#disability stuff

The first is the sternocleidomastoid muscle, or the SCM muscle.

This big red section is responsible for pain around the eye, cheekbone, and jaw, as well as some temple pain. Literally all you have to do is angle your head down a little, angle it away from the side that hurts, and then you can gently pinch and rub that muscle. I find it best to start at the bottom and travel upwards. The relief is so immediate! You can increase pressure as you feel comfortable doing so.

Here is a short and easy video showing this in action

The second is a fast and easy stretch that soothes your vagus nerve, which is the nerve responsible for calming you down. The vagus nerve, for those unfamiliar, is stimulated by deep breathing such as yawning, sighing, singing, or taking a deep breath to calm your anger in a tense situation.

You can stretch this out by sitting up as straight as possible (this does not have to be perfect to work) and interlacing your fingers. Put your hands on the back of your head with your thumbs going down the sides of your neck and, while keeping your face forward, look all the way to one side with just your eyes. Hold that until you feel the urge to breathe deeply or yawn, or until you can tell there’s a change. Then do the same thing on the other side. When you put your arms down, you should clearly be able to turn your head farther in both directions. If the first session doesn’t get rid of your migraine, rest and repeat as many times as necessary. I even get a little fancy with it and roll my eyes up and down along the outer edge sometimes to stretch as much as I can.

If you need a visual here’s a good video on it. I know some of the language they use seems questionable but this is real and simple science and should not be discarded because it’s been adopted by the trendy wellness crowd!

I seriously cannot believe I didn’t hear a word of this from any doctor in my life. Additionally, if you get frequent recurring migraines, you may want to see a dietician. Migraines can be caused by foods containing histamines, lectin, etc. and can also be caused by high blood pressure in specific situations such as exercise, stress, and even sex.

WEAR A MASK EVERYWHERE YOU THINK DISABLED PEOPLE DESERVE TO BE.

I’m doing something at an event soon, on disability stuff. The organiser has been contacted by a deaf person asking what the access at the event is like. Organiser has somehow decided that this person just wants to check out the accessibility accommodations and pass judgement if they’re not good enough.

Just. No.

Asking for access is approaching someone with more power than you. In their hands, they hold the power to deny you entry to something that could be very important to you. They hold the power to deny you the right to participate in society. They hold the power to embarrass and shame you and point out how different you are.

Or they have the power to let you in.

If you’re organising something, always treat access requests in good faith. Ask what people need to access your event. Whether it’s a book group, a classroom, a festival, a meeting. You hold the power.

Access is about who belongs.

“Access is not simply about getting in the door, but about the kinds of bodies, minds, and relations that are assumed and welcomed in social space.”

Text description: The Disability Pride Flag is a charcoal grey flag bisected diagonally from the top left corner to the lower right corner by five parallel stripes in red, pale gold, pale grey, light blue, and green.

The diagonal bands are intended to signify "cutting across barriers that disabled people face."

Flag meanings (from Wikipedia)

Flag meaning text/alt text

Meanings of the colors:

Charcoal Grey: Mourning for ableist violence, abuse victims, people who committed suicide and everyone who died due to the disability

Red Stripe: Physical disabilities

Gold Stripe: Neurodiversity

Blue Stripe: Emotional and psychiatric disabilities

Green Stripe: Sensory disabilities