Why You Should Learn AUSLAN
When I was younger, I connected to writing and reading more than to speech. Despite loving to socialise, at times speaking was more tiring than rewarding. This sparked my desire to learn Auslan. It came from curiosity of how it would be to speak a language that was visual-spatial rather than verbal. Returning to UQ […]
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Disability Pride Month: Why Does It Matter?
This past July marked the 35th anniversary of the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and subsequent Disability Pride Month. During this month, the disability community celebrates Disabled identity and continues the fight against ableism (discrimination against Disabled people). This battle is increasingly crucial in a world of acute disability social welfare […]
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Autistic in an allistic world
I’m me, everything good and bad that comes with that. I’m autistic, that’s who I am, and I’m proud of that now. I won’t say I’ve always been proud; it’s been a hard journey to get to where I am, a lot of self-hatred and self-doubt, but now I’ve accepted that my autism has always […]
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Shocking: Another Guy Doesn’t Much Like the Metro
The Brisbane Metro has many things: a whimsical theme tune. A hefty price tag. A cooler cousin. What it does not have, I’ve personally discovered, is a reliably pleasant, accessible experience. In my younger and more innocent days upon the first rollout of the Metro last year, when I (an ambulatory wheelchair user) still had […]
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Medication
Dad pulled up at the front of the drop-off bay. He turned to look at me, expectant. I’m sure he said something like, ‘Good luck! Have fun!’, but it was little use to me. All I could think about was how I might puke at any second. Even something as trivial as moving my hand […]
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POEM: Sleepless Nights
i lie awake at night with my heart racing and with my brain catastrophising. i don’t know if it really counts as catastrophising though. how can it be if the waking nightmares i conjure aren’t far-fetched fantastical situations? everything i imagine is what i have been told by doctors could realistically be my future and […]
Continue ReadingPOEM: Sometimes it feels as if we born to STRUGGLE.
But I don’t know any ‘healthy’ person that wouldn’t BUCKLE, trying to JUGGLE the appointments, the MEDICATIONS, the societal EXPECTATIONS that we are forced to CONQUER. They say that our experiences make us STRONGER… but being queer, being disabled, being anything other than a rich white man is a death sentence. We are supposed to […]
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POEM: Everything Goes On
In a moment, your mind stops working. By the second, it tries to process things. Within minutes, you start denying— That’s when sadness and confusion begin to kick in. In hours, it feels like everything is falling from the sky. As days turn to nights, and weeks go by, You still suffer, but get used […]
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POEM: Bedtime Routine
1 2 3 4 5 six 7 Door closed, window closed, fan on. Check wardrobes to make sure nobody is inside. Close wardrobe doors. Check wardrobe doors are closed. Check again. Double check. Are you even trying? Check again. 1 2 3 4 5 six 7 Turn desk chair so it isn’t facing you. Check […]
Continue ReadingPOEM: Chronic
Written by Cass Hayward Views: 2812
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