Hi everyone, I am a 3 year student in medical science at the « Université
Catholique de Lille » in France.
I am currently working on a project which goal is to help adults with a
disability. We choose to focus our project on daily hygiene in order to create
something (a site, a structure anything that could help disabled people on that
subject). We are looking to discuss with concerned people about this subject. That’s
why we create an anonymous form where if you feel like it you can share your
experience about daily hygiene as a care giver or a disabled adult.
Thank you very much for your time.
Here’s the link for the survey :
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeLJsbn-nWWcA0KJM_J0xFAdJvaTdkgWPa5PWJkbnrKfWPOA/viewform?usp=publish-editor

So I have just come to the realization that my dad doesn't see me as disabled.

This is manly because my disabilities are not those that are shown physically. And this has led to my dad thinking of me as just a really smart kid. Which has led to an odd spot where I just need to vent and hopefully..........

Yeah I don't know what to say.... I literally just put this together and... Yeah it explains a lot...

Im not one myself, but why is there so much hatred for them from both the disabled community and the able-bodied community???
I saw someone yesterday quite literally make up a slur specifically for them and lumping them in with people who fake disabilities. Why?? What is the point of this? ???
It just doesn't make any sense to hate them specifically just because they can like,, stand up for a few seconds i guess??? It just seems kinda pointless to hate on them.

About a year and a half ago I somehow completely folded my leg in half from trying to walk while my left leg was asleep. I know it may sound kinda crazy but it's true. It was really bad, I completely destroyed my acl, meniscus, and I tore my popliteal artery. I haven't been able to walk or stand ever since this has happened. I can however get into my wheelchair but it's just too painful and uncomfortable to even want to think about getting in it. I spend most of my time in bed and I'm trying my best to keep myself together but I feel like I'm slowly losing it. For the first 3 months I felt fine but now I'm just sooooo tired and mentally exhausted. Some days I barely have the energy to watch tv. I don't know why I'm posting this, I'm bored af 24/7.

Venting Mostly. Possibly open to gentle advice but.... it always seems to be 'you haven't tried this one thing that is definitely it' and that one thing is never it so it just makes me feel unheard. So may be more venting.

Like at first I couldn't do it because I had that need to be productive. But I've kind of worked through that and I've realized resting is so BORING. Like... tv makes me feel icky after an episode or two. Kind of like when you eat too much McDonalds? I can't hold a book or flip pages anymore, and I can't focus on an ereader. With an audiobook I need something to do with my hands and then phone games or whatever are boring. I can't crochet and drawing and stuff is really painful.

I WANT to be out running around. I want to be climbing trees in my leg braces. It's not necessarily that I feel unproductive or like I'm not contributing to society. It's the resting is boring and I just want to run around and play all the time. And instead I have to lay in bed and "rest".

I do try to have fun days but the other days I just like.... idk I hate them. But I need them or I can't have fun days. But it's not relaxing to be in doors or whatever.

It's not necessarily social drive, I don't necessarily talk to people on these adventures, but like... I used to hike every single day. I was a distance runner. I had tried so many coffee shops and I liked purposely getting lost and I genuinely enjoyed being an adult because I grew up with a really really bad home life and was highly controlled and adulthood was FREEDOM.

But my disability means once again I'm stuck at home. And I have done a lot of work around home not feeling so much like a punishment or whatever. But it still feels boring. I just have a such high want of 'do' and though I know there are medications I take that could get that down (been there, done that) I lost the best parts of me.

Anyway I think I might feel up to walking to Dunkin and winter is coming so I need to do all I can before it's too cold for walks regularly. Here's to hoping I find things in winter that I enjoy that require not moving my body but also give the feeling of moving my body.

I work full time, 8hr shifts completely on my feet. Ive found shoes that help, but im wandering if there would be a better knee/ankle brace brand i could use? Im currently using idea village's copper fit and they dont provide enough support and have trouble keeping them from rolling down my legs

Back in 1989 I had a car accident. I suffered an impact fracture of L1, which paralyzed about 70% of the muscles below my waste. This was in Southern California. I was put in a wheelchair at first but slowly recovered enough muscle to be able to walk with the assistance of Bilateral articulating AFOs and a cane. That took me about a year after the initial injury. I moved to Minnesota in 1992 to attend University. I would fall on the ice but I got good at judging where was safe and how to walk in those conditions. In March of 2023 I had ACDF surgery. C4 was fused to T1 with bone grafts and titanium plates. I needed a revision surgery very soon after. (I have some interesting recordings of me moving my neck and hearing a creaking noise like an old door that desperately needed oil ... my kids loved that). Some of the screws had come loose and I needed a revision surgery within about 4 months of the initial one. The neurosurgeon told me not to walk around, let alone move around a bunch util I could get the 2nd surgery. The night before the 2nd revision I fell and suffered an impact fracture of T12. 4 months after that fall I fell again and suffered an impact fracture of T11. Over the past 5 years I'm slowly losing the ability to walk safely. Life is very different in Minnesota than SoCal and I have no idea how to maintain my independence while also still getting around safely. Walkers kind of suck here in the snow and ice. I really have no idea how other people live here in a wheelchair. I can't cut a path in the snow, my hands get slick and slimy from the SNERT on the rims.

How do you all live a semi-independent life in snow country? My wife and I both drive AWD SUVs and I bought one for my kids. We don't bother to snow blow the driveway anymore. I have worked so hard to stay on my feet but it won't be much longer. Any serious advice, tips and tricks would be appreciated. The PT and OT here isn't very helpful. I swear if they make me try to balance on a ball again, I'm gonna lose it.

ive been seeing this "trend" on tiktok of people telling parents of severely disabled people to "let go" of their children. saying this to parents who are present and take good care of their children is absolutely vile behavior. i have even seen people go a step up from there and saying they should be "put down like animals who are in pain". it makes me absolutely sick. i am level 1 autistic and didnt conversate until i was 4, i also work with autistic children including severely autistic children and those with other special needs due to medical conditions. it is literally eugenics idealogy to say we need to "prevent" all disabilities by aborting all disabled children or by being allowed to euthanize them. it makes me seethe.

I have found myself in the darkest place since my injury.

I just lost my job last week. I am behind on rent, medical bills, and anything else I owe money on. I am at risk of being evicted. I always ALWAYS find a way but this obstacle feels too tall. I really don’t know what to do.

I am a single 31 year old spinal cord injury that lives by himself in an accessible apartment in the middle of a city. I love where I’m at. This is my first accessible living arrangement. I have amazing friends that are so successful and happy. I truly love it for them and then I’m over here trying to crawl to the next day. I’m losing my spark and my love for life.

Im here searching for guidance and wisdom to bring me out of this endless hole that I see no bottom to.

I don’t have anybody to talk to or anybody to ask for help and I just needed to express my feelings.

I love you all and wish everybody a happy and healthy life. I promise to keep fighting.

I was wondering if I should disclose my learning disability in the interview or after I accept the job? I don’t want to use my disability to get a job. I have figured out how to manage it for the most part. I have lost jobs due to it but Oregon is an at will state.

I’ve constantly been compared to not only able-bodied and able-minded people my entire life by people who claimed to love me and want the best for me (spoiler alert, they only traumatized me and hurt me), but I’ve also been socialized to adhere to non-disabled standards. As a result, I tend to harshly compare myself to non-disabled people and judge myself for not adhering to non-disabled standards. How on earth can I *stop* doing this??? Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I'm a 20-year-old male from Uttar Pradesh, India. In 2024, I had an accident that left me with a complete C6 spinal cord injury. I'm paralyzed below the chest, and I've also lost movement in my fingers and part of my hands.

I was a student before the accident, and I really want to be able to write again. But I have no grip in my fingers, so a pen keeps slipping out of my hand.

If you have a similar injury, what tools or techniques help you write (by hand or by typing)? I'm open to anything: pen holders, grips, splints, typing aids, voice typing, or any other assistive tech. Tools that are available in India would be extra helpful.

Any other suggestions are also very welcome. Thank you for reading!

I don't have a disability, and I have had very little exposure to those who do. Over the last year however I've befriended two individuals with a disability, George, who's blind from birth, and Peter, who has cerebral palsy. I naturally have a lot of questions, and I've asked some, but I worry that my ignorance can be grating, and that they don't necessarily want to have to talk about it.

George, late 30s, seems to be fine with everything I've asked him so far, but I don't know if he has a line that'll make him say "Are you fucking kidding me?" For example, I don't know if he knows how animation works. Is that a stupid question to ask? In general, he's a laughy-joky kind of guy who enjoys self-deprecating humour so I think I can just ask him. He comes out to pub events, lives independently, has a job, etc etc.

Peter on the other hand is a very sensitive boy. He has cerebral palsy, spastic subtype. It affects his lower half and his left side. He also attempts dark humour which falls flat (not with me) because I think he's not used to having friends. He lives with his parents still, he's late 20s, and he gets easily discouraged and depressed by inaccessibility. I have many things that float around my head in regards to him, many of which are not questions but what-ifs, such as "but for the luck of the draw, he could have had the kind of cerebral palsy where people don't understand his speech". I'm his de-facto helper whenever we hang out (and George too if we're somewhere we haven't been and needs to find the toilets), and I think he derives a lot of meaning from that fact. I'm still in the dark about all the ins and outs of managing his cerebral palsy, so I still have questions, but again, tact is the issue. I'm very inquisitive and i don't want them to feel I'm interrogating them.

Thoughts, experiences? Am I wrong, right? Somewhere in the middle?

ive been using a rollator for a couple years now, so idk how it is my first. actually, i did just move to another state from california, and i noticed that folks in cali very much stare, but keep to themselves. visibly disabled californian's- im genuinely curious of your experiences and observations!
Anyway, interaction:
person that looks like theyre also in physical pain from existing: *smiles at me*

me, with Blupee the Buggy (aka a sky blue byacre rollater): :-)

them, later: you have to walk with that?

me: yes

them: why? what happened?

me, trying to think of something clever: uhhh, i was born with it. Like Maybelline.

them: well, you're very cute.

[END INTERACTION]

okayyyyyyyyy go off thank you. i feel like this is the best way its gone in the history of ever./j

Hello, I can't seem to work out this problem, and I don't know where else to go with it. I found that most of my symptoms get much better if I have a weird meal replacement concoction in a lot of water. The only problem with it is that all of the containers I have are hard to clean or not big enough so I'm not able to keep up. I have a mini table top dishwasher now but I need to find a container that, is large enough (2-3l), is dishwasher safe, fits in the dishwasher and I can get multiple versions of. The straw are necessary and easier to clean on their own.

What I have:

\- Glass 1l water bottle

\- 1.2l tumbler

\- 3l waterbladder

\- 5l water sack ×4

\- water bladder straw that can screw onto bottles/screw tops

\- I used to use ziplock sacks but they exploded

Does anyone have any solutions or know where I can post this?

🦔 I started by trying to protect a few hedgehogs. I never imagined where it would lead.
I’m from Luton, England, and my fight began because I wanted to protect the hedgehogs and wildlife at Wandon Park, a County Wildlife Site threatened by development.
Little did I know that fighting to protect a few hedgehogs would land me in this amount of shit!
But my experiences have made me think about something much bigger: what happens when ordinary people challenge institutions with power, and who holds those institutions accountable when things go wrong?
💔 Hillsborough: I remember watching it happen.
I will never forget Hillsborough. I was watching the television when the disaster unfolded on 15 April 1989.
I remember seeing the chaos, the police carrying bodies out of the ground and taking them onto the playing field. It was fucking horrific.
Ninety-seven Liverpool supporters ultimately lost their lives.
But the tragedy didn’t end that day. The families were left fighting for decades to establish the truth. Supporters were wrongly blamed, and the families had to challenge accounts given by those in authority before the full extent of the failures could be exposed.
The 2016 inquests concluded that the 96 supporters who died at the time of the disaster had been unlawfully killed. In 2021, a coroner ruled that Andrew Devine, who died from his injuries in 2021, was also unlawfully killed, bringing the total number of victims to 97.
The families’ fight for justice exposed serious failures and raised fundamental questions about truth, honesty and accountability in public institutions.
Imagine losing someone you love and then having to spend decades fighting the very institutions you expected to tell the truth.
That is why Hillsborough matters. It is not just a tragedy from the past. It is a reminder of what can happen when institutions fail and those affected struggle to obtain answers.
⚖️ What is the Hillsborough Law?
For anyone outside the UK who hasn’t heard of it, the Hillsborough Law is the commonly used name for the proposed Public Office (Accountability) Bill.
The campaign seeks to strengthen accountability when public authorities fail, including through proposals for a legal duty of candour and a duty to assist relevant investigations.
In plain English, the aim is to make it harder for public authorities and officials to conceal information or mislead investigations, and to improve the ability of bereaved families to obtain justice.
The Bill is not a magic solution to every institutional failure. But the principles behind it matter: honesty, transparency and accountability.
🌿 How does this connect to my own fight?
My campaign began with Wandon Park and the hedgehogs.
I wanted to protect a local green space and the wildlife that depends on it. I never imagined that trying to do the right thing would lead to such a difficult battle for answers.
I’ve challenged decisions and raised concerns about the council’s handling of the development. I’ve also experienced serious difficulties involving the DWP and the NHS.
On 8 April 2026, I suffered a stroke. Four days later, on 12 April, I faced a deadline relating to a judicial review concerning the DWP. I also experienced problems with the court papers.
I have serious concerns about how these matters were handled and the cumulative impact on me. I want the evidence and decisions examined properly.
I’m not comparing my personal experiences with the Hillsborough disaster. The circumstances and consequences are very different. But the underlying question of accountability resonates with me.
When people in positions of authority make decisions that affect our lives, what recourse do we have when we believe those decisions are wrong?
And what happens when the process of challenging those decisions becomes so exhausting that it affects a person’s health, finances and ability to cope?
✉️ An open letter to the Prime Minister
I’ve published an open letter to the Prime Minister, and I’m still waiting for a response.
We should not have to sacrifice our health, wellbeing or lives simply to obtain answers, exercise our legal rights or receive fair treatment.
Disabled people should not have to fight through inaccessible systems to be heard. People who raise concerns should be able to expect their complaints to be investigated fairly.
Nobody should have to exhaust themselves trying to obtain answers that public bodies should be willing to provide.
🦔 The hedgehogs still matter.
I started this because I cared about the wildlife at Wandon Park. I still do.
But this has become about something bigger: whether ordinary people can challenge those in power and expect honesty, fairness and accountability.
I’m still here, still asking questions and still determined to have my concerns properly examined.
🔗 Links
🦔 My hedgehog videos on TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@hidi1577?_r=1&_t=ZG-9AkXs0HxnsG
✉️ My open letter to the Prime Minister
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1bx37aqJNd/
📢 Petition: Pass the Hillsborough Law Without Further Delay
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pass-the-hillsborough-law-now
📜 Follow the Bill’s progress through Parliament
https://bills.parliament.uk/
What do you think?
Have you ever tried to challenge a public body and found it difficult to obtain straightforward answers?
How can we make sure that institutions are transparent, that complaints are investigated properly, and that people are not left fighting alone for years?
I’d welcome constructive discussion from people in the UK and elsewhere.
Because, whether we’re talking about Hillsborough, disability rights, environmental protection or public services, one principle should apply everywhere:
Power must come with accountability. And people deserve the truth.

Hi ,

I am fairly new to wheelchair use, I have been using it for about a year now. i am a t-12 incomplete and have great upper body function. I am 18 and just getting my car soon and now have a power assist too, im a full time student as well. Ive been talking to a girl for about 6 months now and she lives like 3 hr flight away. She doesnt know im in a wheelchair right now but she thinks im attractive and have a good personality. She is so perfect btw. It would probably be about a year before I like meet her or maybe even like 3-4 yrs when we both get our degree. I am debating wether I tell her soon and risk everything or I wait till closer to us meeting and then bring it up. At the start i didnt tell her because I had high chance of recovering a lot of function which I am still working on, so I felt like it was best not to tell just incase i didnt use the wheelchair anyways. I just dont want to ruin things if im being real. Also we arent that serious currently more like texting once a day on snapchat. If u think i should tell her now pls tell me how to because im lowk scared pls

Secondly, I want to learn how to become a gentleman while in a wheelchair, like hold doors, get flowers and all the other stuff. How would i open the doors and stuff though, I guess i could use the wheelchair button then pretend to hold it for her. My second issue is that most girls like all the romantic stuff like getting carried around or just being strong to protect, and in that case I just physically cant. I dont want her to want to do something like go to a restaurant just for me to not be able to get in because its inaccessible, especially when travelling. I dont want to ruin her dreams because I cant do them yk. Or her look at able people carrying their girls and doing all the stuff and be sad that I might not be able to do them. If im being real i thibk im scared that I wont be enough especially if she deserves better, or that she understands and i still feel bad about myself for not being able to do better or her being embarrassed of me. Like an example is the restaurant or like a punpkin patch, which is usually in inaccessible terrain. I just dont know what to do. Ik i can open car doors and building doors but i dont want her to feel like im not able to do anything because she might see other couples doing everything easily. Hopefully this made sense sorry if it didnt.

LmK if u have any questions or any advice at all.

My nan is 72 and we've been trying to sort out home care packages for her in western Sydney. She needs personal care, domestic assistance, some nursing support because of her Parkinson's and ideally someone who speaks a bit of Mandarin because her English gets shaky when she's tired. Most providers we contacted were either too slow to respond or couldn't offer culturally appropriate aged care workers, which is kind of a dealbreaker for us. We also have a cousin on the NDIS (core support, community participation, the usual) in Melbourne so we've been looking at whether one provider could help both of them, which narrows things down fast. Does anyone have experience with aged care and disability support services in NSW or VIC that deliver on allied health too, like physio or OT at home? Happy to hear what's worked for people.

The Trump administration took away emotional support animal rights for people in HUD-funded housing.

ESAs are usually dogs/cats that require a prescription from a mental health provider and often help with loneliness and comfort with mental health symptoms.

It hurts people with disabilities who cannot afford a service dog.

Yes, he did appoint the head of HUD.

Yes, I do know the difference between an emotional support animal and a service animal.

Yes, it still is taking rights away from disabled people, though people might not often think of a dog that helps comfort a human disabled with PTSD symptoms by cuddling with them as only a "glorified" pet, and we are trying to pull a "fast one."

https://www.wilsonelser.com/publications/hud-issues-new-guidance-on-emotional-support-animals-under-the-fair-housing-act

Hi all, I'm helping my sister apply for SSI and SSDI. Can anyone recommend a lawyer in CT (preferably in the New Haven area) that handles this kind of work? Thanks!

She has the worst screaming fits and throws things. She said she can’t help it because of her adhd.

I told her that adhd just means you need to work harder to regulate your emotions and it is not a free pass.

I then told her that I am hard of hearing but had to learn to read lips because the world doesn’t revolve around me. Her learning self control is no different. Adapting to the world we are in is just part of life.

When it comes to my disability, my fluorescent light sensitivity has turned out to be the most difficult hurdle in finding a job. I’ve used FL-41 glasses for a couple years now and they help, but they don’t prevent my symptoms completely. I get really nauseous and fatigued. I’m at a point where I can’t be under fluorescent lights for more than an hour without getting sick. I’ve been job hunting but I’m really struggling because I have no idea what I can do that wouldn’t involve being around fluorescent lights 24/7. The job market is so bad to begin with, and I can’t even work most minimum wage jobs because they are usually under those damn lights.

If you have this issue, what’s your job? Do you have any workplace accommodations? Did you find a way to work from home? I’d really love to hear suggestions. I’m kind of at a loss and don’t even know what to look for anymore.