He loves disabled people, too

2) any vegetable is better than no vegetable

dude.

i feel like the problem with this question is best illustrated by a conversation i had with a friend a while back, where i said something like, "i feel very safe with you because you don't do subtle hints and you are always very straight-up with me about what you are thinking and feeling."

in honor of my nearly two week long flare up, let's discuss a condition i literally never see talked about, costochondritis!

costochondritis, also known as costosternal syndrome, is a condition in which the cartilage in the joints connecting the sternum to the ribcage becomes inflamed, causing chest pain. it often follows strenuous repetitive activity, like exercising or coughing, and in rarer instances can be caused by an infection, but it's often exacerbated by conditions like fibromyalgia and eds. in my case it gets triggered when i stretch too hard in juuuust the wrong way.

the main obvious symptom is chest pain, but it specifically usually presents on one side, usually the left. the pain can radiate down ones arm or up the neck through to the jaw. it mimics many heart attack symptoms, to the point where ~30% of people who go to the er with chest pain/heart attack symptoms are actually experiencing costochondritis.

unfortunately theres not a whole lot of options treatment wise other than pain meds and potentially steroids to help with the inflammation, but it's benign and usually goes away on its own eventually.

if you're having concerning chest pain it could be this, but it's best to still get checked out in case it is something more serious that presents similarly.

descriptive transcript:

Haben, a Black woman in her thirties with long dark hair, speaks to the camera, a vibrant blue wall behind her.

Haben: If you're a creator, add transcripts to your videos. I can't see videos, I can't hear videos, but I can read transcripts.

Pins on a Braillenote Touch pop up and down in their Braille cells. Each cell has eight pins that are either positioned up or down depending on the specific Braille letter.

Haben: Braille displays connect to phones and laptops, allowing Braille readers to access the internet this way. Descriptive transcripts should have both the visuals of what's happening on screen and speech and key sounds for the video. Really good descriptive transcripts captivate readers just like the best novels.

The Braille display disappears and the video shows Haben in the same room.

Haben: Once we have widespread accessibility, it'll be easier for deafblind people to share our stories and also participate in conversations. I love learning from lives different from mine and in order for me to do that, I need transcripts. I look forward to reading all your transcripts!

end transcript.

The kid was picked up by an ambulance 30 minutes later.

Now as an adult working in security I get SO MANY folks- upper-middle aged mostly- coming to me to 'rat out' people they think are faking it.

I was once sent into a bathroom because a client demanded that the "fucker won't get out, so go drag them out"- I was NEVER going to do that, so I did a wellness check instead. You know who it was? A person recently released from the hospital after a car accident. They had a hole in their skull and major hearing loss. They couldn't answer the owner because they couldn't HEAR the owner.

Another time about a homeless man who got around town by kicking the ground from his wheelchair. "You know he doesn't actually need that thing, his legs work fine, it's just for pity points"- Oh, so he's not paralyzed, his wheelchair is performative? Funny story Dale, I actually know that guy, he was backed over by a truck and has chronic pain from his shattered pelvis. But sure, let's make him stand up and walk everywhere so nobody feels too bad for him and tries to help him or something.

"She doesn't need that scooter, I've seen her get out of it."

"Look how fat he is, because he just rides around and refuses to get up."

"She doesn't really need that cane- she comes here without it all the time"

I know there are lots of different types of communication apps out there. I only use them very occasionally (like every few months) and just use a very basic text to speech app.

high tech AAC:

if typing work best (good motor, know how to spell, not struggle too much w language like grammar or aphasia etc):

ios live speech feature (free w ios device)

notes app text to speech (free)

gotta be various free / cheap text to speech app somewhere

proloquo4text (paid expensive - but can presave phrases + lots voices choose from which can be affirming)

if struggle with language, can’t type, can’t read so need pictures, need preexisting words choose from, struggle w motor, or various reasons make easier - symbol based AAC app

there dedicated speech generating device out there but also lot be just ipad (or any smart tablet) + AAC app

may or may not find symbols infantilizing (bc developed for intellectual & developmentally disabled who learning language typically children. adults can use but different ppl diff opinion abt look of symbols.) different app may use different symbols

most of these app support typing one way or another but some use device built in keyboard n some use like app specific buttons which may be finicky

if need language beyond english n spanish need see which program have which

weavechat (free ios. maybe free maybe pay a little android forgot.)

proloquo2go, TD snap, coughdrop, touchchat, avez, etc (expensive. several hundreds. may or may not have free trial)

speak for yourself, LAMP word for life (especially prioritize motor plan. think like similar to touch type where muscle memory)

really struggle with motor:

switches / buttons + scanning

head tracking AAC devices

eye gaze / eye tracking AAC devices

really expensive (thousands+)

if you in US: can ask private insurance or medicaid medicare see if cover. vocational rehab may or may not too depend on state

if you elsewhere: am less familiar but hopefully something similar. UK have NHS, australia have NDIS? idk