katiemariie: Screencap of Stark in his cell in the Gammak base, pointing manically. The text, "my side your side" surrounds him. (My side your side!)
[personal profile] katiemariie
Content notice: the linked blog post contains discussion of eugenics, genocide, euthanasia, institutionalization, and major character death. Also, major spoilers for the film.

Star Trek Into Darkness: Able-Bodied Angst and Abrams’ Anti-Intellectualism
sasha_feather: dolphin and zebra gazing at each other across glass (dolphin and zebra)
[personal profile] sasha_feather
Think Progress: In "The Michael J. Fox Show" and "Ironside", NBC bets big on Characters with Physical Limitations

The network is remaking Ironside, a show about a detective who uses a wheelchair after he’s shot in the line of duty that ran on NBC for eight seasons between 1967 and 1975. And it’ll be airing The Michael J. Fox show, a sitcom featuring the titular comedian, who did seven years on NBC with Family Ties, which ran from 1982 to 1989, as a news anchor who returns to work despite the way his Parkinson’s Disease, from which Fox suffers in real life. In other words, NBC is putting two shows on air that feature characters with physical limitations, moving a kind of character who’s often relegated to supporting roles—and who’s often there to illustrate the goodness of or provide moral tests to fully able-bodied characters—to the center of the frame. And from the trailers, it looks like both Ironside and The Michael J. Fox show won’t shy away from discussing their characters’ physical limitations, and other people’s reactions to them, directly.
jesse_the_k: Well nourished white woman riding black Quantum 4400 powerchair off the right edge, chased by the word "powertool" (JK powertool)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k
We've created a new policy for posts regarding mental health issues in this community.

Copying the changes from our profile page


This community accepts a variety of cognitive styles and welcomes everyone. You are in charge of maintaining your own safety as much as possible. Mental health issues are challenging.

Content notices/warnings/advisories/cues/clues are helpful, but there are also limitations
- the poster must understand what sort of issues need caution
- the readers must recognize what they need to avoid

Therefore: POSTING RULES re Mental Health Issues
These are rules. Err once, you're publicly warned. Err twice, you're banned for two weeks.
Moderator decisions are arbitrary and final.
ETA: These decisions are at the mods' discretion and are final
1. Use very specific titles.
not "Gloomy themes" but "Suicide in RPGs"

2. Start with brief overview
describe topic, what kind of discussion you want, what's your goal

3. Place the entire remaining post under a cut

Ask questions by messaging a mod if needed.


We hope this works for everyone, and we encourage you to comment here.

ETA to change "arbitrary" decision to "discretionary"
chordatesrock: Katara waterbending (Default)
[personal profile] chordatesrock
I wrote something for fun at one point. It was a scene from the point of view of a character with PTSD, set immediately following the part of canon where he returns to the exact location where most of his trauma occurred. If I were to draw a graph where the Y axis represents being more mentally unwell, and the X axis represents time since the end of the original trauma, then I might draw a line sloping shallowly downward as it heads further right, with a bump in the middle. The fic would be that bump. It has its own beginning, middle and end.

I hear bad things about H/C, and I think this fic might be H/C )

Because I feel uncertain about this, I would like to invite the thoughts of anyone with relevant experience or information.
jesse_the_k: barcode version of jesse-the-k.dreamwidth.org (My OpenID barcode)
[personal profile] jesse_the_k
Body of Work is an 11-day festival in Chicago this May 15-25, 2013, with scores of events across many venues. Films, spoken word, 2D art, theater, dance etc, check details at
http://www.bodiesofworkchicago.org/festival/festival-schedule.html

The festival's access resources points to the best cultural access manuals I've ever seen:
http://www.bodiesofworkchicago.org/resources/access.html

This looks like the TL;DR summary:
http://www.bodiesofworkchicago.org/images/Documents/bow_manualUpdated.pdf
which explicitly includes the 2010 ADA standards.

This manual provides backing (to wave in the face of US decision-makers: it's the law!) and also implementation details (how wide should the aisle be? minimum size type on signs?).

Awesome tool!
sasha_feather: Retro-style poster of skier on pluto.   (Default)
[personal profile] sasha_feather
I'm actually not sure how to link to things on Tumblr (LOL) so I'm just going to quote the entire post from UnF*ck Your Habitat that I saw Today while backreading my dash:

---
Just a reminder:
OCD is something one has, not something one “is,” and most people who say, “I’m so OCD” do not have OCD and could use a thesaurus and some sensitivity training.

Here at UfYH HQ, we don’t use “OCD” as shorthand or a humorous description for personality quirks or behaviors. It’s a legitimate medical condition. Words are important, and there are better ways to get your point across without trivializing someone else’s health issue. Some potential alternatives:

Extremely particular
Attentive to cleanliness
Hates when things are dirty
Excessively tidy
Fastidious
Exceptionally neat
Predisposed to cleanliness
P.S. OCD doesn’t always (or even usually) mean that someone is extremely clean or organized.

Tag: It's not about being politically correct it's about not being a jerk
sasha_feather: Retro-style poster of skier on pluto.   (Default)
[personal profile] sasha_feather
Myke Cole: What PTSD Is (and isn't)

Excellent post. Text is white on black.
whatimages: ([for thee does she undo herself?])
[personal profile] whatimages
 Hi all--
This is a great resource, I've really enjoyed reading through it. I'm looking for help with a canon-divergent disability fic I'm writing. In canon, the character is blinded and then cured; I'm diverging from the cure part. I've been googling things like "experience of blindness," "sudden vision loss," etc which have been helpful but only up to a point.  

In canon (Fullmetal Alchemist: brotherhood, if anyone's interested), the character loses his vision suddenly and completely, but most of the accounts I've been reading are about people who either have partial vision or became blind gradually. Any suggestions as to what to google/good links to look at?  Most of the fic in this fandom that deals with this is frankly a little icky, and I would really like to avoid the pitfalls of the clueless. 

Thanks!

(no subject)

Fri, Mar. 22nd, 2013 01:37 pm
chordatesrock: Katara waterbending (Default)
[personal profile] chordatesrock
What do you think of this picture of Toph? (It shows Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender in an action pose, with the caption, "Oh, come on! That has to be a typo! Physical Disadvantage: Blindness cannot possibly be worth that many points.") Why do I feel like there's something problematic there, and why do I also feel like I'm just too ready to accuse everything not explicitly created from a disability rights perspective of being ableist?

(no subject)

Mon, Mar. 11th, 2013 09:59 pm
soc_puppet: Dreamsheep as Lumpy Space Princess from Adventure Time (Default)
[personal profile] soc_puppet
Hey folks!

You may remember my post a while back on my efforts to promote accessibility at our local anime convention, AnimeIowa. Well, we're back in convention planning mode now, and while I'm planning to repeat the stuff that worked and implement as many other things as I can possibly think of, I could use a bit of advice from people who may have a bit more experience in this area.

First of all, I'm getting sanitizer squirt bottles set up at every water station (we have what amount to water coolers set up at different spots in the main hallways; they don't always get refilled regularly, but it's way cool that we have them and aren't stuck relying on the few and far-between water fountains/bubblers). Does anyone have a working ratio for ounces/liters of sanitizer to number of attendees? We're expecting somewhere upwards of three thousand people, and I'd like to avoid running out if possible.

Next, we're one of the few conventions left that still runs a consuite. For those unfamiliar, consuites are basically a room or set of rooms hosted by the convention where attendees can go and get their snack on. Sometimes there's more "real" food - our consuite team is aiming to get as much fresh fruit and veg as they can on their budget, but that stuff tends to be expensive and goes fast - but mostly it's junk and snack-type stuff: chips, candy, that sort of thing. I've been in contact with the consuite team about what to label. I figure that eggs, dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts are the bare minimum for our expected fare, but I've also asked about getting the full ingredients lists for as many of our foodstuffs as possible (we're still working out the logistics of that). I'll also be asking the team to offer and label some gluten-free options, though I doubt we need to worry about that for much of our fare. Oh, and I'm talking to them about getting sanitation stations set up in the consuite as well. Basically, is there anything in particular I'm forgetting or overlooking for food-related concerns? And should I ask about offering alternative diet options (Vegan, possibly religious diets, though I don't think that's too much a concern for our snack food options outside of stuff with dairy and/or eggs? Please correct me if I'm wrong), and if so, what and possibly how?

I think that's it. If you're interested in a progress report on any of the other things I mentioned in my previous post but haven't addressed here, I'd be happy to share details in the comments. I'm also open to suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thank you so much everyone for all of your input! I'll do my best to get it organized and sent off to the consuite staff ASAP. Hopefully they will implement as many as possible; we still have a good four months before the convention, which will give us some time to organize this. I'll be pulling for all of the most safe and accessible options, and passing on the more widely applicable ideas as best I can (scentless sanitizer, sign height, no PDFs/alternate options, etc).

I'm up for input and suggestions as long as y'all are willing to share them, so if you think there's something missing here or if you forgot something, or even if you just want to second someone else, please feel welcome to do so. I want our convention to be the best it can be, and if attendees aren't able to experience everything they want to or are harmed by our current practices, then we definitely don't qualify.

Thank you again, and I'll be replying to individual comments shortly.
sasha_feather: dolphin and zebra gazing at each other across glass (dolphin and zebra)
[personal profile] sasha_feather
Pain Relief Foundation: House MD: An analysis of chronic pain managed with opiate therapy in
entertainment television.
By Jemma Theivendran
Imperial College Medical School London
November 2007

Please note that this is a PDF.

via [community profile] metanews

(no subject)

Sun, Mar. 3rd, 2013 04:59 pm
chordatesrock: Katara waterbending (Default)
[personal profile] chordatesrock
If anyone is interested in a commentfic meme on the topic of disabilities that start with the letter B, you can find it here.

Promoting a con!

Mon, Feb. 25th, 2013 08:03 pm
j00j: rainbow over east berlin plattenbau apartments (Default)
[personal profile] j00j
I'd like to spread the word about a new con with staff dedicated to doing as much as possible for accessibility (full disclosure: my partner is involved in organizing the event, so I am not without bias, but I also know how important getting this right is to him).

Divine Decadence (content note: website contains kink and burlesque themed images likely to be considered Not Safe For Work) is in Somerset, NJ, April 26-28.

It "is an 18+ festival that spans 3 days of avante garde performances, bands, writers, artists, vendors, costuming, and more.

We are multicultural, multi-genre, sex-positive, feminist, and welcoming of all genders."

the accessibility policy and the harassment policy!

They have everything from Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band to panels about steampunk and YA science fiction and fantasy to dance parties and picnics. Also lots of shiny outfits.

Please consider going if you're in the area, and please let the staff know if there are issues with access or anything else-- they want to know.
hopefulnebula: Firefly/River: I aim to misbehave (River - Misbehave)
[personal profile] hopefulnebula
Hi all. The other day, I was getting ready to post a new fic I'd written in the Alphas fandom to Archive of Our Own when I realized that there wasn't a "Canon Autistic Character" tag there yet. Not even on my previous fics about Gary.

I've since fixed this, and one other person has tagged a fic of hers with the tag (technically she was first, because I bemoaned the lack of the tag in #yuletide before posting), but according to the Rule of Three, the tag can't be made canonical until a third person tags a fic with it.

Canonizing the tag would make it much easier to search for it on AO3, and it would allow "Canon Autistic Character" to show up in the autocomplete dropdown when people tag their fics.

So what I'm asking is: if any of you have previously posted fics about canon autistic characters on AO3, or if you're transferring old fics to it, or if you're planning on posting something new that could be given the tag: could you please tag it? I will love you forever and maybe give you kudos or a cookie or something.

Thank you!
sasha_feather: Retro-style poster of skier on pluto.   (Default)
[personal profile] sasha_feather
My friend Dave Ocho O'Connell and his friends came up with some microphone tips and gave me permission to reprint the text from Facebook. I've made some edits to the text base on comments.

Public Service Announcement: Microphones and you!

1. Hold the microphone by the base, not around the head. Likewise, don't cup your hands around it.

2. Try to stay about 3 inches from the mic in general. When you sing louder, INCREASE the distance between yourself and the mic to maintain a consistent volume. When you get quieter or use very little breath, get closer.

3. DON'T swing it around by the cord or drop it on the floor! Likewise, don't wrap the cord around your hand as this stresses the wires. When you unplug the cable (when you unplug ANYthing), keep your hand as close as possible to the source of connection. XLR cables are handy like that, because you usually need to push the release (right next to the source of the connection) in order to unplug it. If there's a length of cord between your hand and the connection (or outlet or whatever), you are putting stress on the wires, pulling apart solder joints, etc.

4. If you point the mic at the speaker where your sound is coming out, it will make a loud shrieking sound known as feedback. It's the audio equivalent of being kicked in the shins. This will likely happen even if you just hold it in your hand and drop your arm to your side, because that will likely effectively point the mic at your monitor speaker.

5. It can help to project your sound OVER the surface of the mic rather than INTO it, particularly when you are making aspirated sounds, like P, B, and T. Because you are basically shooting air out of your mouth when you make those sounds. Also you can get a pop filter. And turn the bass down to a minimal level. The human voice doesn't really occupy those low frequencies (not like a bass or a kick drum), so if you have bass on your vocal mic, you're really just getting unwanted noise. I'd maybe leave a bit of bass to a broadcaster or a spoken word performer, but I wouldn't turn it up.

6. Vocalizing too close to the mic (like putting your mouth on it and keeping it there) will give your voice an unnatural, muddy sound. You will lose articulation and have too much bass. Also that thing is crawling with germs! Don't kiss the mic or cough on it. It's gross; also it makes an unpleasant sound. If you want to mic the sound of a cough with a regular ol' dynamic mic, you'd want to keep a good distance (because coughing is LOUD), and project across the mic, not into it (because coughing is also an aspirated sound).

7. When you are really checking to see if it's on, it's best to talk into the mic, rather than tapping on it. The tapping may stress your speakers in the same way that unplugging a non-muted connection might. If you tell a joke that no one laughs at it, DO NOT tap on the mic and say "Is this thing on?"

8. If you have a drink, hold it in the opposite hand away from the mic. No mic eating. No smoking around condensor mics. Also, chewing gum and/or food is kind of ridiculous.

9. With all of this, getting along with the sound person is all you need...


With thanks to Dave, DeAnn Emett, Hanna Krezza, Jesse Brannan, Logos Ironpaw, Chance Dale, and Al Fack.

(no subject)

Sun, Feb. 17th, 2013 04:57 pm
chordatesrock: Katara waterbending (Default)
[personal profile] chordatesrock
Do any of you feel like you need to include All The Reactions like I do? Do you think this is related to internalized ableism?

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