vraisemblance-of-normalcy:

sherlocksflataffect:

girljanitor:

wacky-shenanigans:

autiecommie:

girljanitor:

yesthattoo:

girljanitor:

User youneedacat is in the hospital right now waiting to undergo a lifesaving procedure. This morning, someone came to her room, woke her up and tried to talk her out of going through with the procedure. It’s clear that in the absence of her advocate who has power of attorney, she would probably be denied this procedure.

We’re talking about a published author here.

A rather famous advocacy activist.[Wired Magazine feature]

Because of vile lies about Autism spread by organizations like Autism Speaks, Cure Autism Now and a slew of other vicious orgs, people believe we are “empty husks”, that we are “autistic shells”, that we have no quality of life.

People with cognitive disabilities are routinely denied lifesaving medical procedures because it is commonly believed we have no quality of life, that we are “suffering [from Autism]” that we in some kind of misery that we should be “put out of”.

This happens all the time. [ASAN report]

46% of heart programs indicated that even mild or moderate cognitive impairment would be a relative contraindication
… 71% of heart programs surveyed always or usually utilized neurodevelopmental status in determinations of eligibility for transplantation..

TO MAKE THIS CLEAR: “contraindication” means that they WOULD BE DOING HARM BY SAVING A DISABLED PERSON’S LIFE.

And right now, this person:

I tell her that I asked one of the world’s leading authorities on autism to check out the video. The expert’s opinion: Baggs must have had outside help creating it, perhaps from one of her caregivers. Her inability to talk, coupled with repetitive behaviors, lack of eye contact, and the need for assistance with everyday tasks are telltale signs of severe autism. Among all autistics, 75 percent are expected to score in the mentally retarded range on standard intelligence tests — that’s an IQ of 70 or less.

After I explain the scientist’s doubts, Baggs grunts, and her mouth forms just a hint of a smirk as she lets loose a salvo on the keyboard. No one helped her shoot the video, edit it, and upload it to YouTube. She used a Sony Cybershot DSC-T1, a digital camera that can record up to 90 seconds of video (she has since upgraded). She then patched the footage together using the editing programs RAD Video Tools, VirtualDub, and DivXLand Media Subtitler. “My care provider wouldn’t even know how to work the software,” she says.

is in the hospital, with doctors trying to talk her out of saving her own life. Because to them, her life is not worth saving.

This is how your “awareness” kills.

This is how your language kills.

This is how your misinformation kills.

All I can say is that I am eternally thankful that she has an advocate in her corner right now to defend her basic human rights to receiving medical care for a life threatening condition. All too often, autistic people are denied care by medical facilities, by their caregivers, by their own family members. This is unconscionable and downright evil. This cannot stand.

From webmuskie:

I did find out something very curious, though, that I need to research. I may have proof they not only tried to deny her admission because she was autistic, that she still has a very odd status at that hospital. I will be going down there this afternoon and the first thing I will do is demand to see the records of this hospitalization. It may be time to add angry phone calls to the hospital to the prayers come Monday morning. (the switchboard # is 802-847-0000 FYI, though you won’t be able to find her in the directory for reasons of privacy. Not a problem because come Monday the hospital administration will surely know who we are).

802-847-0000. That’s a phone number. You know what to do.

BOOST

also here’s their contact form

• If you are neurotypical,
• If you are allistic,
• If you are an “Autism Parent”,
• If you claim to love your Autistic friend/family member,
• If you claim to care about Autistics in any capacity,
• If you do not have a disability which prevents you from making phone calls (honor system here),
• You need to call this number, after which you need to reblog this. OVER. AND. OVER. AGAIN.
• This needs to be your campaign.
• We don’t need another martyr; you need to stop killing us!
  

BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY, THIS WOMAN WAS TOLD THAT HER LIFE MIGHT NOT BE WORTH SAVING.

Autism Parents:

This is your child.  Literally.  Just like K says in this post.  These are the real results of ableism and one day, decades down the line, this might be your child.

There will be more words when I have slept, but this is unforgivable.  This is unconscionable.  Every person who was a party to this should have their license revoked.  This hospital should have it’s accreditation under inquiry.

In a fair society, I would claim that the doctors should be tried for attempted murder.
 

Signal fucking boost.

I’ve been a fan of Amanda for years. Also she’s a personal friend of my friend Danni, and helped Danni stay alive when she was suicidal, so I’m forever grateful for that.

What timezone is the hospital in? Perfectly willing to make international calls for something this important, but want to do it at a time when the phone is likely to be actually answered.

I think it’s East Coast.

It’s east coast.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL FOLKS. This is a really real living breathing human being who is being denied medical treatment by able people *right now*.

This cannot happen. Call the number. Send feedback. Do not let this happen. Make some noise. THIS IS NOT OK.

Call this number if you are comfortable making calls, signal boost this. Do whatever you can. This is important.

thisisthinprivilege:

Thin privilege is being able to reveal your invisible disability in public without people assuming you are disabled because of your body shape.

Thin privilege means not having to forge on through pain and sickness because you are too ashamed to reveal that you have an invisible disability.

Thin privilege is knowing that people are not assuming that you choose to be disabled.

Thin privilege means never having angry people accuse you of not having a real disability.

Thin privilege means not having people deny you use of a wheelchair because they are only for ‘real disabled people’, roll their eyes or mutter loudly if you use a mobility aid in public, or yell at/threaten you when you use facilities for disabled people because ‘if you weren’t fat and lazy you wouldn’t need this!’

Thin privilege means finding a wheelchair that you can fit into.

Thin privilege means never having your nearest and dearest delicately suggest that your disability might be made worse by your size, even though they already know a) it wasn’t caused by your size in the first place, b) your disability makes it practically impossible to lose weight, even temporarily.

Thin privilege means not having medical people refuse treatment for your non-weight-related disability because your inability to lose weight makes them brand you as ‘non-compliant’.