From NADJA: For Complete Post, Click Here…
It might seem surprising to many that plastics have provided a measure of freedom for many disabled individuals. During the “great plastic straw debate” in the late 2010s, many disabled activists took to social media to raise awareness about how straws were essential to us being able to live independently.
The straw provides the ability to drink freely, especially for those with limited movement. To many in disabled communities, the straw bans represented another instance that left us asking that our basic human dignity be honored. They also provided a microcosm of how movements do not include the disabled perspective. Drinking with straws was posed as an evil to the environment to be avoided lest people try to shame you. But shame shouldn’t be an issue for a tool that can be the difference between being able or unable to drink at all. Often, disabled people are relegated to having a nondisabled person determine what we need.
At the end of the day, disabled people want the same kind of access as anybody else without having to constantly fight to have our humanity and needs recognized. That is true freedom.
In the meantime, we have our plastics.
