4/8/25 - Medicaid, pain, and Miss Manners
This week I am trying to share some interesting but less timely articles that have been hard to fit in because there have been so many more urgent things to read about lately.
Tell Your Legislators: Protect Medicaid!
Autistic Self Advocacy Network - April 4, 2025
"The Senate voted to pass the budget resolution on Saturday, April 5th. Now, the House has to vote on the budget resolution. The House is voting on the budget resolution this week ... This budget resolution will cut a lot of money from the government’s budget. It will cut money from government programs like Medicaid. Congress can not cut such a big amount of money from government spending without cutting Medicaid."
This is a more up to date and thorough guide to fighting against efforts in Congress to cut Medicaid. It's a long read. But the linked index at the top makes it easy to jump to the specific issues and advice you want to know about. It also includes detailed advice on each of the main ways individuals can let their Members of Congress know what Medicaid means to disabled Americans. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is very good at these kinds of easy to read and understand explainers and advocacy guides.
Living With Chronic Pain Can Ruin a Person’s Life. Here’s What I Wish I’d Known About Managing It.
Alice Wong, Teen Vogue - April 3, 2025
"I wish that I had found community when I was a young adult, but I likely wouldn’t have joined any available organizations or support groups. At the time I was filled with internalized ableism: a deep sense of shame and self-consciousness about being disabled. Even as a disability rights activist, it’s only been in the last few years that I’ve slowly started to identify as someone with chronic pain and a member of this community."
Alice Wong explores and explains the experience of chronic pain from several angles here. The one that I identified with the most is expressed in the quote above – how people with lifelong disabilities so often miss or forgo opportunities to find community and support from one another, because we tend to learn from an early age to dismiss and despise our conditions. This includes rejecting possible solutions, and the company of others like ourselves. This piece also provides a rather vivid description of chronic pain itself, and information on how recent political developments may make chronic pain even harder to deal with.
Miss Manners: I watched my host exploit disability accommodations at dinner
Judith Martin, Miss Manners - March 27, 2025
"I commented that I didn’t know her dog was a service animal, and she said he wasn’t, but that the restaurant is not allowed to ask for proof and that he was very well-behaved ... And no, a person with a service animal should not have to prove it constantly, but the practice should be trustworthy."
There seem to be two main questions here. How bad is it to misuse disability accommodations – especially and specifically policies that allow service animals in public accommodations? And how aggressive or publicly scolding should we be when we see someone violate disability accommodation rules? What do you think? Does Miss Manners get it right here? Comment below!
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