Mastodawn

Freelancing as a Disabled and Neurodivergent Professional

Freelancing as a disabled or neurodivergent individual presents unique challenges, requiring self-advocacy and adaptability. There are no built-in supports, and managing workloads around health issues is critical. Practical strategies include creating flexible workflows, setting boundaries, and building a supportive network, ultimately leading to a rewarding freelancing experience despite obstacles.

https://dreamspacestudio.net/the-reality-of-freelancing-while-disabled-by-your-own-body-and-neurotype/

Sexabled Dec 3

Heute ist der Internationale Tag der Menschen mit Behinderung und ich denke an mein jüngeres Ich. An einen jungen Menschen, dem niemand zutraute, jemals sichtbar zu sein. Der ohne Vorbilder aufwuchs, in einer Welt, die behinderte Leben klein hält.⬇️

#InternationalerTagDerMenschenMitBehinderung #Behinderung #Inklusion #Inkluencer #Disability #FaceSMA #DisabilityJustice #DisabledAndProud #BarrierefreiheitJetzt #CripPride #DisabledVoices #HumanRights #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityPower

Sexabled Dec 1

Wenn Menschen wie ich politisch Stellung beziehen, kommt sofort der immer gleiche alte ableistische Reflex: Wir seien "missbraucht", "vorgeschoben" oder "manipuliert". Dahinter steckt kein Zufall, es ist eine Strategie.⬇️

#DisabilityJustice #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #Disability #IntersectionalFeminism #QueerAndDisabled #AntiAbleism #Ableism #AntiRacism #QueerResistance #DisabledAndProud #Solidarity #Solidarität #Inklusion #SolidarityIsPower #MarginalizedVoices #Behinderung #FaceSMA

Shannon Meilak - Advocate Nov 16

Last night I had the absolute privilege of attending the 2025 Antenna Awards, and what an unforgettable experience it was. The room was alive with creativity, passion, and the shared belief that community television matters.

And then came the moment we never saw coming; ‘All In’, the show I worked on last year with Attitude Foundation and Powerd Media, actually won.
I am beyond proud to have contributed to a project that showcased the work and talents of disabled people, whilst also ensuring disabled people were at the heart of its creation, both on and off screen.

A heartfelt thank you to C31 Melbourne for championing this program and for recognising the importance of authentic representation.

This award is more than a trophy, it celebrates the creativity, skill, and strength within our disability community. It stands for every disabled person who has fought to be seen, and for those whose voices are still rising.

This is for all of you.

Catch all episode now, at:
https://ctvplus.org.au/series/all-in/

#AntennaAwards2025 #AntennaAwards #CreativeCommunity #DisabilityRepresentation #DisabledAndProud #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityCreatives #DisabilityInMedia #AuthenticRepresentation #AllInTV #CommunityTelevision #C31Melbourne #AttitudeFoundation #Powerd #InclusionMatters #RepresentationMatters #BreakingBarriers #DisabilityPride

Sexabled Nov 8

Vor einer Woche durfte ich in Zusammenarbeit mit Lambda den Workshop "Queer, behindert, begehrbar?! – Ein Raum für uns" im Sub veranstalten.⬇️

#QueerDisabledProud #Intersectionality #CommunityCare #CommunitySupport #LGBTQIA #Queer #DisabledAndProud #SafeSpacesMatter #SafeSpace #QueerMunich #SubMuenchen #München #Lambda #Empowerment #QueerAndDisabled #Inklusion #Inkluencer #Inclusion #Diversity #Disability #DisabilityAwareness #Behinderung

charlieTtea Oct 7

Wake up babes, new zine just dropped!
Human Rights Are Not An Opinion is available at ko-fi.com/charliettea/shop as a digital download and as a hard copy.
🌈
I made this zine to express my anger at how some people treat human rights like a debate. Recognizing the humanity in others should not be difficult, even if they are different from you. Acting like certain identities can simply be argued away is an immense privilege afforded to those whose rights and lives are not on the line. I do not have sympathy for people whose words and actions remove my rights.
💖
Image Description: Three photos of a zine on a wood table. The first photo is of the cover which features a lava and brown paper bag background with the title written in sharpie: human rights are not an opinion. The second photo is of the next two pages, on which the text says my life is not your debate. There is also a piece of text that has been ripped from a magazine that mentions violence that humans commit. There is a lot of red ink stamped on the page and a bit of purple. The third photo is of the next two pages. The sharpie message says don't tell me to tolerate oppression. These pages include lava, a poison label, and green and purple ink, some of which has been stamped on with bubble wrap to create a bubble effect.
#zine #zines #humanrights #respectexistence #respectexistenceorexpectresistance #transandproud #queerandproud #disabledandproud #nonbinaryandproud

Harmony Seeker Sep 23

I am autistic and have other disabilities. And like many, life has been shaped by exclusion, by being told I had to prove my worth and being treated as if my differences were flaws. That is why Donald Trump’s recent claim has cut so deeply. He said that autism could be prevented if mothers avoided paracetamol in pregnancy.

This is not true, and there is no credible scientific evidence that paracetamol causes autism. In Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has said paracetamol is safe in pregnancy when used correctly. Autism Awareness Australia has stated there is no single cause of autism, and the Queensland Brain Institute has explained that autism arises from a complex mix of genetics and environment, not from one factor or one drug. These are facts.

What disturbs me most is the falsehood and the message underneath it. It suggests autistic people are broken and need fixing. It says our lives should have been avoided. This reflects the medical model of disability at its harshest: treating people as conditions, as deficits, as problems to be eliminated. I have lived with that view pressed on me from many directions. In classrooms where teachers assumed I could not learn. In communities that treated access as optional. In workplaces that demanded I change rather than the environment. These words from Trump echo every time I was told that I was less.

When I think of these remarks, I think of autistic children who will grow up hearing that they should not exist. I think of parents who will carry guilt, believing they did something wrong. I think of how easily this same logic spreads to every disability. If autism can be framed as awful, so can blindness, deafness, mobility impairments, or mental illness. This is the danger.

These ideas do not stay in speeches. They shape policies, schools, healthcare, and workplaces. They decide whether disabled people are offered jobs or whether society sees us as worth investing in. If disability is framed as a burden, exclusion is normalised. If it is framed as a tragedy, pity replaces equality. If it is framed as preventable, our very existence is questioned.

I want to say clearly that autism is not a disease and does not need to be cured. Autism is part of human diversity. Autistic people bring creativity, honesty, focus, persistence, depth, and community. We are musicians, writers, carers, scientists, leaders, neighbours, friends. Our lives are meaningful. Our contributions are real. We are not mistakes.

In fact, the autistic scholar Dr Damian Milton speaks of the “double empathy problem,” which reframes autism not as a lack, but as a difference in communication between autistic and non-autistic people. Autism is not the absence of humanity, but a different way of being human. That reframing is what society needs, not rhetoric that blames mothers or devalues children.

I also know this is not only about the United States. Here in Australia, we face our own battles with underfunded systems, with access treated as optional, with stereotypes that devalue our lives. Harmful ideas spread quickly across borders, and when a leader with influence speaks them, they ripple out everywhere.

So let us be clear. Autism cannot be prevented by avoiding paracetamol. What must be prevented is the harm caused by words that tell disabled people they are less. We deserve respect, dignity, access, and a fulfilling life. That is not optional. That is not negotiable.

To every autistic person: you are not broken. You are not a problem. You are worthy as you are. To parents: do not carry guilt. Carry pride in your children and the richness they bring.

We must confront misinformation. We must resist the medical model when it reduces us to conditions. We must insist on the truth: barriers come not from our neurology or bodies, but from inaccessible environments and prejudice. Autism is not something to be eliminated. It is something to be understood, respected, and embraced.

#AutismAcceptance #DisabilityRights #Neurodiversity #ActuallyAutistic #DisabledAndProud #RespectDignityAccess #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #StopAbleism #InclusionMatters #HumanRights

Lanie Carmelo-Molinar Aug 9

Hi everyone. How are you tonight?

It’s been a rough few months, and I wanted to share an update since I haven’t posted in a while.

A few months ago, I was officially diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, something we’ve suspected for a while, so it was nice to finally get confirmation. My rheumatologist started me on Methotrexate, and that’s when things took a turn for the worse.

I was prescribed 6 tablets once a week and took them for 6 weeks. But I started getting extremely sick with flu-like symptoms, worsened gastroparesis, painful sores all over my body, and more. When we looked up Methotrexate side effects, I had around 20 of the ones that say to seek medical attention immediately.

We later found out that, due to my other health conditions, I should never have been prescribed Methotrexate in the first place. I also should’ve been monitored weekly, which wasn’t happening. Things got so bad we nearly went to the hospital several times, but since I’m immunocompromised and Methotrexate suppresses the immune system, we were afraid I’d catch something in the ER.

We tried contacting my doctors, but no one responded. So we stopped the medication ourselves. It’s been about 3 weeks since I stopped, and I’m still recovering, but I’m slowly getting stronger. Unfortunately, my RA is flaring badly in my hands and feet since it’s currently untreated.

A few days ago, I did end up going to the hospital because I wasn’t improving. They found my blood sugar was dangerously high, diagnosed me with diabetes, gave me fluids, and discharged me. Ironically, I started feeling better the next day. Now we’re unsure if I truly have diabetes or if it’s a lingering effect of the Methotrexate, which can mess with blood levels.

I was so sick I had to take a C in my theology course because I couldn’t finish the final paper, and I had to drop the next class I was supposed to start. My next course begins August 25, and I’m doing everything I can to be well enough to take it.

This whole experience showed me how broken my care coordination is. My primary care doctor didn’t know what was happening and wasn’t communicating with my other specialists. No one was checking my chart to make sure treatments wouldn’t conflict with my other conditions. I have a meeting next week with my Medicaid service coordinator to talk about better coordinated care and possibly enrolling in dual Medicare/Medicaid, which I’ve been told I qualify for.

This could have killed me. I’m grateful to be alive and slowly healing, but I’m also angry and frustrated that this happened at all.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate all of you.

#ChronicIllness #disability #RheumatoidArthritis #Methotrexate #Gastroparesis #Diabetes #Medicaid #Medicare #HealthcareSystem #PatientSafety #CareCoordination #Immunocompromised #DisabledAndProud #Survivor #Spoonie #SpoonieLife #HealthUpdate #ChristianSpoonie