{"id":474503,"date":"2021-03-22T03:35:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T10:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/?p=474503"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:19:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:19:14","slug":"what-the-disabled-community-offered-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2021\/03\/22\/what-the-disabled-community-offered-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Disabled Community offered the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Social media can be overwhelming and aggravating at times. I&#8217;ve also learned and appreciated being connected with so many amazing disabled people online that I would never get the chance to meet in person. One of these people is <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rollwthepunches\">Kaalyn M.<\/a><\/strong> This piece is based on Kaalyn&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rollwthepunches\/status\/1370211503207559177\">recent Twitter thread on March 11, 2021<\/a> on what disabled people offered the world during the pandemic. I hope this piece will be useful for all the new members of the disability and chronic illness community widely known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/archive\/2020\/08\/long-haulers-covid-19-recognition-support-groups-symptoms\/615382\/\">&#8216;long haulers.&#8217;<\/a> We are here and were always here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">What the Disabled Community offered the world this past year:<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">best ways to stay connected with friends and family from home<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">hacks to stay productive while working remotely<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">tools to manage and cope with health anxiety<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">honest, raw conversations about death or hospitalization<\/span><\/li>\n<li>education on virus transmission or effectiveness of any &#8220;hack&#8221; to avoid COVID<\/li>\n<li>tips, commiserations and resources to navigate healthcare and insurance<\/li>\n<li>ways to save money in all ways, but especially on the essentials for life at home<\/li>\n<li>dark humor; relief knowing it could be worse<\/li>\n<li>infinite coping strategies and realistic tools for incapacitating isolation, depression, anxiety, and knowing the system will not protect you<\/li>\n<li>hospital and ER survival guides! (both in the fun way AND literal way)<\/li>\n<li>tips on how to best support a sick loved one in your life<\/li>\n<li>often giving lifesaving instructions on using an IV pump, insulin, feeding tubes, oxygen, central lines, catheters, etc for either yourself or a loved one bc Home Care was canceled, denied, unsafe, not set up yet, or the edu was just skipped altogether in the hospital crises<\/li>\n<li>resources, links, psycho-ed, numbers, etc for dealing w\/ trauma alone. So. Much. Trauma.<\/li>\n<li>the same w\/ grief (the disabled community knows death and loss like few others)<\/li>\n<li>directives to the most trusted scientific journals and research<\/li>\n<li>how-to&#8217;s for healthcare self-advocacy<\/li>\n<li>jokes, jokes and more jokes<\/li>\n<li>predicting what they call &#8220;long-haulers&#8221; now and putting together post-viral strategies for sufferers long before research or media even mentioned &#8220;long covid could maybe be a thing&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>clothing recommendations for at-home, sick or hospital life<\/li>\n<li>exercise guides when you can&#8217;t leave your front yard or afford\/access in-home equipment<\/li>\n<li>sleep strategies for when time becomes an illusion<\/li>\n<li>so much more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0\">All while being the community you were most ready to throw out the second you heard the word &#8220;pandem&#8211;&#8221; We were here.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>ABOUT<\/strong><\/h4>\n<figure id=\"attachment_474501\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-474501\" style=\"width: 742px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"474501\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2021\/03\/22\/what-the-disabled-community-offered-the-world\/x-k3r3lk\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/x-K3r3Lk.jpg?fit=870%2C1200&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"870,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"x-K3r3Lk\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Kaalyn is sitting looking to the camera with a light smile and forefinger to chin. She has purple chin-length hair, loosely curled, minimal makeup, and two black snakebite piercings at the lip. She&amp;#8217;s wrapped in a black and white decorative blanket in front of a wall of very colorful abstract art.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/x-K3r3Lk.jpg?fit=742%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-474501 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/x-K3r3Lk.jpg?resize=742%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kaalyn is sitting looking to the camera with a light smile and forefinger to chin. She has purple chin-length hair, loosely curled, minimal makeup, and two black snakebite piercings at the lip. She's wrapped in a black and white decorative blanket in front of a wall of very colorful abstract art.\" width=\"742\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/x-K3r3Lk.jpg?resize=742%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 742w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/x-K3r3Lk.jpg?resize=218%2C300&amp;ssl=1 218w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/x-K3r3Lk.jpg?resize=768%2C1059&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/x-K3r3Lk.jpg?w=870&amp;ssl=1 870w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-474501\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kaalyn is sitting looking to the camera with a light smile and forefinger to chin. She has purple chin-length hair, loosely curled, minimal makeup, and two black snakebite piercings at the lip. She&#8217;s wrapped in a black and white decorative blanket in front of a wall of very colorful abstract art.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010\" aria-label=\"\u267f\"><\/div>\n<div aria-label=\"\u267f\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Kaalyn M<\/strong>, more publicly known as Hell on Wheels, is a disability and complex trauma advocate and educator. As both a survivor of child exploitation, and someone living with a rare and progressive collection of genetic disabilities, she provides social and medical education on each, but particularly where they intersect. She is most known for creating a Straw Chart in 2018 when disabled lives were ignored in favor of marginal environmental impacts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Twitter: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rollwthepunches\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">@rollwthepunches<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hell.on.wheelsxx\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">@hell.on.wheelsxx<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-label=\"\u267f\"><\/div>\n<div aria-label=\"\u267f\"><\/div>\n<div aria-label=\"\u267f\"><\/div>\n<div aria-label=\"\u267f\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Support Disability Media and Culture<\/b><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/donate\/\"><b>DONATE<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0to the Disability Visibility Project\u00ae<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1dbjc4n r-xoduu5 r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-h9hxbl r-417010\" aria-label=\"\u25aa\ufe0f\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Social media can be overwhelming and aggravating at times. I&#8217;ve also learned and appreciated being connected with so many amazing disabled people online that I would never get the chance &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2021\/03\/22\/what-the-disabled-community-offered-the-world\/\" class=\"read-more\">Continue Reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">What the Disabled Community offered the world<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":474502,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6701202],"tags":[335421,587152853,542382627,289446,587152847,49818,599182],"class_list":["post-474503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-blog-posts","tag-chronic-illness","tag-covid19","tag-crip-wisdom","tag-disabled-people","tag-pandemic","tag-social-media","tag-twitter","post-has-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Kaalyn-M-Twitter.png?fit=1600%2C900&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4H7t1-1Zrh","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}