Tweet

Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD

26 Jul 20, 11 tweets, 4 min read

It's the anniversary of #ADA30 and I spent an hour crying this morning after acknowledging the fact that even 30 years hasn't guaranteed access. Sacrifice hasn't guaranteed access. Advocacy hasn't guaranteed access. 1/11

And I don't know what more #disabled people can do to convince you were human, we deserve a right to live, and we deserve #inclusion. I don't know how to overcome such a gap in humanity. 2/11

I grew up with the ADA in place. It secured me accommodations in college (once I finally had my medical diagnosis), it gave me a community that I love, it gave me heroes to look up to. 3/11

But if you ask what has shaped my life, #Ableism has had a far greater impact than the rights afforded to me by the ADA (rights that have never been guaranteed, or offered to me, without a fight). 4/11

Ableism shaped my experiences of abuse and neglect from medical professionals. When you consider its intersection with gender, ableism and sexism led Drs to tell me I was "faking" GI issues, "complaining" about nonexistent pain, and "anxious" rather than medically unwell. 5/11

Ableism shaped my experience of #HigherEducation (undergrad and grad), where I had to fight for accessible housing and classrooms to teach in (and often lost the fight). It shaped my nonexistent accommodations as a TA, because educators apparently shouldn't be disabled. 6/11

Ableism shaped my experience of #academia. Ableist practices made conferences inaccessible, imposed arbitrary timelines on my work, and pressured me to hide my difference. Internalized ableism made me question if I belong anywhere, in higher ed or outside of it. 7/11

Ableism makes me question every day "am I ruining my career by talking about disability? Am I sabotaging myself, by being myself?" Ableism makes me wonder why I'm doing all this advocacy work, why I lead discussions about accessibility and classroom design 8/11

Why am I putting labor into a system that I know will ruin me? Into a system that will never recognize my labor, who will exploit it and throw me away as a liability? I do it in the hopes that I can prevent even just one student from experiencing the same system I did 9/11

Why do I, at 27, have to tell professors decades older than me that accessibility matters? Why do I have to tell them that adhering to the ADA is their legal obligation? Only to be whispered about as an "angry" and "aggressive" member of my campus community 10/11

I wish that the ADA shaped my daily life. If you read it in full it envisions a beautiful world, but rhetoric does not match reality. Ableism continues to shape my life, as it shapes the lives of many in my community. 11/11 #accessibility #DisabilityPrideMonth #AcademicChatter

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

More from @Nicole_Lee_Sch

Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD

@Nicole_Lee_Sch

2 Aug

I've been getting a lot of media outreach lately from journalists, which is wonderful, but I want to be explicitly clear about my background and my advocacy work. 1/5

I am happy to talk about my particular disabilities (EDS, MCAS, Arnold Chiari Malformation, orthostatic intolerance) and all that comes with being disabled/chronically ill. 2/5

I'm also happy to talk about the history of medicine and disability history. And always delighted to discuss accessibility in higher ed, disability community building, and what measures we can take to ensure equitable access to college. 3/5

Read 5 tweets

Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD

@Nicole_Lee_Sch

29 Jul

My mom couldn't believe that I haven't met the work credits for Disability (SSDI) despite working for over a decade in the US. I logged onto my Social Security portal to show her I'm short on credits. 1/4

My five and a half years in graduate school don't count as "work" because I wasn't an "employee." This is something that grad school robs away from graduate student workers. I worked 60 hours most weeks, taking on multiple part time jobs just to supplement my stipend. 2/4

Regardless, in the eyes of the govt I didn't work full time during that period, and apparently I didn't work nearly enough. This is why student unions matter. This is why labor negotiations matter. This is why higher ed reform matters. 3/4

Read 4 tweets

Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD

@Nicole_Lee_Sch

17 Jul

My parents were checking their retirement benefits today so I signed onto the Social Security website to check my own benefits. I don't even have enough work credits to apply for disability, all because I chose to do a PhD. 1/8

I've worked at least 2 jobs, oftentimes 3 at a time, since I turned 16. I've made myself so much more sick than I would be, just to scrape by. And I'm faced with the fact that I can give and give and give to the academy and it will give nothing back. 2/8

I worked at McDonalds at age 18 because I thought I "needed" to do an unpaid internship to get into grad school. I couldn't afford my car or my professional work wear, so I worked 40 hours a week at the American Antiquarian Society, and 20 at McDonalds. 3/8

Read 8 tweets

Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD

@Nicole_Lee_Sch

16 Jul

In less than a month I'm moving to start my new postdoc. And I'm just not ready to be visibly disabled in public again. For years I struggled with my cane and my neck brace and the unrelenting stares and nosy questions of strangers. 1/7

During the pandemic I could brace at home without the weight of those looks. I could accommodate myself well enough that I didn't need my cane and I could rest my hypermobile joints more throughout the workday. 2/7

It is crushing to be stared at all the time when you're in public. And I know people don't even realize they're doing it, but it makes me feel so unsafe. As a woman, I already feel unsafe in the wider world. But my mobility devices add another layer of paranoia. 3/7

Read 7 tweets

Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD

@Nicole_Lee_Sch

21 Jun

The good news: my symptoms of fatigue, fainting, low BP, GI issues, and brain fog aren't due to blood flow issues to my brain. And my nerves are mostly intact. 1/5

The bad news: this means all the above symptoms are secondary, not primary issues. Aka they're not caused by primary POTS, but they're secondary symptoms bc of #MCAS. 2/5

And there are no approved treatments for #MCAS specifically for the disorder. And the top specialists don't take insurance. And there is a whole lack of research. So I've essentially exhausted all the treatments I can afford. 3/5

Read 5 tweets

Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD

@Nicole_Lee_Sch

21 Jun

Tomorrow I find out if I have small fiber neuropathy, arthritis, if my orthostatic intolerance has gotten worse, if my fusion is continuing to allow proper blood flow to the brain, and if I have any other new diagnoses. 1/6

I also find out if I can finally, after 5 years, secure pain meds once again. If I can benefit from IVIG. And if I need to start taking more intensive MCAS meds. Along with potentially starting new treatments for new dx. 2/6

I consider myself a pretty direct, rational, and well informed patient. I have my questions, my talking points, and I'll be clear about follow up actions with my Dr. I waited a year for this. I need answers and care. 3/6

Read 6 tweets

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!