TBC 2014: workshop 1 (panel discussion on disability)

[belenen]

The first panel I went to was a discussion of disability. I think the most surprising thing I took from that discussion was a feeling of affirmation/solidarity about my ADD-PI. I didn't really think of it as a disability because I am relatively privileged and only recently diagnosed but when the person on the panel with a similar disability

Comments

[tralfamadore]

Side note: the worst thing is when I ask someone to repeat what they said and they say it exactly as quietly or quickly as they did the first time, or they edit what they said. I want people to say it again, a little louder and clearer, and NOT CHANGE IT because otherwise I either have to ask again, or I feel left out and fixated on the thing I missed.

Yes, yes, yes. As someone who is hard of hearing, this gets me so badly. Though unfortunately, it seems most common that the person will just say, "Never mind," and refuse to repeat the remark at all. I've had so many people tell me that it wasn't that important in the first place, or that it doesn't matter anyway. Practically nothing gets under my skin as badly as that does. Even if you think the statement wasn't all that important, it takes less time to simply repeat it more clearly than to argue about why you're not going to, and make me feel stupid and isolated in the process.

I've also had a lot of people tell me that they can't speak any louder, when I know this isn't the case. There's nothing that actually physically impedes them from doing so. While I understand that some people's shyness makes them hesitant to speak up, I can't even say how frustrating it is to me when people just shrug and say they're a quiet talker and there's nothing to be done about it.