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When people say “I hate people who walk slow/ use straws/ don’t make eye contact/ other thing disabled people do more.” then, when told it’s often disability related, follow it up with “obviously I wasn’t talking about disabled people” I make a mental note they are not safe.
Because the only way this is “obvious” is if you don’t think disabled people are people.
One of my friends said he hated it when people stood still instead of walking on the escalator. I pointed out I always stand still and hold on, since my dyspraxic ass would fall down easily. He said obviously I should hold on, he just meant people being lazy. I pointed out there’s no visible signs of a whole bunch of disabilities and even just bad days or transient illnesses that could cause someone to need to stay still on an escalator, or any other way of meeting a person’s needs. He sat down and thought about it, called himself an asshole, and admitted he was wrong. He’s since got into the habit of asking me “Beckit, this thing really annoys me, am I being a dickhead?” when he’s not sure if the thing is potentially related to a disability. It’s made him a much more understanding person.
I’m very proud of my friend for reflecting on his behaviour and working to take down that red flag.
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