Thread by @ShutUpDanni

I’ve spent over half my life as a sick person.
I was diagnosed with aggressive ulcerative colitis at 11 years old. I had a colectomy that resulted in an ileostomy at 13. I completed my surgeries with a completed J-Pouch at 16. 1/?

I have retained all of the side effects of having an autoimmune disorder. I also deal with issues with my pouch on an extremely frequent basis. As is common with inflammatory autoimmune diseases, I have chronic issues with my joints and with pain. 2/?

I have a diet very limited to what healthy food I can consume. I have a body that either through pain or fatigue or illness has a hard time remaining active. Everything in my life is just a little bit harder than it would be were I not disabled. 3/?

I live with medically induced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as well as depression and anxiety. A lot of my life is avoiding things that make me sick or make me hurt as a result of my PTSD. Whether anything is really happening to me or not, my pain is real. It feels real. 4/?

I have nerve damage in my back due to having had an epidural cath break while in my spine, and from hospital neglect. This makes standing for long periods difficult, and stiffness a problem due to pain from moving. My hands are extremely sensitive, and while I’m 5/?

Blessed to be able to use an ergonomic method to type at work, in using my hands for other things (carrying things, washing dishes, typing on difficult keyboards, etc) I deal with a lot of joint pain and stiffness. They have not been able to diagnose or treat this yet. 6/?

My knees are probably my next worst joint situation. I occasionally go through periods where I cannot walk without crutches due to extreme pain in my knees. Due to my illness being digestive, I’m almost always nauseous. 7/?

Due to my nausea and heightened sensitivity to things like taste/texture, sometimes, I need things like straws to help me more easily control what I’m consuming, and the method to which it’s transported to me. This is not constant, but it does happen. 8/?

Due to the pain I have rendering my hands unable to do some simple tasks like cleaning and cutting, things like pre-cut fruits and veggies make it possible for me to cook meals (very over cooked fruits and veggies for accessibility; small pieces are a must) 9/?

Sometimes, if I’m in a REALLY bad flare situation where I cannot do ANY dishes, or don’t have someone to help me, I don’t have a choice but to use paper/plastic plates, bowls and utensils. This is how I can survive. This is what the result of my disability is. 10/?

Before my pouch got to the nearly unusable state that it’s in, I was a vegan. I didn’t eat any meat or dairy. My grains were ethically sourced. I educated people on the benefits of veganism including those on the environment. I have a huge heart for this planet. 11/?

But you know what else? I can’t help the planet if I can’t live to be part of it. That’s why I need some single use plastics.

No disabled folx that people are reprimanding want to attack the environment. We simply wish to survive. 12/?

And just like we have tried any and all alternatives to treat our disability symptoms, we have tried and considered alternatives to our plastic usage. They do not work. Everyone has a different reason, but a common understanding: we are doing our best to live our lives. 13/?

We do not need suggestions. We do not need advice. We do not need anecdotes.

We need you to trust that we know ourselves, and that we are doing even just the bare minimum to continue existing.

We need you to hear what we’re saying. 14/?

Performative activism is not progressive and it certainly isn’t helpful. You are doing no good for the planet when you plan to slaughter its people.

You speak from a place of privileged long left unchecked, and need to listen to the education being provided to you for free. 15/?

I just spent a lot of my time (remember, hand pain) and sacrificed any of my privacy to explain to you why single use plastics allow me, a disabled person, to survive with a significantly lower amount of burden than I would without them. 16/?

But you shouldn’t care about these issues just because they may affect you or someone you know.

We are humans and we need to work to make sure that our fellow humans have what they need to live. This has, historically, been the main reason human beings have existed so long. 17/?

I told you why I use plastic.

I told you why other people use plastic.

I told you why you should care.

Now run with it, and continue to learn from disabled people and our experiences. We need it.

#StrawBan #Disabled #HandsOffMyStraws #Plastic #Disability