I was homeless but not unhoused as my sister’s aunt took me in.

Yup, I’m the Aunt in this text and my mother apologized for inviting me, and putting everyone in a ‘situation’ where I needed help and they didn’t want to do it, and she says she’s learned from the experience 😳

When you look at people of color, women, trans, and homosexual, they stand as one and protect each other.

Not so much with those who have disabilities. Being born with a facial deformity has brought many challenges, from school to social life and even workplaces. I've tried talking with other groups about how the treatment myself and many others get is uncalled for and needs to be fought, many agree, but say its a battle we won't win or, even worse, is they don't see a problem with it and are OK with the corner the rest of society has put them in.

Until we are one. Our voice will never be heard.

I'm so sick and tired of people preaching up and down about how we need to be accommodating and inclusive towards the disabled community, yet nothing is actually being done about it, and I know why. It's because we need the right people in power who truly want to make a difference and have the authority to do so, and the right people are socialists who aren't afraid to call out the system and hold society accountable. However, it seems like so many people, even in the disabled community are scared of socialism, and I don't understand why. Could someone explain why it's a black hole?

Hey there, the reason why I joined this group is because I want to meet other people who has Central Auditory Processing Disorder because I want to see their experience with it and I hope to understand more about my disability. Plus I don’t want to feel alone anymore. I also have adhd as well. And I am also open to meet people with other disability’s. Anyways cannot wait to meet you guys:)

Something I've commonly seen is that various as-seen-on-TV gadgets that have commercials with incompetent ableds flipping pancakes onto the floor or whatever are actually made for disabled people, but marketed towards the broader public. But this seems kind of apocryphal to me. Does anyone further information?

Throwaway to protect my kid’s privacy. 

I am the parent of a young child with a disability. They are enrolled in an American public school and we are setting up a 504 for them for the first time. They do not quality for an IEP, and so cannot receive the funding set aside for IEPs.Every conversation I have with my kid’s teachers or the assistant principal, who is handling the 504s, leaves me feeling like a pain in the ass for advocating for my kid. Yes, the adaptive equipment they need to participate equitably and safely isn’t cheap and I am sorry about that. I know they don’t understand my kid’s needs and abilities; it takes a shit-ton of time to do so. I too wish we had a more accessible world with easier access to affordable, accessible equipment. I too wish I could just buy the equipment myself, but I don’t have the money because, surprise, living with a disability in America is expensive.

Other parents of young kids I’ve talked to emphasize that it is the school’s legal responsibility and that they have to just get over the “inconvenience.” But I don’t want my kid feeling like they’re inconveniencing everyone if the grownups around them aren’t good at being professional. And I don’t want to be seen as the parent administration avoids working with. I don’t know how to advocate for my kid while still maintaining a positive relationship with their teachers. And if that just might not be possible in my school or district, I don’t know how to accept it and move forward. I mean, I will. Nothing will keep me from advocating for my kid, but I want to know if there is a way to try and make it feel like we’re all on the same side, because right now, it really really doesn’t.

FWIW, I also try to be as gracious and grateful as possible. I volunteer as often as I can. I donate snacks and supplies and buy teacher gifts as often as I’m able.

You could probably guess this, but we’re in a rural part of a red state that dramatically underfunds education, and my kid’s teachers have had an especially hard time not letting their conservative politics slip. I can’t help but think, despite being educators, they kind of don’t actually give a shit about providing my kid–or any other kids–equal access to an education, and they are champing at the bit for legal protections for kids with disabilities to be eviscerated so they don’t have to deal with situations like ours anymore.

So is there a way to not have an adversarial-feeling relationship with school administration? And if there isn’t, is there a route to acceptance of that fact?

I love to travle, it's what I live for. But haven't done it much in the last 5 years due to my health. But I have now taken the leap, and brought my collapsable mobility scooter on holiday. And I managed through security without assistance, witch felt extremely awesome, and I'm not in pain after going throug the airport! Hurray! I can already tell this will improve my holliday and make travelling more enjoyable again! Celebrating with a drink by the pool! 💪

My fiance (53M) was informed today that he would not longer receive assistance from a mental health program that he was referred to by a state employment assistance agency. Through the mental health program, he was able to get diagnosed as autistic, in addition to having ADHD and anxiety. On top of that, he gets severe migraines. Everything went great for quite a while. He met with his case worker off-site because of the anxiety and he could call the day of an appointment if he was unable to meet due to anxiety attacks or migraines. Cue the new director. They forced everyone to meet on-site. They instituted a new 2 strike rule (miss 2 appointments for any reason and you're gone). He missed one appointment because of a severe migraine and the additional meds he had to take make it impossible for him to drive (I no longer drive due to my disability) and another because he had an anxiety attack. It's like they expect him to predict when he has anxiety attack or a migraine and give them 24 hour notice. He is in the middle of filing for disability. Well, filing an appeal and they were supposed to help with that. It's utterly ridiculous that a mental health program is so unaccommodating to those with mental health issues or other impairments. He has contacted the state agency that referred him to the program to let them know what happened. We'll see if they help. On the bright side, his case worker's last day is Friday and she has offered to help with his appeal paperwork once she's no longer working for them.

I go to a small-ish university, and over the summer they removed a lot of handicapped parking spots. Went from about 15 to 6 on about a 400 yard street. Some of the spots were over the ADA incline requirement. They also restructured the student parking lots and removed about 5 more spots.

My problem is that the only parking available for me to use is far away and only has very limited handicapped parking. I have extremely muscle weaknesses and cannot walk further than about 20 yards. They took away the handicapped spots without supplying other parking solutions for disabled students. I am only 2 days in and I already had to sit down on the sidewalk because I was unable to walk the distance to my class.

There is a faculty lot that is right behind the building I spend all my time in & also is close to the entrance with the elevator. (It is never full)

Is there anything I can do about the parking situation? Any ADA regulations I can reference? Or how would I go about asking for access to the faculty parking lots?

Anyone got any apps, websites, or just suggestions for getting into the dating scene?

I've tried the apps all my non disabled friends use but it was too stressful and you barely find anyone else with a disability so it's hard to relate often. Even worse the superficiality of these apps means in most cases your a no go for 95% of people. But that also says more about how our society views the disabled.

Admittedly I've never been much in our community due to internalized issues I'm working on these past few years so I'm trying to take advice and learn from my fellows.

Hi everyone!

I'm a 30 years old male with a disease since birth called arthrogryposis.

Because of that, I always been a wheelchair user, even if I got slightly more independent because of several surgeries I've done in the past years.

Since I was a child I struggled with accepting myself as I am. Even if somewhere deep down I know that this body doesn't fully define me, that condition still affects me, because people around me and society in general see me as being different and they tend to exclude or reject me, even sexually because of that.

At the same time I can feel that they're like a projection or like a mirror for me, somehow telling me that I don't truly love, nor I accept myself as I am.

Also I'd like to feel more attractive, but I constantly feel like I am failing at this, because I'm also a fat guy because I constantly sit in a wheelchair and I have a low self-esteem.

So my question is... How did you started find peace within yourself and started to love, respect and accept yourself?

Hey all, soon I'm going to be flying for the first time since acquiring my disability and it's also my first time ever flying alone (and iirc the last time I flew in general was over ten years ago). I have all the paperwork (SmartDrive air travel certificate, TSA disability card, etc.) and signed up for all the services (TSA Cares assistance program and airline wheelchair assistance). How early should I arrive? Do you have any other specific tips? TIA!

Hi everyone,

My mom is 75 years old and has several vision problems: in one eye, she has a retinal detachment, in the other, macular degeneration, and she was also diagnosed with glaucoma in one of them (I don’t remember which). She underwent surgery and a series of eye injections for a few months. According to the doctor, it stabilized her condition, but didn’t improve her vision much.

The thing is, she has always been very active and loves cooking, but now she’s struggling with simple tasks. The other day she told me crying that she can’t even see the thin skin of garlic when she peels it. She also can’t use her phone properly, the glasses she got didn’t help, and she’s stopped using WhatsApp, which makes communication very difficult. I live in another city, so my older siblings are the ones taking care of her in person.

I’m very worried, especially about her emotional well-being: she’s told me she’s afraid of losing her vision completely, and I’m afraid this could lead to isolation, depression, and a loss of purpose in her daily life.

I gave her my Alexa, which helps with some things (music, medication reminders, timers in the kitchen, weather updates, etc.), but clearly it’s not enough.

My questions: • How can I support her in this situation without making her feel isolated or incapable? • Does anyone recommend phones or tablets that are more accessible for elderly people with low vision? (I’m currently unemployed, but I plan to buy one for her as soon as possible.) • Any resources or adaptations for the kitchen or hobbies? (She loves cooking… she was a pastry chef for over 50 years.) • How do you care for the emotional well-being of an elderly person facing this fear of blindness? • Has anyone gone through something similar, and what worked for you?

Honestly, it hurts me so much, and I find myself crying out of sadness, frustration, and despair more often than I’d like. I wish I could do more for her… if it were possible, I would have given her at least one of my eyes. We don’t have anyone with visual impairment in the family, so this is all new to us. Any advice or shared experiences would help a lot. Thank you in advance 🙏

I booked a flight for a friend of mine last month and requested pre-board ahead of time, which was granted. I was on the phone with my friend while they were at the Southwest ticketing counter. During their conversation with the ticketing agent, they specifically requested pre-boarding and gate transfer assistance when they arrived at Las Vegas.

Upon arriving to the Las Vegas airport with a multiple hour layover, they were not greeted with any agent that would provide assistance, nor was she provided with any sort of instruction on how to make contact with an agent upon arrival at LAS. Initially they were set at a nearby B gate. The gate changed without notice to a gate in the C terminal and eventually switched back to a B gate without notice, and then to, I believe, another B gate, again without notice, though it could have very briefly went to a C gate again before that. During this time, I had to direct her, using an online map, the exact directions to take to get to each gate. She took the wrong turn on at least two occasions.

They could not locate a gate agent anywhere during this situation, and once she did, the agent was extremely rude and refused to speak with me on the phone so I could communicate needs related to her disability, as she was unable to effectively communicate for herself, being overwhelmed by the environment of a large airport and under extreme stress. Friend in question literally started having a pnaic attack because of this agent. I put her on the phone with a friend to help calm her, and called the Southwest customer service number, who advised me they could not assist and that she should find another gate agent. I called her back. After 10-15 minutes of wandering to other gates, she finally located a different Southwest agent; they were extremely hesitant to talk to them after being traumatized by the first agent. This gate agent also refused to speak to me directly, but I had her put me on speaker phone. They were able to get some sort of supervisor. They, fortunately, stumbled upon the new correct gate.

What did Southwest offer for this breach of contract and extremely traumatizing experience for everyone involved? A travel voucher for $150 and no promise of future accessibility training.

Tl;dr, don't fly Southwest if you have a disability and require accommodation. The July 2025 Air Travel Consumer Report shows five civil rights complaints for Southwest in April alone. Since they're switching their model to be like every other airline and are now running more expensive in some cases, there's not really a reason to use them anyways, but particularly if you have a disability, don't use them.

Edit: I was reading the wrong section; twenty-eight disability complaints in May. Second in disability complaint volume and the fourth largest domestic airline.

I feel like celebrities sharing their struggles (like Christina with multiple sclerosis) helps people talk more openly about illness. Do you agree?

I 26f have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, autism, PTSD, PCOS, HS, endometriosis, chronic migraines, depression, anxiety, POTS symptoms. I got denied for disability through the state, and now we are having to speak with a lawyer to appeal it. I’m just getting so frustrated. They deny people who really need it and make them fight. I am so sick and tired of fighting. The state thinks I can work, which I cannot. Thanks for listening.

When will SSA checks post on Venmo? Anybody know?

Hey there, I know this might be against the rules mods but just humor me for a second, I'm looking for a friend, Mahahe was her username before she deleted her account (according to her because of creeps, said she'd contact me in a bit so we can read books together) and she said she'd found me originally by seeing one of my posts on this sub, it's been 2 days since our last contact and I figured if she somehow managed to forget my username or something she'd probably be looking for me in this here sub, if any of you happen to know her and what happened to her please do tell me.

RANT: I'm officially done with lawn care. Done.

I have Functional Neurological Disorder and can't handle traditional work stress, but SSDI doesn't cover all my bills, so I started mowing lawns through LawnStarter. I actually love mowing - it's one of the few things that doesn't aggravate my FND quickly, I can handle some of it because I enjoy it - but apparently I can't even do THAT without people being absolute garbage.

Here's the thing about FND: ANY stress can trigger flares that send me to the ER with seizures or worse. I literally cannot handle confrontation or stress without risking serious medical consequences.

Had this great customer for months. Bi-weekly service, perfect communication, 5-star reviews every time. I left ONE flyer at his door the first visit - standard business practice.

Fast forward to last week's disaster day: I decided to tackle two small lawns in one day. First job - property management company cancels AFTER I finish the work (LawnStarter says I'll get paid, but we'll see). Second job - I'm 90% done when some woman storms out screaming "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" She had Ring cameras everywhere, watched me work for 45 minutes, then tried to get free lawn service. Completed the job anyway, but the stress from her yelling nearly sent me into a flare.

Today my FND is already flaring up badly - I'm not even working - when my phone rings. It's the "perfect" customer from months ago, screaming at me about "leaving flyers at her home MANY times."

Plot twist: That was literally the ONLY house I ever left a flyer at. MONTHS ago. One flyer.

I canceled all future services with her immediately before the stress could trigger seizures.

I just want to work peacefully and pay my bills without people treating me like garbage. Apparently that's impossible when you're disabled and trying to survive on inadequate benefits. These people don't realize their drama could literally put me in the hospital.

So I'm done. Completely done. My health isn't worth this.

My son has DMD (muscular dystrophy) and we are looking to make his independent life easier, I've searched everywhere for a front door that automatically opens with a fob, not just unlocks but actually physically opens. I've found automatically closing, automatically unlocking but none that will automatically unlock and open. Has anyone got a door like this or heard of/know where we could look for a door like this?

TLDR: i know a little but dont know where to research, any resource is accepted and thank you!!

I always research and read things but most of the resources that search motors put is mostly from hospitals doctors and parents' websites so i directly wanted to ask you! (If thats ok)

Even though i know some things (a little) i wanna start as a beginner, but every level is ok because i will write it down and read when i need to (I wanna learn as a beginner because my fundamentals may be wrong so i need a strong foundation)

I accept everything for example key words that i can use when searching, articles, peoples experiences, books (audio or e book), videos, documentaries, resources lists like where they put links about subjects, etc etc.

Thank you!!