I can't tell you how happy I always am to see those baskets at an event. Dress hem torn? Safety pin! Run in pantyhose? Clear nail polish! Stuff I don't always have in my purse is welcome and a sweet idea.

Teppy, that is hysterical about the engagement post. Something similar happened to me recently where people thought I was already married.

So far today I have had bloodwork that did not go well, now I am getting new leg braces, and next x-rays. Can it be bedtime now?

Yeah, there are a lot of times where I don't take on the educator role like I used to.I'm just not interested in being people's entree into the Crip Experience...I don't know how it is in other countries, Seska, but here I feel like to be a good disability activist, I had to give up a lot of my individuality. Some of those people I did movement things with had nothing else in their lives. Ever.(I mean, in a way, I understand, cause they keep us so poor and stuff, but I do need to talk about other things from time to time.)

your need for accomodation

Should have added "and right to" in there.

But it's one thing to advise on policy and practice around access and inclusion, and quite another to stand up for yourself.

Oh, heavens to Betsy, yes.

I do need to talk about other things from time to time.

Like crime shows and Anderson Cooper!

I feel like to be a good disability activist, I had to give up a lot of my individuality. Some of those people I did movement things with had nothing else in their lives. Ever.(I mean, in a way, I understand, cause they keep us so poor and stuff, but I do need to talk about other things from time to time.)

Indeed. I know what you mean. I've got a (sometimes paying, mostly not) career in equality training and disability research, so a lot of what I do does revolve around disability. I don't feel the need to apologise for that, but I hope I can talk about other things occasionally. It's part of why I'm volunteering for an org that's nothing to do with disability. Even though my role is inclusion-related. But it's not like I have tons of other experience to offer. I'm OK with that... most of the time. For the rest of the time, there's vodka, cult TV, feminism, obsessing about whether the Church hates me for being gay, and so forth. (OK, so I'm mostly about the 'people hate me'. I like vodka.)

Yeah, most of my journalism is disability features...I like it, mostly, some of us do interesting things. But I do worry about being pigeonholed sometimes. And I'd like to do some hard reporting on the subject, sometime, preferably about something other than euthanasia. But I do have other sides that I like to express and that is hard for some to get their minds around. smonster, Keith Olbermann more often, though they are both silver-fox news guys. Although I now know more about ratings math than any healthy woman ought to. On a related note, this weekend I had to call in disabled from jury duty. Which is kind of a bummer for someone like me to be honest. But I doubt seriously they would meet both my attendant and transport requirements.Also, they will not pick me as I have a bachelors degree, relatives who've...interfaced with the justice system, and an intimate knowledge of the Simon oeuvre. So i'd just be stranded downtown all day. My life is sort of...split-personality right now. In many ways, I finally made people think I'm competent and talented. But there are still so many places where I have to be all "please, I'm small and weak...don't hurt me." It's a real mindfuck.

ETA: Also, even I think that having me and an attendant in a jury room would spell "mistrial" I kind of don't know how it could be avoided. Too bad...I would make a superior juror.

I was surprised, last time I went for jury duty I spieled off how many lawyers and expert witnesses we have in the family and I got picked anyway.

But I do worry about being pigeonholed sometimes.

Heh. That's true - I wouldn't mind the odd writing gig or bit of teaching that was about something else, either. I did teach English for five years, but I got retired out for ill health (ah, the lack of irony). Maybe some general sociology teaching will come my way this academic year. A bit of a go at gender studies would be good.

Well, it doesn't matter, because I'm sure that the accomodations they have in mind are, like, large print. But that is curious, Laga. Definitely goes against conventional wisdom.