Thread by @QuirkyQueerEnby

TW: medically assisted death, eugenics, ableism

What the fuck is not giving disabled people enough money to live if not "outside pressure or influence" to encourage us to unalive ourselves?

We can't Consent if we have no other options. That's not how consent works.

https://twitter.com/Sarah_Colero/status/1520479554166566919

Multiple people have sought MAID after advocating for Years to get access to housing that would have saved their lives. They didn't want to die. They could have lived good lives. If they could afford to live them.

That is not voluntary consent.

I am Not considering MAID. But I Am currently looking for housing and unable to find affordable, accessible, scent-free housing in Ontario. It's terrifying to know that other people in similar circumstances got forced into this route.

I need ensuite laundry because washing my laundry in the same machine as someone who used scented detergent can trigger debilitating migraines and PEM. I need separate HVAC. It needs to be wheelchair-accessible.

I need to be able to have housemates for the sake of my mental health. I can't apply for subsidised housing because they don't allow you to have housemates, even if those housemates would be independently eligible to apply for their own subsidised one-bedroom.

This leaves me with the market rent housing market.

The cheapest places I've found with ensuite laundry are $800/room/month. So a 2-bedroom for $1600, a 3-bedroom for $2400.

My monthly income is $1169, which would leave me with $369 for food, utilities, and other necessities each month. Nevermind any extras that would bring me joy. That is... not enough left over.

I'm currently bedbound, which means I can't go to viewings. I don't know if anyone is going to rent to someone they can't meet.

My processing & doing speeds are Slow. The housing market is Fast. I'll need to rely on others to interface with the market for me, as it's just not accessible to me to do myself.

The housing market doesn't care about Crip Time. The medical and disability services also don't care about Crip Time, though that's a different thread.

Abled people don't see my life as worth living. But I really enjoy my life. Would I love to not be bedbound? Absolutely. But I have good friendships and relationships. There are interesting shows to watch. When food isn't being an absolute Fuck, it's really fucking delicious!

Disabled people have lives worth living. We may not be able to contribute to capitalism, but money is a Horrible metric with which to measure lives.

We can share love and joy and care with each other and the abled people who do stick around.

And some of us Can't even do that, because our conditions are under-researched and thus unsupported, and the sensory experience of shared company is physically unbearable (#MECFS).

I feel like I'm going on a tangent here. But the core point is that disabled lives are chronically undervalued and thus we don't get adequate support to live or adequate support for research into why our bodies have given out.

Having adequate funding wouldn't just Solve Everything for us. But enough money can make the difference between life and death. Between unsurvivable misery and a manageable and good life. Money doesn't solve all problems.

But it can solve many of them!

Having enough money to live could have prevented the deaths that have already happened, where people saw MAID as the only option, in the absence of enough money to live in fully accessible housing.

Having enough money to live could prevent untold similar deaths in the future.

It is not "freedom and bodily autonomy" if there are no other good options. Other options like accessible, affordable, scent-free housing. Housing where people can pick their own housemates.

Options that cover lifesaving treatments for chronic pain. Options that cover in-home care for people who need it. Options where we can afford the food we need and that meets our dietary restrictions and access needs.

@JustinTrudeau @fordnation @liberal_party @CPC_HQ

Blood is on your hands.

We need disability supports that provide livable incomes, not ~2/3 of the poverty line.

#ODSPoverty #ODSP