚠️

September is National suicide prevention month and many members of the Invisible Disability Community are at high risk but, they're not alone. Individuals in the LGBTQIA community are "four times more likely" to make such an attempt for much the same reason as disabled individuals. The way they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. It is also the second leading cause of death for young people in the US between the ages of 18 and 25. "Native American communities experience higher rates of suicide compared to all other racial and ethnic groups in the US being the eighth leading cause of death…".

I thought this would be a good time to migrate and repost a piece I did on TBI "traumatic brain injury" and suicide to include these other at risk groups. What can you do if someone in your life is at risk? Spend some time with them, don't be judgmental, listen and love. If you see them being victimized or bullied, stand up and say something.

TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury and Suicide (originally posted Dec 27, 2022)

Why support is so important for those that live with TBI and Brain Injury.

From 2014 to 2017, the traumatic brain injury-linked death rate rose from 16.3 to 17.5 per 100,000 people.

There were 61,131 TBI-linked deaths in 2017 alone, and nearly half of these deaths were by suicide or homicide from 2015 to 2017.

Last summer, a rash of suicides on the USS Washington raised questions about lack of support and services said to contribute to these deaths.

The links below present the dismal statistics and some ways to help prevent suicide among the population living with Brain Injuries and other marginalized people.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Suicide | Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201809/traumatic-brain-injury-and-suicide

cdc.gov
https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/prevention/index.html

TBI and Suicide – PubMed.gov:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22329620/

Indigenous communities and suicide:
https://www.publichealthpost.org/databyte/suicide-rates-indigenous/

Trevor Project– LGBTQIA suicide: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/

US News:
https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-11-21/suicide-is-top-cause-of-deaths-tied-to-traumatic-brain-injury

Science Direct:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563205000531

Association between disability and suicide – pub med.gov: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34465506/

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/users/geralt-9301/

#TBI #BrainInjury #suicide #SuicidePrevention #indigenous #native #disability #LGBTQIA #EmotionalSupport #inclusion #love #understanding #education #EndAbleism #DisabilitySolidarity #DisabilityCommunity #Here4All #ActuallyAutisic #InvisibleDisabilityRights #landback

@disability

"With Gentle Affect - Surviving Trauma"Written with gentle affect and love for all:Words can be a powerful thing. Sometimes we...

"With Gentle Affect - Surviving Trauma"

Written with gentle affect and love for all:
Words can be a powerful thing. Sometimes we may say something unintentionally that can open the wounds of another. The range of emotion conjured, may sometimes be manifest in response. Sometimes it's an acquired instinct.

In a world that has become so full of hate, there are many that have survived great trauma. Words that may seem innocent, can be like thrusting the sharpest of double-edged swords, slashing open the heart's healing scars. Sometimes, if one pokes the hive, the bee is likely to sting out of instinctual self-preservation. It's important to be mindful of others we encounter. Only they may know the shadows that haunt within them.

Being an advocate is not an easy task. You're basically telling people what they may do is not right but, without advocacy, where does #change lie? Taking the brunt and standing firm for others that may not have the strength? If one day it may help to prevent others with invisible disabilities from being subjected, how can I remain silent.

With that said, the last time I checked, I'm human too. I have a brain, a heart and everything. I also don't harbor bitterness or resentment... It messes up the atmosphere inside.[]

"If one breaks one's leg, they may have trouble walking, patience and understanding is key. The same is true for the brain.
Today's installment was going to be about the brain and spelling. There's link to an interesting article below. I always welcome kind correction and thoughtful constructive feedback.

OutOfExile_IDR © 2022

Don't Foster misconceptions.
What goes wrong in the brain when someone can't spell: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160202185457.htm

Image by German Artist "finemayer".
Buy finemayer a cup?:
https://pixabay.com/users/finemayer-1749939/

#Sensitivity #disability #TBI #InvisibleDisabilities #trauma #pain C-#PTSD #ActuallyAutisic #DisabilitySolidarity #equality
#accommodation #understanding
#disagreement #PeaceMaking
#communication #resolution #peace #consideration #coexist #healing #MentalHealth #patience

(Migrated reboot originally posted Dec 15, 2022)

It is an historical fact that the privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and...

It is an historical fact that the privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily. Individuals may see the moral light and voluntarily give up their unjust posture, but, as we are reminded, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals .

We know, through painful experience that! freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.
-Martin Luther King Jr.

#inspiration #CivilRights #InvisibleDisabilityRights #EndAbleism #EndRacism #LGBTQRights #WomensRights #StopAsianHate #EndBigotry #UnityConquers #TearDownTheWall

Division - Ableism in the #DisabilityCommunity3of?Have you every had someone in your life not take you serseriously, because of your...

Division - Ableism in the #DisabilityCommunity

3of?
Have you every had someone in your life not take you serseriously, because of your disability? Have they minimized, discredited or alleged thay you are confused, because they're the one not getting it?

Unfortunately , people with #InvisibleDisabilities can even experience #ableism from other persons with #disability. My symptoms have been greatly exacerbated by a recent situation like this. This post will not be very eloquent or profound today... simply put, I am not well. I usually bounce back very quickly but, I am also receiving some disturbing feed back about damaging discussions.

Misinformation is often a weapon of ableists, to silence complaints from people with IDs. How many with invisible disabilities have heard the following: "Don't listen to them, there are (insert ableist slur here), they don't know what they're doing".

Because one does not understand subtle humor, or deeper thought, does not make the speaker incompetent or confused. Sometimes it means the listener may not understand. Sometimes ableist #stigmatude regarding people with invisible disabilities creates the assumption as well; even within the disability community. It is hurtful and frustrating to the recipient. It can also be very damaging, to health and recovery.

@disability.social is a community for all but, for some ...?? Expressing ones opinion shouldn't result in censorship or stifling one's voice by those who have the power to do so. It should also not result in gossip, #exclusion and bashing. Accommodation is often demanded but, not afforded. Different #disabilities have different need for #accommodation.

One of my first toots was response to the handling of a situation. It basically said:
"Transparency and owning up are two of my favorite things. It also indicates exemplary leadership." Now, I'm not so sure.

#DisabilitySolidarity #TBI #ActuallyAutistic #BrainInjury #equality #IDR
@disability
@disabilityjustice

2of?#Understanding allows for #acceptance, #inclusion and recovery with many #InvisibleDisabilities including #tbi.Traumatic Brain Injury...

2of?
#Understanding allows for #acceptance, #inclusion and recovery with many #InvisibleDisabilities including #tbi.

Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery Association, #tbira has some great educational reading to inspre understanding.

Psychological/Social Challenges - Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery Association https://www.tbira.org/white-cane-process/
https://www.tbira.org/

#DisabilitySolidarity #TBI #love #ActuallyAutistic #logorrhea #BrainInjury #inclusion
#InvisibleDisabilityRights
@disabilityjustice