#disability access

I'm currently doing exams at my school. I have some access arrangements (laptops, extra time, etc) to help me with my disability. Great! They work super well and really help!

My school has also decided to put me in a separate room to the regular exam hall. Great!

...Except for that the room is up a flight of stairs.

With no alternative. No lift/elevator, nothing.

I only have these arrangements for my physical disabilities that inhibit my ability to write and also my ability to walk. I walk with a fucking cane for petes sake. I know they think they're being accessible. It wasn't my decision to be in a separate room, they decided for me that it'd be better for my disabilities. It's worse.

I am so sick of people not specifying they mean WESTERN EUROPE.

I am south-eastern european, born in a Balkan peninsula country. Disability rights, access and overall views towards disabled people or people in need are SO SHIT people say “Disabled people don’t even show their faces outside” I will not even write out the absolute horror show stories that I heard growing up on the news and still hear regarding disabled people , chronically ill people, people in need and the shit they go trough in my country.

I have talked to other Balkan people. They have said it is pretty similar in their countries. I assume it applies to other less developed Eastern European countries.

To use Silksong as an example- 99% of the game is combat. If you make the combat easier you'd have to rework the whole game, make the AI dumber etc. There's a whole new level of balancing you have to do for a lower difficulty. If someone wants to play Silksong but can't do the combat they don't actually want to play the game because of this. Much of Silksong is difficult because of the skill needed, not the damage values.

On the other hand- it can be akin to subtitles- something that has been used for over a century and particularly for people with auditory disorders. They can do things like ruin the timing of jokes and distract from the framing of a scene, and their existence doesn't affect 99% of viewers- but they can allow people to experience art they couldn't otherwise

They aren't so different from this discussion- however I can see the point that games are a different enough medium that it's not nearly as simple as "Add subtitles."

It's interesting to think about. Should art be redone/reworked to accommodate for everyone? My first instinct is no, that feels like pandering, "art for everyone is art for no one" or demanding of the devs- but it also feels rudely dismissive of those who literally can't experience the art as intended.

Selected writing by Kelsey Maurine Brickl includes commentary and criticism on disability access, public culture, theatre, history, and institutional accountability.

Recent work includes published commentary in the Orlando Sentinel, critical essays on Medium, and independent essays on Substack examining disability, medicine, performance, and power.

This Tumblr will also serve as a place to collect selected publications and professional updates.

I have been a resident of the Mornington Peninsula for the past 16 years and, during that time, I have spoken with many residents, both young and old. A common concern is that too many suburbs are being overlooked, leading to missed opportunities and increased isolation for some members of the community. Support groups for older people and people living with disability appear to be concentrated…