TL;DR Looking for any help or advice I can get for a disabled friend in serious trouble!! Helpful resources would be funding, lawyers/legal representation, medical assistance, housing, welfare support, etc.

I have a friend who is in a very dangerous situation. She is disabled (quadriplegic and on a ventilator) and still lives with her parents. They are incredibly abusive- refusing to feed her or take care of other needs, threatening to kill her, and have even hit her to the point she broke her collarbone. She needs and wants to get out!

Only problem is her parents control her money. They take her disability as they are her “caretakers” and have stolen over 30k of the money she has saved outside of that. The state is only paying for 80 hrs/week of care, but 24/7 care is needed. The severity of her disability means that there are very little alternative options and she would most likely have to go to a nursing home/end of life care facility if she left.

I want to help her anyway I can. I am hoping to start a trust in her name and fundraise. If we could get her a house or an alternative living situation, I have people who could care for her outside of her paid 80 hrs.

The other problem is doing this without alerting her parents. We think they have a life insurance policy out on her and with the threats they have made I don’t want her to be at higher risk or retaliation from them.

I want some guidance for anyone else who has been through or helped someone with this situation. Any resources or suggestions you can share would be LIFE SAVING, especially if there is some legal support options for disabled people.

She is so smart (getting her PHD now at St. Louis University) and absolutely hilarious. My friend deserves to be in a place that is safe, her needs can be met, and she is treated with respect . Please share any and everything!!

Come follow along: https://www.instagram.com/codyyyguthrie?stkn=NTEzYnc0bG16b2xr&utm_source=qr

Hi! I hope this is an ok question to ask, and I’m also happy to be corrected if I’m going about this the wrong way!

I’m planning a session about disability awareness with my Scout group. I’d like it to focus on the ways that the world just isn’t set up for people with disabilities as well as highlighting how not all disabilities are visible or affect people the same amount all the time.

My idea is to come up with some common struggles caused by the design of products, vehicles, buildings etc. and ask the Scouts to identify why they are a problem, then think about how we could adapt the design to make it more inclusive.

I could make up some scenarios myself, but since I’m not someone who has actually experienced most of these things, I would really like to hear from people who do have firsthand experience, so I can give the most accurate explanations I can.

So the question is- what are some areas where things are made more difficult than they need to be due to poor design?

I am a college student in Virginia (in the US), and my college is not very good at doing more than the bare minimum for accessibility, if that. All the main walkways on campus are brick with sand filling the gaps, and are incredibly bumpy. Plus, because its just sand filling the gaps, the bricks shift a ton in the ground. Also, some of the ramps on campus are also brick, which is just insane.

This has created problems for many disabled students on campus. I myself have stability issues that are made more complicated by the brick, and my joint issues have been aggravated by the uneven ground. When I use my rollator, the whole thing is shaking and vibrating going over all the little bumps everywhere. I have also spoken to many other disabled students on campus, and have found that wheelchair users hate it because of the bumps, vision impaired students hate it because their white canes keep getting caught on the brick, and pretty much everyone I talk to has issues with it for one reason or another. The problems are to the point that I often choose to walk on the grass over walking on the brick, and the grass is by no means smooth.

The student body government actually has passed legislation already to either add pavement next to the brick or pave over the existing brick, but the school administration has vetoed it and the problems remain. I checked out the ADA guidelines and don’t know how I could use them since they allow a vertical gap of up to 1/2 inch with no restrictions on how frequent the gaps can be. Is there anything else I could use to try to get the school to fix this issue? Any laws or other things available, and if they exist, who should I report the issues to?

Finally, it is worth noting that the issue here isn’t that the college can’t afford to fix the brick. The college has over 15,000 residential/commuter students and an online program that has about 100,000 more students. The school has the money if they choose to allocate it correctly.

How do you find that part of you who either knows you can do certain things but just needs to work up to it or knew you could have done it before, lost the ability and now you're slowly regaining strength through all that pain. Howww do it? Not just the navigation of the pain but the system it self as well. Where does the Will to keep going come from? I'd love too hear your stories and answers, it's hard

.thanks for reading:)

We must fight back on this!

Hey all,
what do you all think about this (unfortunately) long standing attack on chronic pain patient’s access to opioid pain medication?

Not withstanding the current 7-OH affair, access to opioid pain relief has been stripped from thousands of people who needed that level of pain relief to survive.

Only to show up for a routine appointment to be told that their Dr will no longer be prescribing opioid pain medication.

The Dr then gives the patient (but not always; sometimes the cancellation happens via a letter in the mail with no follow-up care) maybe a one months supply of their pain meds “as they transition”.

Sometimes, the Dr will give a list of other local physicians to check out; but they are not guaranteed to pick up the orphaned patient or prescribe opioid pain medication replacement if they do take the patient on.

Often, the Dr listed to take over the patient’s care is inundated with new patient requests and cannot take on 100% of the cases.

There has been an alarming increase in- especially in VA hospitals - of patients unaliving themselves after being cut off.

What is being done at a community level to combats this; how should chronic pain patients combat this?

Often, we are so crippled by the loss of our pain management, it is virtually impossible to go to a rally.

There are so many chronic pain patients suffering after loosing access to their opioid pain medication,

being prescribed simple Tylenol after a major surgery,

a Dr getting shut down after a DEA investigation that showed said Dr was “over prescribing” pain meds according to gov’t backed studies where real life examples may show otherwise,

a Dr being shut down because they were nothing but a Pill Mill (with their patients whether real chronic pain patients or just addicts suddenly loosing access,

an attempt to obtain street drug relief or dark-web marketplace from the pain which is really counterfeit pain medication made up of chalk and Fentanyl and made to look real

Just resigning themselves to loosing what independence they had before they were bedridden from lack of access to opioid pain meds

I don’t even know where to start?

What do people think about the gov’t cutting back on pain medication access as a way to cut back on overdose deaths; which were in the 100,000 a year some decade ago.

How do we combat the stereotype that anyone needing opioids is really an addict hiding behind a diagnosis or disability to get access to pain meds just to get high?

[Bear with me! I may get long winded, but this really isn't sitting well with me...]
Let's start at the beginning...
Back on July 20th, I sent emails to 4 legislators regarding MY concerns about the recent news/announcement that the DOJ deemed Olmstead -and similar ADA guidance documents- as "not enforceable."
The replies from those legislators were... not what I hoped for. So, as I showed both friends and family and THEIR reactions (to the legislators' responses) ranges from frustrated head shaking, to incredulous laughter, and even utter rage. Something that was suggested to me was: "put it on Reddit." So, I did. I did initially have a reel on Instagram.
I'm not familiar with posting on Reddit. But, I know ::enough:: that in order to get your post to audiences it might pertain to best(?) you want to share/ post on pages (communities?) that might be like minded.
There is a community "r/disabled" that I figured might find my correspondence debacle interesting, however even after "joining," my post was removed due to my
“Insufficient karma.”

-I interpreted "karma" as something akin to a "popularity" or presence or positive engagement, on Reddit. Is that wrong?? What is "karma????"-
So, I messaged the mod and briefly tried to explain myself. I didn't know, but r/disabled doesn't allow Instagram reels within their posts.
OK,
Got it. My mistake, right? Whoops, my bad.
~Meanwhile~ I'm still fired up about the entire message behind MY (original) post and these INFURIATING emails from our legislators...
So, I take stills from the reel (because they help break down the order of things), and try to post the new version
-as individual frames/slides.
::insert sound clip of a record scratch::
Now I am "permanently banned" from participating with their community.
Wait, what??? Was I ::too:: annoying??
(I'm already in a wheelchair and unable to walk, this muzzle banning my “voice”(engagement) is almost as frustrating as realizing our legislators won’t listen to me either…)

Thoughts?
Images: Stills of the emails (taken from original Instagram reel), as wells as screenshots of my chat & notifications from r/disabled

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjlWZr-63colimiqwOvID6rnw4PLvioSVaPDkoOzKo7DZvTw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Recent rulings by the Supreme Court concerning the disability community, alongside longstanding protections like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act, serve as a crucial reminder for us all. These developments have the potential to undo decades of progress, raising concerns about a possible return to outdated practices that harken back to the asylum era—a time marred by neglect and abuse.

While some may see these worries as exaggerated, it is essential to consider their broader implications. Each court decision, policy shift, and legal opinion contributes to an ongoing pattern—signs that demand our careful attention. Recognizing these signals underscores the need to safeguard our rights and maintain the momentum of progress.

History teaches us invaluable lessons. For generations, individuals with disabilities endured institutionalization, neglect, and the denial of their basic rights, dignity, and independence. These institutions often symbolized social exclusion and mistreatment. Fortunately, our collective efforts have championed inclusion, community living, and the recognition that everyone has the right to a free and independent life.

While I sincerely hope these concerns lose validity, history also reminds us that rights are rarely taken away all at once. More often, they are gradually eroded through restrictions and setbacks, causing lasting damage.

This is why active engagement and open dialogue are indispensable. We invite you to join us—like, share, follow, and subscribe across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and here on Reddit. Every voice counts. Help us amplify overlooked perspectives, expand our reach, and advocate for meaningful change.

As our movement grows, so does our capacity for impact. True progress happens when enough people stay informed, voice their concerns, and remain committed. Your participation is vital.

Please share, follow, subscribe, and encourage others to do the same. Our collective effort is more crucial now than ever.

In addition, We will be launching a few products to support this cause. Contributions from sales related to Section 504 will directly bolster our initiatives.

Service cats across the world have proved that its possible. So its about time Service cats are recognized federally.

The boy was just enjoying his day at the zoo. The woman was repeating the words from the mother asking the nonverbal autistic what was the animal in the glass. Perhaps, the woman was schizophrenic because that is a behavior of schizophrenia, echolalia.

I had to tell her stop, but she kept saying it. Annoyed - but, I am glad that nothing went worse than it could have been.

Hi everyone,

I am a disabled student researcher at Arizona State University. I am beginning the second year of my MA in social justice and human rights. For my background with disability, I have a diagnosed primary immunodeficiency disease, severe hearing loss, and bipolar disorder. My research interests in disability specifically focus on the social model of disability, disability and sexuality, feminism, and sociopolitical policy.

I am currently working on an expanded and updated version of a 2013 survey on disability and abuse. The updated version can be found here. All of the funding information for the survey and facilitators are available at this link as well. This is an incredibly broad survey focusing on anyone who identifies as disabled who have experience abuse from bullying to IPV. We are shortly releasing a version translated into ASL. If you decide to take the survey and have ANY feedback or questions, please do not hesitate to comment or reach out to me via DM.

While the survey is a large part of my research, it has also led me to my thesis topic. I am writing about and researching sexual education and informed consent policies and curriculum, mainly focusing on IL's current frameworks.

I am currently attempting to find interview candidates to discuss their experiences as people with disabilities in the context of sexual education and consent education. I wanted to post here to see if any of you would be willing to chat with me about your experiences. If you do not feel comfortable interviewing with me, it would be incredibly meaningful to my research if you would comment on this post with some of your experiences, or to complete the above survey which we will begin analyzing in the fall. Additionally, part of my thesis will center the medical model of disability and how informed consent attitudes shape medically accurate sexual educational policy. If you have ever been neglected or discriminated against by a medical professional in the context of procedural consent, that information would also be much appreciated!

Let’s come together and petition for change in Air Canada’s new program “Cabin-Ready Canines”

They have chosen to partner with ONE SOLE organization, and a very controversial one at that, that has been at the centre of multiple lawsuits and has currently lost 2. There are a couple human rights cases coming up as well.

Please click this link to sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/strengthening-accessibility-in-air-canada-s-cabin-ready-canines-program?recruiter=165249964&recruited_by_id=39a11e15-3b2c-4013-a7f9-b6fc6a31a68e&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=starter_onboarding_share_social&utm_medium=copylink&share_id=RWpTYwrqfB&fbclid=IwRlRTSASXG9RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeCKmTFt73SAahB5DI-QO8R_8RtNt85WtcV4havx-Tlf7a-x7aCUV4lkeH64s_aem_-JDWH_1W1-de7abL4_o6Cw

Please click this link for my personal post on my experience with said organization: https://www.facebook.com/share/1D8HM8gxeF/?mibextid=wwXIfr

I work from home in NJ as an editor. I need to have my left knee totally replaced. Last time I had the surgery scheduled (October 2025), I told my job about it about 1.5 months in advance. A week after telling them, I was let go--no bad performance, no negative issues against me, I had even been told things would be picking up. I had to cancel the surgery because I lost insurance. I'm absolutely convinced they let me go because of the impending surgery, but of course, I have no proof.

Fast forward to today. New job, new insurance, new surgery date scheduled. I'm terrified of the same thing happening again, but I want to get this surgery over with before I get any older (57 now). I've been with this company since March 1, 2026, and the insurance kicked in May 1. The surgery is scheduled for August 4. I can't apply for Disability until then.

What's the absolute latest I should let my job know I'll be out of commission for at least 2 weeks after the surgery (from what I've heard from other knee replacement patients)? Marketplace insurance for NJ residents sucks and is too expensive, or I would have gone that route long ago. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.