#zebplanet

But some of us cant. Some of us, like me, cant live independently. Cant be without someone. Cant be a member of society without extreme accommodation and help.

I need help in everyday life. I have a caregiver for gods sake. I need help in everyday life and will never be independent. It’s frustrating to constantly get comments about how autistic people can live independently. Cause some of us cant, and that needs to be talked about. I get sores from not showering enough. I get sores from my wheelchair. I have cavities from not brushing my teeth enough.

Life with higher support needs shouldn’t be something that is ignored and not talked about. My caregiver helps me live life as independently as possible. Independence looks different for everyone. Our caregivers are an extension of ourselves. Our caregivers are important and should be recognized. Stop throwing us under the bus for your “salvation”

I mentioned ONCE in a group about wanting to go into assisted living and looking into it. Immediately got dog piled by people saying to absolutely not go into assisted living because itd “take away my autonomy” and “I should just live with others for as long as possible.”

Assisted living, group homes, guardianship, whatever, can very much mean that someone actually GAINS autonomy. And independence. The goal is for quality of life. We should be focusing on quality of life instead of what YOU want. What YOU want as a lower support needs person because you’ve heard bad stories.

Higher support needs people often don’t get the decision. It’s life or death for them. Y’all HAVE to realize that.

Stop forcing your narrative on young higher support needs people who are looking into different options for their care. Yes. It’s SCARY to be put in a bad situation, but often times it’s trial and error for us. Y’all HAVE to realize that. We don’t have the privilege to pick and choose between if we just live independently or go in a group home. It’s group home, or death, or living in a fucked up, maybe even abusive situation already.

Lemme just say this, there will ALWAYS be someone that is more disabled than you. And that isn’t a bad thing to say. I have mutuals who are full time power wheelchair users. I have mutuals who are high support needs. I have mutuals that are more disabled than me and I acknowledge that because there are people who are severely disabled and more disabled than me and that is OK!!!

Acknowledging that there are severely disabled people and that there are people with more severe disabilities than you isn’t a bad thing. It is life. No one is “At the same level of disability”. Some people are just more disabled and thats ok to say.

I’m a wheelchair and forearm crutch user almost full time. I can acknowledge that my friend with cerebral palsy whos a full time wheelchair user and eye-gaze AAC user is more disabled than me. I can acknowledge that my disabilities are more severe than most of my classmates. I can acknowledge those things and it’s all correct!

Being nonverbal (as in can’t talk at all permanently)

Having caretakers

Having other people do ADLs for you. Especially bathing and toileting.

Being talked to in simplified language

Being dirty

Drooling

Chewing on things

Stimming violently and loudly

Hitting yourself

Vocal stimming loudly

Being higher support needs

Being higher support needs and a POC

Being intellectually disabled with autism

It started off good. The bus drivers were nice and secured me correctly. Everything was great. That was until we had to take a short walk to the library. The sidewalks were uneven, businesses had tables and chairs in the middle of the sidewalk. The cross walks were to steep and had bumps at the bottom of them, so when I’d go down them, I would almost tip forward, and once even did tip forward. Luckily my partner caught me before I fell out, but my stuff went flying. It was very upsetting, but I laughed it off.

Before I went to the library, I did look up if they had an accessible entrance, and according to them, they did. So I went, and I learned quickly that it wasn’t accessible at all. The ramp into the library was too steep. I couldn’t get up it myself and needed my partners help. The library itself inside, was great! Except the fact there were stepping stools in the isles that I couldn’t get around so my partner had to move them. Besides that, the inside of the library was great.

All in all, the library itself was great and accessible to me. But the walk to the library? Not at all. The entrance to the library? Not accessible. Accessibility is more than a ramp. It needs to be something that people can actually use. It was very very frustrating and upsetting. I deserve to be in places with my wheelchair. I deserve to use my wheelchair. I deserve to walk around the town. I deserve all of that.

Luckily my partner was willing to help, and was more then happy to help me out all along the way, although we did both agree that I will probably not be taking my wheelchair back into town anytime soon. I hate it. Made me very upset. Made me want to cry and meltdown. Made me want to scream.

An adult who has high support needs is NOT the same as a toddler. A high support needs adult is NOT “functionally a child”

THEY. ARE. AN. ADULT.