I remember one day when I was bored scrolling on Twitter (side note: I will die before I casually call the app “X”) and there was this suggested post and creator that popped up when I refreshed my feed. The contents were a Grindr message (Grindr is a gay dating/hookup app) to the post creator saying something along the lines of “I am *** up in the large stall near the Adidas store waiting.” Now, granted, as a first message to anyone on any app, that line is very inappropriate and borderline sexual harassment given the nature of Grindr; however, the reason why the creator posted it to begin with was to make fun of this person with a disability, quoting above the photo with a “lol” and having a second photo within the same post of the profile information of the person where they explicitly state that they are disabled and use a wheelchair.

It was heartwarming to see the comments of the post defend the profile, commenting how insensitive it is to write someone off sexually simply because of a disability. Comment after comment after comment defended this profile.

What the entire spectacle of a post did was trigger a dialogue within me; disabled people often get animalized or othered by society, making them unhuman. As is the case with the post, the disabled are deemed unsexy and incapable of sexual activity, scrutinized by an abled person for behavior that many others partake in. Being sexual is not confined to a binary or any other limiting factor, which the creator seemed to be trying to push, especially as he continued to defend his post in the replies.

In a way, it forces thought about the ground the foundation is built upon; if abled people are a majority and do what is best for them and decide what is best for them, then the accommodations that they make for disabled people are few and far between (and this isn’t even touching the number of people with invisible disabilities and neurodivergence). But how do we change the foundation so that it works with the predetermined ground?

In my mind, the answer comes down to education. How many disabled kids, kids with invisible disabilities and chronic illnesses, and kids with a form of neurodivergence are separated from abled kids and kids that are neurotypical as they progress through school and life? We don’t teach basic empathy and love in school, and so people see those different from them as Other.