#physical differences

art by @plague-cattle-burial-ground (twt PlagueCattle)

I am a very detail oriented person when it comes to planning things, this also includes design. I am planning my faraway-ish future (aiming for 1-3 years) home office in a prefab cabin, so that clients want personal appts have a place to go to. I would plan it to be in home, however in this scenario the house I would own would a friend roommate or two and I don’t want to bring clients inside my home in that case. So that is why I am going to have it in a 200 sqf prefab cabin. I will be putting in a 15 or 20 sqf half bath with a toilet and sink. I want to make the sink accessible as possibly with the knobs or pulls. Overall, which one is more helpful? Especially to those who have a disability that makes it difficult to use their hands? I am going for a vintage botanical theme as best as I can. The sink will be a white pedestal style with a toilet. I am stuck on the sink faucet with either knobs or pulls. Here are the two contestants.

Had this idea bouncing around in my head ad and thought it'd be fun to get out. Being half monster themselves (not to mention all their other stuff) weirdness is nothing new to the twins. Along with her Dad's pride in monstrosity, Lucy in particular is very much like her mother and half-brother when it comes to being different: She KNOWS she's different and takes shameless pride in it. To her, weirdness is cool and something to be celebrated. Simon's a bit shyer and not as shameless, but as different as he is from his family, he's surrounded by love and acceptance for who he is to help him deal with ridicule by others.

Since Ford's dealt with teasing his whole life for his polydactyly and has had to hide it much of his life, I thought Lucy and Simon showing him their physical differences and telling him it's cool and not to be ashamed would be nice.

Oh, really...? They “regret any offense it caused...?” WOW. How big of them.

The fact that this type of quasi-apology (I.e., not saying straight out that these depictions are WRONG) is accepted by the public is part of the problem. Big corporations KNOW that #ableism isn’t on anyone’s radar. #SelectiveActivism is a MAJOR issues for #PWD.

Think for a second of the wording of the statement. They regret any “offense” that it caused. But what about the #stereotypes that it reinforces? I see no mention of apologies for that.

The media needs to stop exploiting those that are physically and psychologically disabled or different. We’re currently only used as #InspirationPorn, as stereotypes (as seen through the eyes of others, with no care about our actual life experience), as people to be pitied, and as villains.

And until we start holding people accountable over this, there will continue to be children that grow up being picked on & feeling terribly about themselves, because of depictions like this - which encourage people to look at the disabled with pity and/or fear over what’s different. All while we’re STILL completely left out of all major dialogue & discussions regarding #diversity.

#Allies, this is where we need your help. Speak up when people joke about the #disabled, or when you hear someone use the “r” word (which I can’t even believe I have to say), or when people try to use the word “#autistic” as an insult.

And if you won’t, stop patting yourselves on the back for being so “#woke.” Ableism is still a major issue, and many of us have had to worry about #eugenics in the case of pandemic shortages. As well, “genetic discoveries” are often driven by the desire to eradicate a gene - leading to the termination of lives, based solely on genetic differences. It’s NOT okay.

A reminder to all of those with a #limbdifference, #ptosis, #scarring, #alopecia, #vitiligo, #scoliosis, #mobility issues, #speech differences, & other discernible differences & disabilities...you’re a beautiful, unique human being. To those with #InvisibleIllness - your struggles are VALID🙌🏻

To everyone else - we’re not villains, or the butt of a “joke.”