As A Disabled Human, My iPhone is My Lifeline
Living in a disabled body. I am grateful for my phone.
This evening I read an article about someone’s minimalist phone setup. In the beginning I was nodding my head — you know, about the parts about being intentional and focusing your phone time on things which nourish you. But, as a person who lives in a disabled body, I found myself getting uncomfortable as the piece wore on and the author began (hopefully without intention) exhibiting ableist pride in their ability to hardly use their phone at all these days. I was profoundly unable about the way they patted themselves on the back for reading ‘real’ books and talking with people in ‘real’ life instead.
…
Don’t get me wrong — I get where they are coming from.
I wasn’t always living in a disabled body.
Once upon a time I was young and healthy and actively sought out ‘real’ life connections and social/volunteer activities…
But, just as all fairy tales only tell the beginning of a story, as my story entered the middle phases, I found things changing. These days I live in a body I still find foreign, disappointing, unsettling. For instance:
- Today I went to work at my ‘day job’ for 3 hours, came home, ate lunch, and passed out for a 2.5…
