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chordatesrockGuide to Writing Deaf or Hard of Hearing Characters by Devin on tumblr. (You can append /mobile to the end of any tumblr url for slightly-enlarged black-on-white text.)
chordatesrockPoetry Fishbowl Open!
Sep. 16th, 2014 01:36 pmysabetwordsmithToday I'm running a Poetry Fishbowl in the series P.I.E., which you can explore via that link. This is urban fantasy about a mobility-impaired private investigator who handles paranormal cases and her accident-prone cop boyfriend.
You may also want to browse recent discussions about disability in F&SF and the vocabulary of disability on my blogs.
Please drop by my Dreamwidth or LiveJournal to leave prompts for what you'd like to see me writing along the themes of urban fantasy, life with disabilities, or romance. You can watch those posts for thumbnails of poems available for sponsorship, and at least one will get posted for free as thanks for the prompts.
You may also want to browse recent discussions about disability in F&SF and the vocabulary of disability on my blogs.
Please drop by my Dreamwidth or LiveJournal to leave prompts for what you'd like to see me writing along the themes of urban fantasy, life with disabilities, or romance. You can watch those posts for thumbnails of poems available for sponsorship, and at least one will get posted for free as thanks for the prompts.
Upcoming Event: P.I.E. Poetry Session
Sep. 8th, 2014 05:28 pmysabetwordsmithBased on an audience poll, there will be a bonus fishbowl session in my series P.I.E. on Tuesday, September 16.
This series is urban fantasy about a wheelchair-riding private detective who handles the really weird cases, and her able-bodied but kind of accident-prone policeman boyfriend. When the fishbowl theme is something that doesn't get much attention, I try to spread the word to relevant audiences. So please tell any of your friends who are mobility-impaired or otherwise interested in this topic that it will be featured in a prompt call where they can come suggest things to be written. If you're new to P.I.E. then you can find links to all its published poems via the series page; several these were prompted by folks with limited mobility.
Got resources on this topic that you think are particularly good? Articles or other links are viable prompts. Just keep it below book length so I've got time to read it on fishbowl day.
This series is urban fantasy about a wheelchair-riding private detective who handles the really weird cases, and her able-bodied but kind of accident-prone policeman boyfriend. When the fishbowl theme is something that doesn't get much attention, I try to spread the word to relevant audiences. So please tell any of your friends who are mobility-impaired or otherwise interested in this topic that it will be featured in a prompt call where they can come suggest things to be written. If you're new to P.I.E. then you can find links to all its published poems via the series page; several these were prompted by folks with limited mobility.
Got resources on this topic that you think are particularly good? Articles or other links are viable prompts. Just keep it below book length so I've got time to read it on fishbowl day.
Partial Disability
Jun. 18th, 2013 02:38 pmysabetwordsmithI've been posting "No Winter Lasts Forever," a Winter Soldier fanfic that touches on limb loss and cognitive impairment among many other issues. One of my fans asked about resources for people who have sustained major trauma but not actually lost a limb. It turns out that I already have another character who fits this profile, Brenda Cochlain in P.I.E. She wrecked a kayak, and while she still has her legs, they no longer function well. She uses a wheelchair. "Living on the Edges" deals with one of the challenges particular to variable/partial mobility.
I had little luck trying to dig up good resources about the physical and psychological impact of mangled limbs or traumatic mobility loss. All I could find on permanent partial disability was insurance stuff. There's plenty on amputation, but it's not quite the same thing. I figure that issues of passing and imposter syndrome are likely, but those have only been written about in unrelated subject areas (i.e. race and academia).
Does anyone have more specific resources on the experience of people coping with major but not severing injuries to the legs or arms? Personal perspectives are welcome along with actual articles. Realizing that there's a big information gap tends to make me want to throw things into it, and I'd like to do justice to the topic.
I had little luck trying to dig up good resources about the physical and psychological impact of mangled limbs or traumatic mobility loss. All I could find on permanent partial disability was insurance stuff. There's plenty on amputation, but it's not quite the same thing. I figure that issues of passing and imposter syndrome are likely, but those have only been written about in unrelated subject areas (i.e. race and academia).
Does anyone have more specific resources on the experience of people coping with major but not severing injuries to the legs or arms? Personal perspectives are welcome along with actual articles. Realizing that there's a big information gap tends to make me want to throw things into it, and I'd like to do justice to the topic.
Living with rheumatoid arthritis
Mar. 20th, 2013 10:29 amstormsdotterHi, I'm stormsdotter and I have rheumatoid arthritis. (Why does this sound like an AA speech?)
I was diagnosed about two years ago. The diagnosis was tricky because I had a high RH factor, but I also camp in lyme-tick-populated areas and I was having digestive trouble, so we weren't sure if I also had celiac's. It turns out that RA in an autoimmune disorder, and people with these disorders often have other auto immune problems, like being lactose and gluten intolerant. (I have both of those too.)
So, what's RA like? If you've had your wisdom teeth out, you know how much fun that is. Now imagine that level of pain. In every joint. In your entire body.
This disease sucks. And it gets worse! Some medications can treat RA, but flare-ups still occur. For absolutely no apparent reason, a random group of joints will hurt one day and be fine the next. I tend to have flare-ups in my hands and lower back, but I know people who have hip, knee and foot problems.
My mom's a nurse, and many of her patients have RA. One of the jokes in her nursing home is, "I'd like to do ____, if Arthur lets me." (Arthur = RA.)
I'm "one of the lucky ones." I'm on Doxycycline, which is primarily used to treat malaria. It helps keep the pain to a manageable level so I'm not constantly taking steroids. The other thing that helps is daily exercise to keep the blood flowing and my joints moving. I go to the gym every morning before work. After I get home, I do an aerobic workout with my Wii. On the weekends I do a longer workout. This is what it takes for me to get close to having a normal life. I've lost a lot of weight and I look great, but my 'motivation' takes a lot of the joy out of these accomplishments.
stormsdotter and I have rheumatoid arthritis. (Why does this sound like an AA speech?)I was diagnosed about two years ago. The diagnosis was tricky because I had a high RH factor, but I also camp in lyme-tick-populated areas and I was having digestive trouble, so we weren't sure if I also had celiac's. It turns out that RA in an autoimmune disorder, and people with these disorders often have other auto immune problems, like being lactose and gluten intolerant. (I have both of those too.)
So, what's RA like? If you've had your wisdom teeth out, you know how much fun that is. Now imagine that level of pain. In every joint. In your entire body.
This disease sucks. And it gets worse! Some medications can treat RA, but flare-ups still occur. For absolutely no apparent reason, a random group of joints will hurt one day and be fine the next. I tend to have flare-ups in my hands and lower back, but I know people who have hip, knee and foot problems.
My mom's a nurse, and many of her patients have RA. One of the jokes in her nursing home is, "I'd like to do ____, if Arthur lets me." (Arthur = RA.)
I'm "one of the lucky ones." I'm on Doxycycline, which is primarily used to treat malaria. It helps keep the pain to a manageable level so I'm not constantly taking steroids. The other thing that helps is daily exercise to keep the blood flowing and my joints moving. I go to the gym every morning before work. After I get home, I do an aerobic workout with my Wii. On the weekends I do a longer workout. This is what it takes for me to get close to having a normal life. I've lost a lot of weight and I look great, but my 'motivation' takes a lot of the joy out of these accomplishments.
chordatesrockThe tumblr Fuck Yeah, Character Development has put together a list of disabled people willing to answer questions.
( disabilities represented in the list )
( disabilities represented in the list )
