"Stand! Yell! Fight! Disabilities Unite!"

[gorgeouswreck]

Fight for 1. Fight for all. Fight for Equality. Fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

I am in the baby, beginning stages of what I believe/hope to be a huge cause for those of us with disabilities. Not only ADD/ADHD, but for all disorders, diseases, syndromes, mental and chronic illnesses and learning disabilities.

My name is Kristen and I live in Western Washington. Since I can remember I was always doing something to promote awareness and advocacy for not only myself, but for all who need it. I’ve been sick since age 1. With a lot of other things, but also includes pretty bad ADHD. I have been recently working for Nordstrom Corporate, and as much as they like to toot their own horn on how good they are to their employees and if you have disabilities, they will go above and beyond to make sure your doctors accommodations for you in the work place are met. HA!! I was in training and I ran behind due to writing too many notes and I read slower than one might if they had a fully functioning mental capacity.

After over a MONTH of back and forth emails and calls with HR, my doctor and I, I was told today that my accommodations requests weren’t “real accommodations” even though it was from ADHD EXPERTS. They also finally thought it was time to tell me that the last class of this season had already started so I would have to wait and start in Spring, IF they don’t end up terminating me first. I’m supposed to be planning a wedding and I have more chronic illnesses which make it nearly impossible to work out of the home. I was a work at home agent. I told my HR, right then and there, making sure she understood the severity of this situation on my life. That this is my last shot to even having a “decent” paying job let alone a job I can do at home. She pretty much scoffed and didn’t care.

After I cried my eyes out last night, I woke up and knew I needed to make a change. Which has lead me to writing this. I will be making my own cause to advocate for those like me & us. If you have a story similar to mine, or any stories about how having disabilities has affected you and your loved ones lives, please inbox me on here and we can talk further. I’m working on getting a hold of government officials, working with punk bands around the country and reaching out to the whole disability community to Stand, Yell and UNITE to fight the stigma and the bias against the disabled. My dad has a local Zine he just brought back into publication as well and I’ll be starting a Facebook Page here in this next week.

So please, everyone! If you want to see any changes be made and want to finally be treated seriously and like human beings, join me and many others! We are also addressing (RELENTLESSLY) the law which G.W. put in place, that you have to be at a company a YEAR before you can even ask for ADA Protection. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one out there who cannot make it a year without the protection we deserve.

So! If you’d like to share and be a part of this awesome cause I’m spearheading, feel free to inbox me here with your info (whether you want it public or hidden) and your story to share with the nation. Show them all we matter just as much as everyone else, hell, even more so. We are more resilient and creative and loving that most of those up on their pedestals.

My Facebook is:https://www.facebook.com/kristenloeh

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[shutterbug55]

I think you are on the right track. I also think you are going to be fighting an uphill battle.

ADD ADHD AS Dyslexia, Bi Polar Disorder, and all the rest of the mental disorders out there are lumped into the “Mental Disease” label.

The world is not a nice place for those of us with a mental disease. That’s a fact. There is a stigma associated with mental disease. That stigma has been around, since there was a recorded history. There is a lot of inertia to overcome. I would pull the playbook the LBGT community used to gain rights in the US.

This would have to be adapted, because unlike the LBGT community, we need medications, mental health care, and other occupational therapy, as well as accommodations in the workplace. We have all the needs for legitimacy the LBGT community were fighting for, the medical/mental health care needs other disabled groups get under the ADA, we have to overcome the stigma of mental illness, and as if that wasn’t enough, we have to overcome the mountains of misinformation out there that is published by “knowlegeable” people.

I am not saying it can’t be done, but I think you should get yourself prepared for a fight.

I have a couple ideas on PSA’s you can run. 30 sec spot simulating the ADD experience to get people talking about those REALLY annoying commercials. I think you said you lived in the Seattle area. It might be the best place to start with all of that stuff.

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[Shadow Nexus]

http://totallyaddconnect.com/forums/topic/petition-to-adhd-housing-sound-proof-usa/

You might want to read this.

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