#disabled access

AI being marketed as a form of "accessibility" is a very deliberate and heavily pushed campaign. It's deliberately making a shield out of a classification of oppressed, vulnerable people.

Nobody wants to be the able-bodied dickhead telling a disabled person they can't or shouldn't be using an "accessibility tool." Nobody wants the reputation of a person arguing against disabled people "being able to make art."

"But disabled people!" is one of the most disingenuine, shitty, malicious defences possible for the use of generative AI and every single disabled person who uses it should feel ashamed of themselves for allowing themselves to be exploited and manipulated by greedy, disgusting billionaires who only care about profit.

People with no arms or legs learn to paint with their mouths. People who are paralyzed hairline to fucking toenails have learned to draw using eye-tracking software.

Speech-to-text software exists. You do not need AI to write your novel for you.

You're just lazy and allowing billionaires to exploit your vulnerability and needs for money. Generative AI was not, ever, created with accessibility for disabled people in mind. It just wasn't. It was created with profit in mind.

Disabled people do not need generative AI and disabled people who use their disabilities to defend using generative AI bring shame to every single one of us.

BECAUSE IT COULD BE YOU ONE DAY!

AND, it is highly likely that accessible features and accommodations will, and do already, positively impact people you know in daily life.

Some examples: (accommodation/accessibility feature and who it benefits)

Automatic doors: wheelchair and mobility aid users, blind and visually impaired people, AND people with pushchairs or lots of bags, people with bikes, elderly people, pregnant people.

Ramps and dropped curbs: wheelchair and mobility aid users, people with chronic pain, people with joint issues, blind and visually impaired people, AND people with pushchairs, anyone who's knackered, people with suitcases, people using trolleys, kids on scooters, people on bikes, elderly people, pregnant people.

Public seating: people who struggle with their mobility in any way, AND elderly people, pregnant people, anyone who's knackered or hurting from a long day, homeless people, parents with kids.

Breaks in meetings at work/or any other social focused group thing: neurodivergent folks, disabled folks, AND elderly people, pregnant people, kids, tired people, literally everyone because meetings are ugh.

Plenty more examples.

disabled is not a dirty word

disabled is not a dirty word

disabled is not a dirty word

fuck self-closing disabled toilets that require a key all my homies hate self-closing disabled toilets that require a key

I present: the Leaves Yer Door Ajar 3000™

ID1: a sort of wide rectangular brick-like object in my hand, made out of several layers of folded up paper towel, inside a disabled toilet. end ID1

ID2: the same brick shaped rectangle of folded paper towels, now placed in a crack in the door of the disabled toilet, leaving it ajar. end ID2

I moved flats and had to have my friends call them to arrange the move because they didn’t have an online portal, email service or a chat box to deal with this.

BT is one of the biggest companies in the UK and it’s 2023. You’d think they would have better options for disabled customers.

In tears laughing when they sent this after their ‘investigation’ into my complaint. They not only didn’t bother to respond, but this was their resolution to my complaint about not being able to contact them in another way that didn’t involve a telephone:

A very early disability access poster from 1975, 2 years before the signing of the regulations of Section 504 & 15 years before the ADA.