UVM Center on Disability & Community Inclusion (CDCI)

82-year-old APS customer died after power was shut off in May 2024 An 82-year-old woman died in May 2024 after her power was cut off on a very hot day. Her son and an advocate say this shows an issue with state policies.

I have a deep aversion to local TV news, but now I am ON it because last year, the power company Arizona Public Service cut off electricity to my mother’s house outside of Phoenix, killing her.

One of the best ways you can help disabled people and fight fascism is by wearing a mask.

Representation and visibility matter. When you wear a mask you tell us you care about making public spaces safe & accessible.

You also make it harder for mask bans to pass.

Mask up. We need you.

Good morning and welcome to another episode of Why We Keep Talking About #Accessibility In Video Games. (This is also a great games review).

Goooooood morning!

We do that mainly because 54% of the United States reads below a 6th grade reading level, so "difficult writing" is inaccessible writing.

Thanks for the question.

Re: that last reskeet: may we introduce everyone in academia to... plain language?

cdci.w3.uvm.edu/blog/service...

We don’t have to - and must not - place scholarly writing and popular writing in opposition. Doing so is a losing move. Writing exists in many overlapping genres and we get to work in and out of the ones that fit.

We are just one week away from the publication day of my book! 📕 I'm thrilled for you to delve into my story and explore the theme of disability within higher education. To secure your copy on the release date, simply click on the link provided:

stephanieanlevin.com

Call for Papers (by 11 April) – Disability and Rights: The Possibilities and Limits of Rights Discourse under Neoliberalism Disability and Rights: The Possibilities and Limits of Rights Discourse under Neoliberalism A two half-day conference – it will take place fully online, free to attend The registration proces…

Call for Papers (by 11 April) – Disability and Rights: The Possibilities and Limits of Rights Discourse under Neoliberalism

marxismdisability.wordpress.com/2025/03/03/d...

The3 collective public has had their brain so broken over masks, that now even to this minute, oncology patients & immunocompromised peeps STILL be getting trash talked or docs saying "take that off, it's ok". It's worse when the doc starts in on "you don't need that"

Broken. Whole thing is broken.

Also a valid perspective! We see and validate our anxious friends as well.

It's less about anxiety and more about a little something called "community care".

We could simply require HEPA filters and good ventilation for indoor workplaces.

Imagine that!

It’s not “afraid of COVID,” it’s recognizing that normal has changed and adapting.

COVID is going to continue circulating, mutating, harming, and killing. And we’re dealing with measles now too.

There will be another pandemic—maybe within a decade. Normalizing best practices is good, actually

The Evermaskers The isolation of people who take precautions against COVID has only gotten more intense.

Hey look, it’s The Atlantic continuing to marginalize people who don’t want to get infected repeatedly with COVID.

You know, this patronizing story pairs well with new reporting about long-term damage from multiple COVID infections.

www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

An infographic. There are six panels. 1. "Slow internet. Alt text is shown in place of unloaded images." a drawing shows a phone with poor signal, and alt text is visible where the image should have loaded. 2. "Findabillity. Alt text helps to search content." A drawing shows someone searching 'dog with banana' and a post is shown underneath without the words 'dog' or 'banana'. It is implied to be part of the alt text. 3. "Screen readers. Alt is read out to people using text-to-speech software". There is a drawing of the output a screen-reader would show when viewing an image with alt text on bluesky. 4. "Translation. Alt text can be translated". A drawing shows a post being translated. The alt text is also translated into german. 5. "Readability. Text in images can be made legible" There is a drawing of some truly awful handwriting inside a speech bubble. The alt text clarifies what the text is supposed to say. 6. "Disambiguation. Description helps clarify intent." There is a drawing of a post with a picture of a creature. This is styled after the famous optical illusion of a rabbit and a duck. The alt text clarifies that the animal is a rabbit. It definitely looks more like a duck.

Generally we think of alt-text as the domain of those with accessibility needs.

However alt-text is useful for many reasons, which benefit your viewers, as well as you, the creator!

THIS.

And remember, the very best thing you can do in remembering the beginning of the pandemic is remember that it is ongoing. You’ve been told it’s okay to ignore your high risk neighbors, to endanger their lives for “normality.” But it’s a good time to reassess whether that normality is real.

If you’re going to talk about how much it harmed you or your loved ones, consider adding a call to action. Let people with long covid, high risk people, and those who have lost loved ones know you haven’t forgotten about them. Advocate for masking, testing, clean indoor air, or against mask bans.

So again, saying things like “now that it’s back to normal” or “since COVID ended” are not only inaccurate, they’re doing very material harm to people still grappling with the ongoing pandemic every day. If you want others to respect your pain and experience, it’s important to also respect theirs.

There’s nothing wrong with talking about the hardships you experienced in 2020. But it is appreciated if you also recognize that these hardships are not over for people with Long Covid, high risk people, or those who must avoid illness for economic or personal reasons.

It is inaccurate to say “back during Covid,” “when Covid was a thing,” “during Covid times,” because it is still very much happening, disabling and killing people, and leaving millions with Long Covid.

It IS accurate to say “when Covid first started,” “in 2020,” “at the beginning of the pandemic”

Ok. Little chat. As we are hitting the 5 year anniversary of Covid lockdowns beginning in 2020, as someone who is permanently disabled by Long Covid, here’s what I’d *love* to see when people talk about the ongoing pandemic and how it effects them:

If you're blind, low vision, or using a screen reader you definitely won't get this because it doesn't include alt-text.

Hey little sister, where's the alt-text?
Hey little sister, why no access?
Hey little sister, post for everyone
Hey little sister, alt-text's for anyone
Hey little sister, get some (alt-text)

It's a... nice day to start again
It's a nice day... to include everyonnnnnnnnne

If you're blind, low vision, or using a screen reader you definitely won't get this because it doesn't include alt-text.

It's also for people who may not understand the joke without context. People like certain older social media managers. Just as a for instance.