US People With Disabilities In The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program Can't Have A Penny Over

US people with disabilities in the supplemental security income (SSI) program can't have a penny over $2K in their bank account at any time in order to keep their benefits.

You know this economy. That amount is completely unlivable & makes it hard for people with disability to save for the future or have a safety net for emergencies.

A new bill would raise the max to $10K (or $20K for married couples). It would make a world of difference.

Show support by contacting your reps.

Edit: Had the word petition on the mind, mistakenly called it that.

More Posts from Intersectionalityfinal1 and Others

Some people don’t want to hear this but sometimes accessibility is not sustainable or eco-friendly. Disabled people sometimes need straws, or pre-made meals in plastic containers, or single-use items. Just because you can work with your foods in their least processed and packaged form doesn’t mean everyone else can.

Disability History Crash Course

Throughout history, disabilities has been viewed in many different ways, from curses and bad luck, to simply unfortunate differences some are born with.  In some ancient civilizations, disabled individuals were often marginalized or viewed through religious/superstitious lenses.  In ancient Greece and Rome, individuals with physical or mental disabilities were abandoned or ostracized from civilization. 

 In Europe during the Middle Ages, disabilities were often linked to sin, religious disfavor, or divine punishment, which lead to social exile.  Often, if the disabled individuals received care, it was from family members or religious institutions.  As the age of Enlightenment came to prominence in the 17th and 18th centuries, society began to shift towards medicalization, which changed the view of disability from punishment, to a natural defect, to be diagnosed and treated. 

The 19th and 20th century brought about the rise of sanatoriums, asylums, and institutions designed as a way to 'treat' people with disabilities.  This new approach of 'treatment' was, in reality, a way to hide disabled people from the public, and often lead to isolation and severe medical mistreatment of the patients.  This, along with the creation of Eugenics movements, lead to many harmful stigmas surrounding disability.

As disability rights movements gained momentum in the mid-20th century, different bills and acts were passed in order to protect disabled people.  Some  landmark events were the Independent Living Movement and the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).  As the U.S. shifted away from seclusion and towards inclusion, equality, and accessibility, many of the stigmas surrounding disability began to easy, and people began to see disability as not just a medical issue, but as a social and political issue.


Tags
A Real, Unbutchered Pain Scale.

A real, unbutchered pain scale.

Based on this, my base level of pain is a 7. Sounds pretty accurate

History Teaches . . . The Power of (Imperiled) Disability Rights
feliciakornbluh.substack.com
Civil Rights Histories are 'All One Piece String': Disability and "DEI"

A really good overview of the disability rights protections threatened by Trump and how his ableist and racist policies are inextricably woven together.

Looking at some notable queer disabled people in history

Queer Disabled People in History — Spoonful
Spoonful
TW: discussions of hate crimes, suicide, mental illness, violence Still experiencing technical issues, so alt text for screen readers ca
Black text on yellow background reads: save section 504, what's happening and what can you do? END ID.
black text on yellow background reads "What's going on with Section 504? Seventeen states are suing the Department of Health & Human Services to get rid of Section 504, the federal law that prohibits the federal government, or any programs or entities that receive federal funding, from discriminating on the basis of disability. Programs or entities that receive federal funding include individual states, hospitals, schools, universities, public libraries, airports, and more. These spaces have to accommodate people with disabilities to follow the law."
black text on yellow background reads "Any state, program, or entity that violates Section 504 by discriminating against people with disabilities risks losing their federal funding. Section 504 protects the rights of people with disabilities, but especially children with disabilities and veterans with disabilities." END ID
black text on yellow background reads "Why is this happening? These 17 states are suing because in 2024, DHS added a new regulation for how to enforce Section 504. In that regulation, it said that gender dyspohira was one example of a condition that could be a disability. The distress associated with gender dysphoria is similar to the distress associated with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions that can be considered disabilities. The regulation was meant to help trans folks with gender dysphoria access healthcare and protect them from discrimination in seeking that care - from hospitals, employers, and more."
black text on yellow background reads "Why is this happening? These 17 states want to continue discriminating against trans people. But Section 504 means they could lose federal funding for doing so, and they argue that is unfair. But their argument doesn't end there - they argue that Section 504 as a whole is unconstitutional and should be thrown out, because Congress can't financially pressure states into following laws.* *Congress is permitted to do this under the Spending Clause of the US Constitution so long as the laws are in pursuit of "the general welfare" with some restrictions."
black text on yellow background reads, "The 17 states include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, lowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West, Virginia"
black text on yellow background reads "What can we do? If you live in one of the 17 states, you can call your state's Attorney General and urge them to withdraw from the lawsuit. You can find contact information and sample call scripts on the last two slides and at callurreps.carrd.co. If you live near or can travel to the U.S. District Court in Lubbock, Texas you can pack the courtroom for the hearing on February 25th, or protest outside the courthouse. For everyone else, you can share information about the lawsuit and encourage those you know in the 17 states to call their AG."
black texts on yellow background reads, "BASIC CALL SCRIPT Hello, my name is [NAME] and I'm a resident of [CITY, STATE]. I am calling to urge AG [LAST NAME] to withdraw from the Texas v. Becerra lawsuit. The suit asks the court to declare that Section 504 is unconstitutional. Section 504 protects the rights of so many people in [STATE] and throughout the country. It is the reason people with disabilities are able to go to school, receive accessible healthcare, use public libraries, and so much more. Without Section 504, children with disabilities would lose their right to be accommodated in public schools, and veterans with disabilities would struggle to access Social Security and other essential programs. This lawsuit will hurt people in [STATE] and I ask you to do what is right and withdraw from this suit to help save Section 504. [STATE] should not be known as the state that helped destroy disability rights. I urge you to withdraw from Texas v. Becerra and protect the rights of all people in [STATE]. Thank you for your time."
black text on yellow background reads "EXAMPLES OF ADDITIONAL TALKING POINTS EXAMPLE: IMPACT ON VETERANS There are [NUMBER] veterans with disabilities in [STATE]. Section 504 protects their rights. It is the reason many veterans are able to receive an education or obtain public benefits even after becoming disabled while serving their country. If [STATE] cares about veterans, why are we part of a lawsuit that will destroy the rights of our most vulnerable veterans? EXAMPLE: PERSONAL STORY I myself am disabled. I am 28 years old and about to finish my last year of law school. Section 504 is the reason I was able to receive accommodations in public school that allowed me to pursue a career fighting for my fellow Americans. I should be worried about exams, not whether I will lose my access to public spaces or the rights that have allowed me to get to this point."
black text on yellow background reads, "For more information, check out Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) and resources shared by @cripple.media powerfullyisa cadisabledicon esyannebloom @_thehopetheory_" END ID

What is happening with section 504? And what you can do about it? Section 504 is under attack. If you live in any of these states, you can call your representatives.

DISABILITY INJUSTICE AFFECTS EVERYONE. You shouldn’t care “just because” you could be disabled one day. You should care *now*, because this will come back to everyone.

Images from @/myelasticheart on Instagram

Disability and Theory

"Disabilities have been perceived differently throughout history, through a variety of different theoretical lenses. There are two main models that attempt to explain disability in our society: the medical model and the social model. The medical model serves as a theoretical framework that considers disability as an undesirable medical condition that requires specialized treatment. Those who ascribe to the medical model tend to focus on finding the root causes of disabilities, as well as any cures—such as assistive technology. The social model centers disability as a societally-created limitation on individuals who do not have the same ability as the majority of the population." (Wikipedia, 14th Apr. 2025)

en.wikipedia.org

Disability in Non-Fiction #1: Plain Text Edition

A plain text version of this post. Here you will find detailed image descriptions and easier-to-read versions of each book summary. If you think that any image descriptions/summaries need to be updated, please let me know!

================================================

‘How to Live Free in a Dangerous World’- Lawson, Shayla

A book cover. The background is a pale orange colour. In the centre, a large photograph of a person with brown skin standing in front a desert under a blue sky. They have short braided brown hair swept over their left eye, and have their arms crossed over their chest, with one hand resting on the side of their face. The title “How to Live Free in a Dangerous World” is around them in large orange writing that covers the length of the photo. The subtitle “A Decolonial Memoir” is to the right their head in very small white writing. The author’s name “Shayla Lawson” is below the title, at the bottom of the photograph, in smaller yellow writing. Black text at the bottom of the cover reads, under the author’s name, reads “author of ‘this is major’, a national book critics circle award finalist”. /end

[ID: A book cover. The background is a pale orange colour. In the centre, a large photograph of a person with brown skin standing in front a desert under a blue sky. They have short braided brown hair swept over their left eye, and have their arms crossed over their chest, with one hand resting on the side of their face. The title “How to Live Free in a Dangerous World” is around them in large orange writing that covers the length of the photo. The subtitle “A Decolonial Memoir” is to the right their head in very small white writing. The author’s name “Shayla Lawson” is below the title, at the bottom of the photograph, in smaller yellow writing. Black text at the bottom of the cover reads, under the author’s name, reads “author of ‘this is major’, a national book critics circle award finalist”. /end]

Summary:

Poet and journalist Shayla Lawson follows their National Book Critics Circle finalist This Is Major with these daring and exquisitely crafted essays, where Lawson journeys across the globe, finds beauty in tumultuous times, and powerfully disrupts the constraints of race, gender, and disability.

With their signature prose, at turns bold, muscular, and luminous, Shayla Lawson travels the world to explore deeper meanings held within love, time, and the self.

Through encounters with a gorgeous gondolier in Venice, an ex-husband in the Netherlands, and a lost love on New Year’s Eve in Mexico City, Lawson’s travels bring unexpected wisdom about life in and out of love. They learn the strength of friendships and the dangers of beauty during a narrow escape in Egypt. They examine Blackness in post-dictatorship Zimbabwe, then take us on a secretive tour of Black freedom movements in Portugal.

Through a deeply insightful journey, Lawson leads readers from a castle in France to a hula hoop competition in Jamaica to a traditional theater in Tokyo to a Prince concert in Minnesota and, finally, to finding liberation on a beach in Bermuda, exploring each location—and their deepest emotions—to the fullest. In the end, they discover how the trials of marriage, grief, and missed connections can lead to self-transformation and unimagined new freedoms.

‘Being Seen’- Sjunneson, Elsa

A book cover. It is a dark black with faint, grey, writing over it. The writing, from top to bottom, reads:
“Elsa Sjunneson”
“Being Seen”
“One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism”
All in capitals. The “I” in “Being Seen” is designed to look like an opening of sorts, with a ray of light coming through. /end

[ID: A book cover. It is a dark black with faint, grey, writing over it. The writing, from top to bottom, reads: “Elsa Sjunneson” “Being Seen” “One Deafblind Woman’s Fight to End Ableism” All in capitals. The “I” in “Being Seen” is designed to look like an opening of sorts, with a ray of light coming through. /end]

Summary:

A deafblind writer and professor explores how the misrepresentation of disability in books, movies, and TV harms both the disabled community and everyone else.

As a deafblind woman with partial vision in one eye and bilateral hearing aids, Elsa Sjunneson lives at the crossroads of blindness and sight, hearing and deafness—much to the confusion of the world around her. While she cannot see well enough to operate without a guide dog or cane, she can see enough to know when someone is reacting to the visible signs of her blindness and can hear when they’re whispering behind her back. And she certainly knows how wrong our one-size-fits-all definitions of disability can be.

As a media studies professor, she’s also seen the full range of blind and deaf portrayals on film, and here she deconstructs their impact, following common tropes through horror, romance, and everything in between. Part memoir, part cultural criticism, part history of the deafblind experience, Being Seen explores how our cultural concept of disability is more myth than fact, and the damage it does to us all.

‘Disability Pride’- Mattlin, Ben

A book cover. The background is made of simple, colourful red, cream, white, yellow and teal shapes. Large text reads, from top to bottom:
“Disability Pride” in large, black capitals,
“Dispatches from a Post-ADA World”in smaller, black capitals,
“Ben Mattlin”, in slightly bigger red capitals. /end

[ID: A book cover. The background is made of simple, colourful red, cream, white, yellow and teal shapes. Large text reads, from top to bottom: “Disability Pride” in large, black capitals, “Dispatches from a Post-ADA World”in smaller, black capitals, “Ben Mattlin”, in slightly bigger red capitals. /end]

Summary:

An eye-opening portrait of the diverse disability community as it is today and how attitudes, activism, and representation have evolved since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In Disability Pride, disabled journalist Ben Mattlin weaves together interviews and reportage to introduce a cavalcade of individuals, ideas, and events in engaging, fast-paced prose. He traces the generation that came of age after the ADA reshaped America, and how it is influencing the future. He documents how autistic self-advocacy and the neurodiversity movement upended views of those whose brains work differently. He lifts the veil on a thriving disability culture—from social media to high fashion, Hollywood to Broadway—showing how the politics of beauty for those with marginalized body types and facial features is sparking widespread change.

He also explores the movement’s shortcomings, particularly the erasure of nonwhite and LGBTQIA+ people that helped give rise to Disability Justice. He delves into systemic ableism in health care, the right-to-die movement, institutionalization, and the scourge of subminimum-wage labor that some call legalized slavery. And he finds glimmers of hope in how disabled people never give up their fight for parity and fair play.

Beautifully written, without anger or pity, Disability Pride is a revealing account of an often misunderstood movement and identity, an inclusive reexamination of society’s treatment of those it deems different.

‘Crip Kinship’- Kafai, Shayda

A book cover. The background is light blue, with colourful pictures of butterflies, flowers and a house setting featured in the centre. Lower right centre of the image, a black figure in a long sleeved, billowing dress, holding a curved black walking stick in their right hand. Behind them, a drawing of a room with a table, chair, pink wall with a window, and a blank wall with an orange picture. Text on the book cover, from top to bottom, reads:
The title “Crip Kinship” in large black font at the top of the image,
The subtitle “The Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid” in smaller black capitals, in the upper right corner of the image,
The authors name “Shayda Kafai” in medium black capitals in the lower right of the image, partially overlapping the figure in the dress. /end

[ID: A book cover. The background is light blue, with colourful pictures of butterflies, flowers and a house setting featured in the centre. Lower right centre of the image, a black figure in a long sleeved, billowing dress, holding a curved black walking stick in their right hand. Behind them, a drawing of a room with a table, chair, pink wall with a window, and a blank wall with an orange picture. Text on the book cover, from top to bottom, reads: The title “Crip Kinship” in large black font at the top of the image, The subtitle “The Disability Justice & Art Activism of Sins Invalid” in smaller black capitals, in the upper right corner of the image, The authors name “Shayda Kafai” in medium black capitals in the lower right of the image, partially overlapping the figure in the dress. /end]

Summary:

The remarkable story of Sins Invalid, a performance project that centres queer disability justice.

In recent years, disability activism has come into its own as a vital and necessary means to acknowledge the power and resilience of the disabled community, and to call out ableist culture wherever it appears.

Crip Kinship explores the art activism of Sins Invalid, a San Francisco Bay Area-based performance project, and its radical imaginings of what disabled, queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming bodyminds of colour can do: how they can rewrite oppression, and how they can gift us with transformational lessons for our collective survival.

Grounded in the disability justice framework, Crip Kinship investigates the revolutionary survival teachings that disabled, queer of colour community offers to all our bodyminds. From their focus on crip beauty and sexuality to manifesting digital kinship networks and crip-centric liberated zones, Sins Invalid empowers and moves us toward generating our collective liberation from our bodyminds outward.

‘Sounds Like Home’- Wright, Mary Herring

A book cover. The background is yellow. A black and white photograph in the centre shows two young black children and a dog in front of a car. The title “Sounds Like Home” is at the tope in large, curvy black writing. The subtitle “Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South” is written in small orange writing, on three black bars on the right side of the cover. The author’s name “Mary Herring Wright” is written in curvy black writing, slightly smaller than the title, at the bottom of the cover. /end

[ID: A book cover. The background is yellow. A black and white photograph in the centre shows two young black children and a dog in front of a car. The title “Sounds Like Home” is at the tope in large, curvy black writing. The subtitle “Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South” is written in small orange writing, on three black bars on the right side of the cover. The author’s name “Mary Herring Wright” is written in curvy black writing, slightly smaller than the title, at the bottom of the cover. /end]

Summary:

Mary Herring Wright’s memoir adds an important dimension to the current literature in that it is a story by and about an African American deaf child. The author recounts her experiences growing up as a deaf person in Iron Mine, North Carolina, from the 1920s through the 1940s. Her story is unique and historically significant because it provides valuable descriptive information about the faculty and staff of the North Carolina school for Black deaf and blind students from the perspective of a student as well as a student teacher. In addition, this engrossing narrative contains details about the curriculum, which included a week-long Black History celebration where students learned about important Blacks such as Madame Walker, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and George Washington Carver. It also describes the physical facilities as well as the changes in those facilities over the years. In addition, Sounds Like Home occurs over a period of time that covers two major events in American history, the Depression and World War II.

Wright’s account is one of enduring faith, perseverance, and optimism. Her keen observations will serve as a source of inspiration for others who are challenged in their own ways by life’s obstacles.

‘The Right to Maim’- Puar, Jasbir K.

A book cover. The background is white. A painting stretches from the bottom of the cover to bottom of top quarter. In the upper quarter of the cover, text reads:
The author’s name “Jasbir K. Puar” is at the top in black writing.
The title “The Right to Maim” is immediately below this in red caps.
The subtitle “Debility, Capacity, Disability” is immediately below this in smaller, yellow caps.
The painting is immediately below this. The background is a dark cream. It appears to show a humanoid figure climbing a mound. Two other figures appear to be falling off the mound. There are splashes of red paint around the mound and the figure on it. /end

[ID: A book cover. The background is white. A painting stretches from the bottom of the cover to bottom of top quarter. In the upper quarter of the cover, text reads: The author’s name “Jasbir K. Puar” is at the top in black writing. The title “The Right to Maim” is immediately below this in red caps. The subtitle “Debility, Capacity, Disability” is immediately below this in smaller, yellow caps. The painting is immediately below this. The background is a dark cream. It appears to show a humanoid figure climbing a mound. Two other figures appear to be falling off the mound. There are splashes of red paint around the mound and the figure on it. /end]

Summary:

In The Right to Maim Jasbir K. Puar brings her pathbreaking work on the liberal state, sexuality, and biopolitics to bear on our understanding of disability. Drawing on a stunning array of theoretical and methodological frameworks, Puar uses the concept of “debility”—bodily injury and social exclusion brought on by economic and political factors—to disrupt the category of disability. She shows how debility, disability, and capacity together constitute an assemblage that states use to control populations. Puar’s analysis culminates in an interrogation of Israel’s policies toward Palestine, in which she outlines how Israel brings Palestinians into biopolitical being by designating them available for injury. Supplementing its right to kill with what Puar calls the right to maim, the Israeli state relies on liberal frameworks of disability to obscure and enable the mass debilitation of Palestinian bodies. Tracing disability’s interaction with debility and capacity, Puar offers a brilliant rethinking of Foucauldian biopolitics while showing how disability functions at the intersection of imperialism and racialized capital.

‘Uncomfortable Labels’- Dale, Laura Kate

A book cover. The background is a close photograph of some kind of knitted garment, and its label. The garment is blue. The label is in the centre. Text on the label reads:
The title “Uncomfortable Labels” in large black caps
The subtitle “My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman” in smaller black caps, lower left of this
The author’s name “Laura Kate Dale” at the bottom of the label in black writing.
A smaller label attached to the bottom has a single, black capitalised “M” written on it. /end

[ID: A book cover. The background is a close photograph of some kind of knitted garment, and its label. The garment is blue. The label is in the centre. Text on the label reads: The title “Uncomfortable Labels” in large black caps The subtitle “My Life as a Gay Autistic Trans Woman” in smaller black caps, lower left of this The author’s name “Laura Kate Dale” at the bottom of the label in black writing. A smaller label attached to the bottom has a single, black capitalised “M” written on it. /end]

Summary:

“So while the assumption when I was born was that I was or would grow up to be a neurotypical heterosexual boy, that whole idea didn’t really pan out long term.”

In this candid, first-of-its-kind memoir, Laura Kate Dale recounts what life is like growing up as a gay trans woman on the autism spectrum. From struggling with sensory processing, managing socially demanding situations and learning social cues and feminine presentation, through to coming out as trans during an autistic meltdown, Laura draws on her personal experiences from life prior to transition and diagnosis, and moving on to the years of self-discovery, to give a unique insight into the nuances of sexuality, gender and autism, and how they intersect.

Charting the ups and downs of being autistic and on the LGBT spectrum with searing honesty and humour, this is an empowering, life-affirming read for anyone who’s felt they don’t fit in.

'Brilliant Imperfections'- Clare, Eli

A book cover. A photograph of stones can be seen. Over it, a dark box stretching from left to right at the top of the image. Text in the box reads:
“Brilliant Imperfection”, in large caps. “Brilliant” is in green, “Imperfection is in white.
“Grappling With Cure”, in small, green caps.
“Eli Clare”, in white caps. /end

[ID: A book cover. A photograph of stones can be seen. Over it, a dark box stretching from left to right at the top of the image. Text in the box reads: “Brilliant Imperfection”, in large caps. “Brilliant” is in green, “Imperfection is in white. “Grappling With Cure”, in small, green caps. “Eli Clare”, in white caps. /end]

Summary:

In Brilliant Imperfection Eli Clare uses memoir, history, and critical analysis to explore cure—the deeply held belief that body-minds considered broken need to be fixed.

Cure serves many purposes. It saves lives, manipulates lives, and prioritizes some lives over others. It provides comfort, makes profits, justifies violence, and promises resolution to body-mind loss. Clare grapples with this knot of contradictions, maintaining that neither an anti-cure politics nor a pro-cure worldview can account for the messy, complex relationships we have with our body-minds.

The stories he tells range widely, stretching from disability stereotypes to weight loss surgery, gender transition to skin lightening creams. At each turn, Clare weaves race, disability, sexuality, class, and gender together, insisting on the nonnegotiable value of body-mind difference. Into this mix, he adds environmental politics, thinking about ecosystem loss and restoration as a way of delving more deeply into cure.

Ultimately Brilliant Imperfection reveals cure to be an ideology grounded in the twin notions of normal and natural, slippery and powerful, necessary and damaging all at the same time.

================================================

A short list of 8 non-fiction books featuring and/or discussing disability!

I don't highlight the non-fiction section of the archive enough, so I think this is a perfect opportunity.

A plain text version of this post exists here, featuring more detailed image descriptions of each book cover and easier-to-read versions of every summary.

Books on this list:

‘How to Live Free in a Dangerous World’- Lawson, Shayla

‘Being Seen’- Sjunneson, Elsa

‘Disability Pride’- Mattlin, Ben

‘Crip Kinship’- Kafai, Shayda

‘Sounds Like Home’- Wright, Mary Herring

‘The Right to Maim’- Puar, Jasbir K.

‘Uncomfortable Labels’- Dale, Laura Kate

'Brilliant Imperfections'- Clare, Eli

All of these books and more can be found on the Disability Book Archive.

Happy Disability Pride Month!

I fucking hate that the general response to RFK Jr's eugenist take on autistic people is "autistic people do pay taxes, autistic people do work, autistic people do date!"

Some autistic people don't and that shouldn't make them less worthy of life. Some autistic people do need constant help and support and that shouldn't make them less worthy of life.

Once again we're falling in the right wing trap of :

They make a hateful, fascist statement

Instead of focusing on the fact that it is hateful and fascist we try to show them that they are factually wrong

We throw our own allies and the most vulnerable of us under the bus in the process

We legitimise an only slightly less hateful, fascist view as we go

They have completed their goal of making us accept the still hateful, fascist second version, hurrah. What a victory.

Right now what we're getting to with that is that autistic people who can work and pay taxes are okay, and the others aren't. Fuck this shit.

Same thing happens with the people who are being deported ("they have a visa!", "they didn't even have a criminal record!" -> even if they didn't have a visa, even if they did have a criminal record, deporting them and detaining them in what's essentially a concentration camp wouldn't be okay, you absolute tools of fascism.)

Digital illustration of six people of different ages, ethnicities, genders, and abilities. There’s text that reads, “it is exhausting being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world”
Graphic with text that reads “are you experiencing autistic burnout?”  Below there are six icons depicting signs including, “It’s hard to complete tasks; you always feel tired; everyday feels overwhelming; it’s hard to m@sk in front of others; it’s hard to do self care; and struggling to speak or form sentences.”
Graphic with text that reads  “are you experiencing autistic burnout?”  Below there are six icons depicting signs including, “More clumsy or off balance; reduced memory; you feel down or flat; regular meltdowns + shutdowns, loss of interest of hobbies; and increased isolation.”
Graphic with text that reads “what causes autistic burnout?” and bullet points that read “masking autistic traits to fit into a neurotypical world; there is too much expected of you; consistent emotional or sensory overload; big life changes or transitions; not getting enough sleep, health care, or right nutrition; illness, including chronic illness; lack of boundaries; doing too much coupled with an inability to take breaks from stress”
 Graphic with text that reads, ‘how to recover from autistic burnout.” Below there are six icons with text, “Ask for help; rest; take time; allow yourself to stim; unmask; and spend time with a special interests”
Graphic with text that reads, ‘how to recover from autistic burnout.” Below there are six icons with text, “Reduce your load + take breaks; set healthy boundaries; create a routine; pay attention to your body; learn how to manage spoons; know the warning signs of burnout.”

Are you heading for a burnout without even realizing it? For neurodivergent folks, the warning signs of burnout may look different and be harder to recongize. 

Neurodivergent or not, we all need to understand our limits and boundaries. When you’re neurodivergent, you may not know you pushed yourself too far - until it’s too late!

Need help with some of the terms in this post?

😎 “Masking” or “Camouflaging": a coping strategy that many neurodivergent people use to suppress aspects of themselves to appear neurotypical. It’s important to note that social masking is a tool many neurospicy folks use to keep themselves safe, and usually starts in childhood. 🥄 “Spoons” refers to Spoon Theory, which is a metaphor describing the amount of physical or mental energy that a person has for daily activities and tasks. It is a helpful tool for disabled and neurodivergent folks to describe their energy. 👋 “Stim” short for "self-stimulation" is a term used to describe repetitive behaviors or movements that people may engage in to help cope with emotions. It may include rocking, flapping hands or twirling. 

If any of this resonates with you, try letting the “mask” slip a little! 

  • adarinas
    adarinas liked this · 3 weeks ago
  • intersectionalityfinal1
    intersectionalityfinal1 reblogged this · 3 weeks ago
  • darquingdragon
    darquingdragon reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • genowolfxalesis
    genowolfxalesis reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • asimpletailor
    asimpletailor liked this · 1 month ago
  • inkstainedcoffeeaddict
    inkstainedcoffeeaddict liked this · 2 months ago
  • hananmahmoud-0
    hananmahmoud-0 reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • alimpsonsnotdragonfable
    alimpsonsnotdragonfable reblogged this · 3 months ago
  • call-me-copycat
    call-me-copycat liked this · 3 months ago
  • blueberrypuffins
    blueberrypuffins liked this · 3 months ago
  • kearacoki18
    kearacoki18 liked this · 3 months ago
  • 1andresepulveda
    1andresepulveda liked this · 4 months ago
  • wispofthewill
    wispofthewill reblogged this · 4 months ago
  • shylockdidnothingwrong
    shylockdidnothingwrong liked this · 5 months ago
  • adhdfixationdumplol
    adhdfixationdumplol liked this · 5 months ago
  • alexthequeerqueer
    alexthequeerqueer liked this · 5 months ago
  • blueishstrz
    blueishstrz liked this · 5 months ago
  • dawnstarblaze
    dawnstarblaze liked this · 5 months ago
  • annajs3ta
    annajs3ta liked this · 6 months ago
  • 0088888888888888888888888888
    0088888888888888888888888888 liked this · 6 months ago
  • idk-man11
    idk-man11 liked this · 6 months ago
  • stardustnebsreblogs
    stardustnebsreblogs reblogged this · 6 months ago
  • stardustnebs
    stardustnebs liked this · 6 months ago
  • junaslagoon
    junaslagoon liked this · 6 months ago
  • chronicmedisorder-archive
    chronicmedisorder-archive liked this · 6 months ago
  • auspicious-introvert
    auspicious-introvert liked this · 7 months ago
  • momo-moonflower
    momo-moonflower reblogged this · 7 months ago
  • animeandvideogames99
    animeandvideogames99 reblogged this · 8 months ago
  • animeandvideogames99
    animeandvideogames99 liked this · 8 months ago
  • museemusee
    museemusee liked this · 8 months ago
  • jellohello600
    jellohello600 liked this · 8 months ago
  • gemderplantcat
    gemderplantcat liked this · 8 months ago
  • leviathanx000
    leviathanx000 liked this · 8 months ago
  • jeidai
    jeidai reblogged this · 9 months ago
  • maacottism
    maacottism liked this · 9 months ago
  • kencloverfoxes
    kencloverfoxes reblogged this · 9 months ago
  • kencloverfoxes
    kencloverfoxes liked this · 9 months ago
  • boytitpropaganda
    boytitpropaganda reblogged this · 9 months ago
  • kittenngrievous
    kittenngrievous liked this · 9 months ago
  • niminniie
    niminniie liked this · 9 months ago
  • adhd-orion
    adhd-orion reblogged this · 9 months ago
  • adhd-orion
    adhd-orion liked this · 9 months ago
  • cosmicsymphonysys
    cosmicsymphonysys reblogged this · 9 months ago
  • floralbookshelf
    floralbookshelf liked this · 9 months ago
  • aroaceblackhole
    aroaceblackhole reblogged this · 9 months ago
  • aroaceblackhole
    aroaceblackhole liked this · 9 months ago
  • calamity-crows
    calamity-crows liked this · 9 months ago
  • esoteric-apparition
    esoteric-apparition reblogged this · 9 months ago
  • toastking-is-a-transgender
    toastking-is-a-transgender reblogged this · 9 months ago
intersectionalityfinal1 - Disability History, Activism, and more
Disability History, Activism, and more

Hello, my name is Katie Lindsey and this blog is part of my Intersectionality & Identities College Course Final for Spring 2025

30 posts

Explore Tumblr Blog
Search Through Tumblr Tags