4 ms·

For those of us with disabilities, this is every situation of our lives all the time. The disadvantage of being disabled doesn’t come from the way that disabil

by jnovek 4y ago

For those of us with disabilities, this is every situation of our lives all the time. The disadvantage of being disabled doesn’t come from the way that disability limits us as much as it comes from the countless ways it makes all the normal things people do slightly harder. Advocates fight to change these things not because it’s easy to do but because eliminating at least some of the hurdles in life makes our overall experience a little easier.

hedora 4y ago
Being left handed is a mild version of this. I think it cultivates a healthy mindset though: At an early age, you learn that all assymetric tools were designed by idiots, so by kindergarten, you're already questioning everything. I suspect this is why lefties are drastically overrepresented in leadership positions, NASA, etc.
- Reason077 4y ago
  Apparently a Harvard study found that on average, lefties earn less, die younger, and are more prone to alcoholism! Source: https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/beyond-bls/left-versus-right-the-impact-of-handedness-on-future-earnings.htm https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/beyond-bls/left-versus-rig... According to the research, “lefties are generally born with a different brain structure that negatively affects their social and cognitive abilities.”
  - jnovek 4y ago
    One could say that being left-handed a disability that requires a low level of support. I really like this line of thinking because I think abled people are often overwhelmed by the prospect of disability. I bet left-handedness is the sort of impairment that people can get their head around as a starting point. I’ve tried using my vision impairment (which requires a low to moderate level of support) to describe the same thing, but peoples’ eyes tend to glaze over as soon as I say “amblyopia”. :-P
- account42 4y ago
  > At an early age, you learn that all assymetric tools were designed by idiots Then you have learned the wrong lession. Assymetric tools might not be inclusive, but they are generally designed that way because it brings some kind of advantage.
  - hedora 4y ago
    Try explaining that to a five-year-old whose faith in humanity hasn't yet been crushed by an endless stream of corporate design-by-committee compromises.

by jnovek 4y ago

hedora 4y ago

Being left handed is a mild version of this. I think it cultivates a healthy mindset though: At an early age, you learn that all assymetric tools were designed by idiots, so by kindergarten, you're already questioning everything. I suspect this is why lefties are drastically overrepresented in leadership positions, NASA, etc.

Reason077 4y ago
Apparently a Harvard study found that on average, lefties earn less, die younger, and are more prone to alcoholism! Source: https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/beyond-bls/left-versus-right-the-impact-of-handedness-on-future-earnings.htm https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/beyond-bls/left-versus-rig... According to the research, “lefties are generally born with a different brain structure that negatively affects their social and cognitive abilities.”
- jnovek 4y ago
  One could say that being left-handed a disability that requires a low level of support. I really like this line of thinking because I think abled people are often overwhelmed by the prospect of disability. I bet left-handedness is the sort of impairment that people can get their head around as a starting point. I’ve tried using my vision impairment (which requires a low to moderate level of support) to describe the same thing, but peoples’ eyes tend to glaze over as soon as I say “amblyopia”. :-P
account42 4y ago
> At an early age, you learn that all assymetric tools were designed by idiots Then you have learned the wrong lession. Assymetric tools might not be inclusive, but they are generally designed that way because it brings some kind of advantage.
- hedora 4y ago
  Try explaining that to a five-year-old whose faith in humanity hasn't yet been crushed by an endless stream of corporate design-by-committee compromises.