I guess it’s time for an introduction though I don’t care for doing these things. I’ve been writing poetry, short stories and songs, since I was 10 or 11 years old (playing guitar at 8), which is, none of your business how long ago. My love of learning and research, coupled with the onset of disabilities later in life, “morphed” my writing to include nonfictional pieces on: disabilities, disability rights, medical/legal issues, and anything that stirred my sassafras. I was resistant to social media until I joined “that other” site, during the pandemic.
With that said, I have zero experience with a blog – there will be a learning curve. For several years following my first accident, traumatic brain injury (TBI) destroyed my ability to write coherently and use punctuation properly… when I actually used it. I’m thankful to be writing again, but still relearning some of those things. I’m also thankful to those on Mastodon that suffered through my “writing rehabilitation”, as I worked some of those things out, and continue to sharpen the pen inside my mind. I’m excited about the expanded capabilities to share images and other media, afforded me by the blog. I also like the ample room to accommodate my long-windbagery
For those unfamiliar with my articles – I write about a wide variety of issues faced by people with disabilities, focusing on Invisible Disabilities Rights (IDR), disability justice/economics and governmental “social” programs. My pieces are sometimes hard-hitting, always evidence-based, heavy on sources, and tempered by my nearly 20 years with multiple disabilities. In that time, I’ve witnessed and experienced, many examples of discrimination, disability program system failure, poverty, ableism and hate. The fire was lit.
I write and fight for these reasons, as well as for others with similar experience; for people who may not be able, or fear speaking out, and those who are just fed up. I’m passionate about other social justice issues, especially injustice against marginalized people, or humanity in general. I’m also very fond of satire, humor and sarcasm.
Having some past experience with hockey broadcasting/play-by-play, and given the sport’s connection with brain injury, there may be the occasional hockey story on the blog. These will likely be posted on “Hockey Night in Canada” (that’s Saturday for those in the US). I’m also hoping to share some old films, and make some new ones. There may be poetry, and a few jokes, heavy on snark. If I’m passionate about it, you might find it here.
Of course, the main goal is to advocate and educate, chipping away at the wall of “stigmatude” surrounding people with invisible disabilities. I’d rather burn my tongue, than water down the soup, when it comes to challenging people’s definition of the word “normal”. It will take all of us, to remove the veil of oblivion, clouding the vision of ablests ” and many abled” people, alike – but even then…
Not every disability is visible, or the same, and can vary from person to person. Accommodation to disability, means much more than a ramp or alt text for many with other disabilities. Providing access to wheelchair user’s, is like a human right, but a ramp, doesn’t help the brain. For someone with invisible disabilities, accommodation could be as simple as, allowing a few seconds for their brain to finish a sentence, and transmit the words to their mouth. Just “thought for food”.
If one breaks one’s leg, they may have trouble walking.
Patience and understanding is key.
The same is true for the brain and communication.
OutOfExile_IDR © 2022
You can find me on Mastodon using the links on menu, or on ko-fi by clicking the “Donate” tab. This is my day job, and as they say, the pay is lousy. I struggle with many of the issues I write about every day. Donations are welcome and needed. I am not nonprofit organization, to avoid any confusion. I do not sell anything, save for IDR and equality. If, and when I finish this book, I might. Thank you for reading, and I hope you return and enjoy. If you’re able, please consider making a contribution. Anything helps, even one dollar. I’d love to hear your opinion, so leave those comments, or toot at me on social media.
OutOfExile_IDR™ – © 2024
All writings, images, graphics, logos, and other content by: OutOfExile_IDR™ unless credited otherwise.
All Rights Reserved. No Scraping.
Image created by Aqi Draco.
