"A lot of disabled people do their best". Fun fact, my friend who lives in a building with a lot of disabled folks in it said that when they changed their waste disposal system from being outside to being on every level, their recycling skyrocketed from the nearly zero percent it was before.
I remember getting shamed even by caretakers for buying pre cut fruit. Now thanks to gastroparesis from EDS I can't eat solids anymore and rely on liquid food. These bottles I get from my oharmacy and the have straws. Amd guess, I still get shamed.. for fighting malnourishment. One day I snapped and said "I know if I'd die it would be best, right?" Like I what's next? Guilty for IV drips? I'm mostly homebound, so heck my emissions are pretty low, the irony. I got me a reusable straw but couldn't get it clean, neither my caretakers and trashed it. They want to ban them in my country, too. If they'll do I will stuck up my straw supply for my drinks from amazon. Ah yes another thing we disabled get shamed for. Ordering stuff online. Thank you for the vid! Had no idea straws were once seen as medical equiptment, makes sense. The ableds should stop useing them. They ruin everything
i was in a red lobster just yesterday, and they had a sign up front stating how they ~proudly~ don't carry plastic straws. my disability doesn't require that i use plastic straws, but i was still really taken aback at how blatant this kind of shit has become. not to mention that it doesn't matter how much the average person recycles or buys biodegradable products as long as the companies in charge of the most co2 output and other environmental can still go about their business unscathed. not only are these plastic straw bans ableist and stupid, but they're also just another tactic meant to put the onus of climate change on the everyday person instead of where it really belongs.
At least they warned their customers. I got food at a concession stand recently and only learned they don't carry straws AFTER i received the food. I told the clerk that they should tell customers ahead of time that they don't give out straws because some people need them (and I wouldn't have ordered a drink there if I knew). The clerk rolled her eyes and the manager made me feel like a huge Karen over it. I was so embarrassed and frustrated I didn't bother getting a refund for the drink I couldn't use
The woman killed by a metal straw was in my town, so tragic. Still I have to battle to have my straw needs taken seriously even with the well publicized case so locally. (I have eds and pots among over conditions)
I can hardly believe that we are at this point in society. Where people think they can tell others how to drink or eat and what utensils they are allowed to use. Trust me, normal people do not waste their time worrying about "plastic straws". For God's sake, people need to get a life and worry about real problems. But like you said, it's ableism.
people need to worry less about plastic straws and worry about all the other plastic out there. bottle caps, water bottles, fishing nets( maybe not plastic but still) plastic bags etc etc etc. Speaking of turtles they're far more in danger from plastic bags than straws. Plastic bags look alot like jellyfish.
SEA NETS are the actual problem with our environment. Not straws! I love this so so so much. Keep on preaching girl and being a voice for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Love your channel. ❤️ 🦓
Gavin Northern - I just watched the whole video looking out for that cause I saw your comment, and there’s no swearing at all. You should be able to share it with your class!!
Tesco in my country have stopped using plastic bags when delivering groceries to your home. Meaning, they give you all your groceries loose at the front door. Another example of a company attempting to be environmentally friendly and forgetting that disabled people exist :(
It reminds of the "take back the stairs" day or something like that where they turn off the elevators to encourage more people to take the stairs! Forgetting disabled people exist!
@@gemmal2271 The university I work at has posters all over of "it costs the university a dime per elevator ride" to shame people into taking the stairs. Like, yea, but unless you're planning on not letting people get to their workplace/learning place. They wouldn't build the building without stairs, and those cost more money to clean than running the elevators. Also, while we're at it, we know people don't need vision to learn because blind people exist, so they could cut electricity bills by not having lights /s.
I'm glad to see someone talking about this. I'm autistic and have sensory issues, so reusable straws are very difficult to use because of their textures. I also get intrusive thoughts about these straws, especially metal ones, and get worried they might hurt my mouth. Plastic straws are necessary, and disabled people are not the ones harming the planet, but rather big corporations.
They now charge for plastic carrier bags in supermarkets / grocery stores / shops etc here in the U.K. & have for quite some years. As someone who, when I was able bodied, worked in retail, I *literally* can’t tell you how wasteful people were with plastic bags. It’s definitely cut down on the usage of them. Where I live, we’re very good in recycling (I became aware that this wasn’t the case all over the country a few years ago). We have a household waste bin, a recycling bin & a normal rubbish bin. I recycle so much I had to ask for a second bin. Tin cans, my medicine glass & plastic bottles, medicine packets, dog & cat food boxes..everything you can think of that IS recyclable, gets recycled; but you hit a nerve when you said those of us disabled feel guilty. I do.. because I use plastic straws..& I use plastic water bottles (recyclable - but I still have guilt). I’ve found a shop that sells packs of 200 plastic bendy straws. I had to go without for nearly 2 months while I searched high & low locally, & I spent money I didn’t have on reusable ones that both my disabled mother & I found incredibly difficult to use (metal, bamboo & silicone; if anyone was interested). The metal ones were not temperature safe, I drink cold drinks, my mother drinks typical British hot cups of tea - she found herself burning her poor mouth (she doesn’t have teeth & doesn’t like wearing them, she’s 73 & lost them due to an accident a few years ago). I kept bashing my incredibly oversensitive teeth with them & eventually we moved on to bamboo. Although a little safer temperature wise, we started to notice a reoccurring pattern that you really had to ‘suck’ hard to get anything out of them - & in a normal sized tumbler / glass or cup, they were simply too tall even at their shortest length (& a b**ch to clean.. slumped over a sink in pain trying to scrub them out wasn’t my idea of fun). Silicone straws..they were like drinking out of those tubes attached to Bunsen burners at school. They’d often flop around, slopping my mothers hot tea out of her cup, & these were the worst culprits for trying to drink anything out of. My jaw (which often subluxes & locks due to EDS) was incredibly painful after trying to use one & I just felt exasperated. When I found the packs of plastic straws I could’ve cried..& yes, I stocked up - for my mother, for myself, & I have a disabled friend who’s just a few years older than me (mid 30’s) who also lost her teeth due to seizure medication. She was also having a hard time with reusable straws & I sent her some. To me, the entire point of being environmentally friendly is to do your best. If we all just changed 1 thing in our lives to the best of our ability; stopped using plastic bags & used reusable (as an example), tried to recycle more.. as a world we would see the difference. It makes my heart so sad that those of us who genuinely need certain things (such as plastic straws) get isolated from society because we ‘aren’t conforming’. It goes so much further than that but people don’t want to listen & learn. Beautifully articulate video as always. Your videos are the only thing in my life that make me feel accepting of my conditions, those around me often see & treat me as a functioning, able bodied individual & the past 12 months have become increasingly difficult in almost keeping up that ‘pretence’ in fear of letting others down. I’m utterly exhausted now. Thank you for validating things. I’m just waffling now. Take care of you. x
Thank you! Someone tried doxxing me because my past of being a disabled sex worker and did so because I stood against them on this issue! They couldn't handle that they were being ableist. Thank you so much!!!
It is so nice to hear from you. I do like this video and I myself am disabled. I am part of a disability organization called DRAC Disabled Rights Action Committee in Salt Lake City Utah and I am part of the Green Party of Utah GPUT. I believe there are many different forms of "Responsibility" on many different levels. There is the: Personal Responsibility. What do I mean by this? What I mean is if a person doesn't need a straw they should leave one for someone who needs it. When ordering a drink if you don't need a straw then tell the waitstaff you Don't Need a Straw. If you need one you should ask and Not be Denied. This is the first step in educating places of business to understanding how important it is not to gate keep and ask 20 questions to make a determination whether you will deny someone or let them have one. Two: Restaurants need to offer the option to allow people who do have their own reusable tumbler and straw to get Re-Fills and not tell you that it is a risk to re fill your own cup. The other thing is that when a restaurants are done with a straw they Do NOT Throw them in the Trash. They take the effort to place them in a bin where they can be recycled properly this takes care of that hole that all of the straws fall through. This will keep the straws out of the land fields and protect the environment as well but at the same time give ACCESS to PWD. Three: On a Municipal level there is a grate deal that needs to be done. On a State, City and Nationwide level where there can be safe laws that will allow Disabled People to have the full access needed not what others "Think" we need but what we as disabled people need and what we see we need. If a business is not willing to properly despise of their straws they should get fines because they should take that responsibility but they should NOT Gate Keep. Making it so people who do chose to bring their own cup and straw should be able to refill it for a cheaper price and not be limited on what can be a refill or not. These places need to have Proper Cleaning Stations for anyone who has their own cup and straw where there will be able to clean it with safe and well maintained tools to do the job and if someone needs help cleaning and refilling their own cup and straw there will be an employee that can do this for a PWD. Keeping their drink equipment clean at all times will help from spread of Disease. Changing how the Garbage Dumps operate and how they need to operate would help with more environmental issues than the straws. Putting things in place like the reusable To-Go-Box called Green Box where restaurants could offer a reusable option and put fines on the places that use "Styrofoam" for to-go-boxes. If these places could offer a option that would allow you to take something to go where you would eat it like you would of anyway but all you do is rinse it out and return it to a box through the city where someone would come by on a bike and pick them back up and take them to a professional kitchen where they are washed, maintained and delivered back to the restaurants that need them. There needs to be a good balance between Accessibility, Education and Research on better and safer ways to improve straws and other ADA Aids etc. Accessibility comes in many different forms. Thank You for your videos and please keep making more of them and I do love them. There is a Green Party candidate that is trying to run for office for President and I am personally talking with him and his staff to Inform them of how important straws and different ADA Issues are to inform Howie Hawkins of how this effects People With Disabilities and not only in this issue but many others.
Wonderful video, I do not need plastic straws, however, because of my disabilities there is no guarantee that I will never need them, I have epilepsy which means if I fall badly and/or have a particularly nasty seizure my life could change a lot, I also have Dyspraxcia quite badly which means I am more prone to falling than a lot of people.
Thank you for this very informative video also. My disability isn't affected by this, but I know what it's like to be stigmatized. For example, others that share my disability are suing Netflix right now for posting a movie that mocks us and tries to discredit us, gaslight us and call us crazy, so I know what it's like. I hadn't understood until now, after hearing about this issue, why a biodegradable alternative couldn't be used (like the biodegradable plastic forks and spoons made from potato starch and stuff), but now I do. I hope someone comes up with a better alternative soon, or that we get plastic eating microbes and fungi in action, not only for plastic straws, but a LOT of plastic waste. I"m sitting here right now about to inject 60 CCs of ozone into my ear with a big plastic disposable syringe that no one would question, yet produces more waste than a straw. I re-use them for a week though and am saving them and going to research and see if there's a way to recycle them somewhere somehow. Anyway, thanks again; I love your videos.
Just watched this. Thank you so so much for making this video and educating me. You covered your bases very well!! I've been wanting to do better with learning about the disabled community and you speaking out about this is definitely making a different. Sending love!
Thank you for this info, I appreciate it! I think we are all in a rush to cancel single use plastics, but your vid helped me understand why this is problematic for some differently abled persons. I see this as an opportunity for innovators to create a reasonable alternative which should be accessible for all. In the meantime, the standard plastic straws should be absolutely made available and readily accessible to those who need them. Thank you!! 🥰
I just think that if you are able to use a re-usable straw, then use one. If you can’t, then use a plastic one. If you are able to not use a straw all-together, then don’t. I think that of all the issues we need to deal with, and the amount of plastic that goes into the ocean because of straws is so minimal, we should be focusing on reducing things that are easier to deal with. Like reusable bags, mugs, cups, clothing, shoes, and day to day items. Remember, the first word is reduce not reuse.
Like Jessica said in one of her videos, until there's a perfect alternative that can cheaply and safely replace ALL plastic straws, we NEED to make plastic ones available.
My cousin often uses a plastic bendy straw - she has cerebral palsy and a sudden arm spasm while holding a hot cup of coffee can be disastrous. Reusable straws... because *everyone* has an autoclave, right? 4:57 the binary thinking in the posts is astounding! Apparently you're either independent and perfectly capable of doing *everything* or you're incapable of doing something and therefore have a live-in caregiver; no room for those who can function independently, or mostly independently, given the right tools for the job. Santa Barbara: if you're disabled, be prepared to pay US$1000 and have some jail time... because we *care* The way I figure it, the problem is not with the straw, it's with the disposal. Pretty much all plastics are recyclable in some way (some more easily/efficiently/cheaply than others) but recycling systems are often only interested in certain categories of plastic typically used in disposable plastic drink bottles (PET etc). Single-use plastic straws are typically made out of food-grade polypropylene - which is *easily* recycled and re-used in non-food grade items (from polypropylene clothing to polypropylene toilet seats etc) - so *Why T F* are they not ensuring that there's a recycling program for the plastic bendy straws like they recycle food-grade PET into "polar-fleece" garments and other plastic items? I've got camping garments that came with labels telling me *how many* plastic bottles on average were used in the manufacture of the garment, why not apply the same sensibilities to disposable polypropylene items like straws? End of problem: plastic bendy straws still used for their medical purposes *and* their disposal becomes part of sustainably using and reusing petroleum-based plastics. Why is this so hard for people to think of? Step 1: reduce use - alternatives for people who can use them (i.e. are not allergic to the components), plastic (polypropylene) straws only for those who actually need them. Step 2: recycle what's used... I want polypropylene thermal wear with a "made from 90% recycled plastic straws" tag. Hell, I want "these plastic straws are already disposed of while *your* biodegradeable straw is still slowly composting" written on the front!
I think it should be something that should not been given at a restaurant, but available if asked for. I personally like paper and my metal straw, but I know they don't work for everyone.
why is it so difficult for people to understand that by banning plastic straws you are doing pretty much nothing positive? you are only harming people that actually need those straws. plastic from the straws is such a tiny percentage of all plastic waste produced. those people only care about the straws because they saw that video of the turtle with a straw in its nose and now want to look like they care about the environment and are doing good, without really stopping to think about what they are actually doing or trying to do. if those people truly cared about the environment, they would be much louder about banning or reducing the plastic packaging on products since that's one of the major sources of plastic waste. it's great to reduce your plastic usage by any means possible and if you are able to use the alternatives to plastic straws, that's great by all means go ahead and do it, but don't come after people that are still using them! you don't know if they are required to use that plastic straw by any condition(s) they have. just leave them alone and let them have their drink in peace.
I had a paper straw when I went to drink a drink at McDonald's omg it was the worse the paper wasted away in the water and turned soggy I was lucky I managed to drink the rest by hand! I cant imagine what people with other disabilities must go throw with those retched things!
This video was great. Thank you. Its so sad that the general public cares more about one sad turtle on UA-cam than all the disabled people & caregivers who are impacted by this legislative virtue signaling
I've also noticed a rediculous restaurant habit of trying to increase plastic straw use. When I, as an abled bodied person who does not typically need a plastic straw, say I don't want a straw, I get weird looks or even the comment, but you should use a staw. It's why I really like when restaurants have easy accessible straws that anyone can ask for, no need to 'prove' you have a disability and therefore need one, but they are not just handed out freely. If you don't need or want one, you don't get one, if you need one because of disability, or another reason, you can easily get a straw. We need to make it as a society normal to use straws, and normal if you don't want one.
I mean if disabled people can't wash their own straws then how can they wash anything else? should they just use paper plates and utensils and napkins constantly? I figure someone can't do their own dishes they should have access to care where someone can do that for them and if that's not currently the case no one should judge what they do but saying "oh this person just can't do dishes" is not a long-term solution
You’re right in that one “SHOULD” have access to a caretaker but the truth is that a majority of people who need that type of assistance, don’t get it and just have to make due. That’s the reality. And yes, they tend to also need to use disposable dishes and cutlery, there isn’t really another option for them. Disposable tools are an accessibility issue, BECAUSE assistance is not always accessible.
I have EDS , mast cells and autism. Im aware that many alternative are not working for everyone. But you dont need to please EVERYONE. I cant use metal, glass, bamboo or any stiff straws because i need it to bend. and i dont like the texture anyway. I know that paper straws dissolve and are a choking hasard. and they taste funky. That is why i chose a silicone straw. and its way easier to clean that people may think. if you are able to clean baby bottles or your dishes, you can clean your straw. It WILL not work for everyone, but if as many people as possible could try to find something that work for themselves and stop focusing on something that could work for everyone, this debate could stop quite quickly. nobody will be happy anyway, you ban single use plastic, some people will argue that its essential for them. you dont ban it, some people will say that its a nuisance for the environement.its a lose lose situation and nobody will be happy with the result, that is the description of a compromise. so to that i say, if you can use a straw alternative, try to do so as much as possible. if you are not able to use an alternative, dont feel bad, at least you tried. we need to stop judging every one else actions and focuse on way more importent things then plastic straws...
Hey I was wondering what movies do u think portray disability positively maybe not with disabled actors but I mean like in a positive way not like me before you
VSCO girls quaking in the comments 😂 nobody talks about this. It could be possible to get a prescription for them if they are considered medical products, no body shames diabetics using injections. I use disposable heating pads (reusable ones are difficult for me at the moment for personal reasons). I hate this ableism “ban straws to save fish” like bruh if u want to save fish don’t eat fish 😂😂
We should ban all plastic straws and also other medical equipment like disposable gloves face masks syringes IV bags... also we should definitely ban medication that you have to pop out of a blister packet. Cos plastic.
3:02 ...a *famous* personal friend of yours, if you ask me. 4:12 Oh? 6:30 Stop shouting! :-) 6:48 Absolutely ridiculous! 14:04 We do not have to shame people - period.
Thats why they have paper and meatl straws now doesnt that change that(also ive seen bent metal straws) also i drink with paper straws you just bend them jawns too its not that hard
Not a allergie risk Able to be heated Same texture and feel of normal plastic straws Bendable like classic plastic straws Biodegradable and still just as strong
Not manny of us are able to ask for one if we’re about to pass out. Someone who is with us may be able to see the signs and go up and try to get someone’s attention but having them readily available is much faster and much less stigmatizing.
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"A lot of disabled people do their best". Fun fact, my friend who lives in a building with a lot of disabled folks in it said that when they changed their waste disposal system from being outside to being on every level, their recycling skyrocketed from the nearly zero percent it was before.
I can’t even think of a single disabled person I know (and I know a LOT) who has only one disability.
I remember getting shamed even by caretakers for buying pre cut fruit. Now thanks to gastroparesis from EDS I can't eat solids anymore and rely on liquid food. These bottles I get from my oharmacy and the have straws. Amd guess, I still get shamed.. for fighting malnourishment.
One day I snapped and said "I know if I'd die it would be best, right?"
Like I what's next? Guilty for IV drips?
I'm mostly homebound, so heck my emissions are pretty low, the irony. I got me a reusable straw but couldn't get it clean, neither my caretakers and trashed it.
They want to ban them in my country, too. If they'll do I will stuck up my straw supply for my drinks from amazon. Ah yes another thing we disabled get shamed for. Ordering stuff online.
Thank you for the vid! Had no idea straws were once seen as medical equiptment, makes sense.
The ableds should stop useing them. They ruin everything
I’m so sorry
Fun Fact: metal straws can also be an allergy risk! It's extremely rare but some people are allergic to metal.
i was in a red lobster just yesterday, and they had a sign up front stating how they ~proudly~ don't carry plastic straws. my disability doesn't require that i use plastic straws, but i was still really taken aback at how blatant this kind of shit has become. not to mention that it doesn't matter how much the average person recycles or buys biodegradable products as long as the companies in charge of the most co2 output and other environmental can still go about their business unscathed. not only are these plastic straw bans ableist and stupid, but they're also just another tactic meant to put the onus of climate change on the everyday person instead of where it really belongs.
At least they warned their customers. I got food at a concession stand recently and only learned they don't carry straws AFTER i received the food. I told the clerk that they should tell customers ahead of time that they don't give out straws because some people need them (and I wouldn't have ordered a drink there if I knew). The clerk rolled her eyes and the manager made me feel like a huge Karen over it. I was so embarrassed and frustrated I didn't bother getting a refund for the drink I couldn't use
The woman killed by a metal straw was in my town, so tragic.
Still I have to battle to have my straw needs taken seriously even with the well publicized case so locally. (I have eds and pots among over conditions)
I can hardly believe that we are at this point in society. Where people think they can tell others how to drink or eat and what utensils they are allowed to use. Trust me, normal people do not waste their time worrying about "plastic straws". For God's sake, people need to get a life and worry about real problems. But like you said, it's ableism.
people need to worry less about plastic straws and worry about all the other plastic out there. bottle caps, water bottles, fishing nets( maybe not plastic but still) plastic bags etc etc etc. Speaking of turtles they're far more in danger from plastic bags than straws. Plastic bags look alot like jellyfish.
SEA NETS are the actual problem with our environment. Not straws! I love this so so so much. Keep on preaching girl and being a voice for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Love your channel. ❤️ 🦓
Did she swear at all bc low-key I wanna use this in class
Gavin Northern I didn't catch any, but maybe watch it again?
Gavin Northern - I just watched the whole video looking out for that cause I saw your comment, and there’s no swearing at all. You should be able to share it with your class!!
Haha! 😂 Nope, no swearing 💕
Tesco in my country have stopped using plastic bags when delivering groceries to your home. Meaning, they give you all your groceries loose at the front door. Another example of a company attempting to be environmentally friendly and forgetting that disabled people exist :(
It reminds of the "take back the stairs" day or something like that where they turn off the elevators to encourage more people to take the stairs! Forgetting disabled people exist!
@@gemmal2271 The university I work at has posters all over of "it costs the university a dime per elevator ride" to shame people into taking the stairs. Like, yea, but unless you're planning on not letting people get to their workplace/learning place. They wouldn't build the building without stairs, and those cost more money to clean than running the elevators. Also, while we're at it, we know people don't need vision to learn because blind people exist, so they could cut electricity bills by not having lights /s.
I'm glad to see someone talking about this. I'm autistic and have sensory issues, so reusable straws are very difficult to use because of their textures. I also get intrusive thoughts about these straws, especially metal ones, and get worried they might hurt my mouth. Plastic straws are necessary, and disabled people are not the ones harming the planet, but rather big corporations.
They now charge for plastic carrier bags in supermarkets / grocery stores / shops etc here in the U.K. & have for quite some years. As someone who, when I was able bodied, worked in retail, I *literally* can’t tell you how wasteful people were with plastic bags. It’s definitely cut down on the usage of them.
Where I live, we’re very good in recycling (I became aware that this wasn’t the case all over the country a few years ago). We have a household waste bin, a recycling bin & a normal rubbish bin. I recycle so much I had to ask for a second bin. Tin cans, my medicine glass & plastic bottles, medicine packets, dog & cat food boxes..everything you can think of that IS recyclable, gets recycled; but you hit a nerve when you said those of us disabled feel guilty. I do.. because I use plastic straws..& I use plastic water bottles (recyclable - but I still have guilt).
I’ve found a shop that sells packs of 200 plastic bendy straws. I had to go without for nearly 2 months while I searched high & low locally, & I spent money I didn’t have on reusable ones that both my disabled mother & I found incredibly difficult to use (metal, bamboo & silicone; if anyone was interested). The metal ones were not temperature safe, I drink cold drinks, my mother drinks typical British hot cups of tea - she found herself burning her poor mouth (she doesn’t have teeth & doesn’t like wearing them, she’s 73 & lost them due to an accident a few years ago). I kept bashing my incredibly oversensitive teeth with them & eventually we moved on to bamboo. Although a little safer temperature wise, we started to notice a reoccurring pattern that you really had to ‘suck’ hard to get anything out of them - & in a normal sized tumbler / glass or cup, they were simply too tall even at their shortest length (& a b**ch to clean.. slumped over a sink in pain trying to scrub them out wasn’t my idea of fun).
Silicone straws..they were like drinking out of those tubes attached to Bunsen burners at school. They’d often flop around, slopping my mothers hot tea out of her cup, & these were the worst culprits for trying to drink anything out of. My jaw (which often subluxes & locks due to EDS) was incredibly painful after trying to use one & I just felt exasperated.
When I found the packs of plastic straws I could’ve cried..& yes, I stocked up - for my mother, for myself, & I have a disabled friend who’s just a few years older than me (mid 30’s) who also lost her teeth due to seizure medication. She was also having a hard time with reusable straws & I sent her some.
To me, the entire point of being environmentally friendly is to do your best. If we all just changed 1 thing in our lives to the best of our ability; stopped using plastic bags & used reusable (as an example), tried to recycle more.. as a world we would see the difference. It makes my heart so sad that those of us who genuinely need certain things (such as plastic straws) get isolated from society because we ‘aren’t conforming’. It goes so much further than that but people don’t want to listen & learn.
Beautifully articulate video as always. Your videos are the only thing in my life that make me feel accepting of my conditions, those around me often see & treat me as a functioning, able bodied individual & the past 12 months have become increasingly difficult in almost keeping up that ‘pretence’ in fear of letting others down. I’m utterly exhausted now.
Thank you for validating things. I’m just waffling now.
Take care of you. x
Until you fix it don't take it away from people.
i love this quote
They will 100% illegal in Europe in 2021, and I'm really scared because I didn't saw any exceptions for disabled people.
Thank you! Someone tried doxxing me because my past of being a disabled sex worker and did so because I stood against them on this issue! They couldn't handle that they were being ableist. Thank you so much!!!
It is so nice to hear from you. I do like this video and I myself am disabled. I am part of a disability organization called DRAC Disabled Rights Action Committee in Salt Lake City Utah and I am part of the Green Party of Utah GPUT. I believe there are many different forms of "Responsibility" on many different levels. There is the:
Personal Responsibility.
What do I mean by this? What I mean is if a person doesn't need a straw they should leave one for someone who needs it. When ordering a drink if you don't need a straw then tell the waitstaff you Don't Need a Straw. If you need one you should ask and Not be Denied. This is the first step in educating places of business to understanding how important it is not to gate keep and ask 20 questions to make a determination whether you will deny someone or let them have one.
Two: Restaurants need to offer the option to allow people who do have their own reusable tumbler and straw to get Re-Fills and not tell you that it is a risk to re fill your own cup. The other thing is that when a restaurants are done with a straw they Do NOT Throw them in the Trash. They take the effort to place them in a bin where they can be recycled properly this takes care of that hole that all of the straws fall through. This will keep the straws out of the land fields and protect the environment as well but at the same time give ACCESS to PWD.
Three: On a Municipal level there is a grate deal that needs to be done. On a State, City and Nationwide level where there can be safe laws that will allow Disabled People to have the full access needed not what others "Think" we need but what we as disabled people need and what we see we need. If a business is not willing to properly despise of their straws they should get fines because they should take that responsibility but they should NOT Gate Keep. Making it so people who do chose to bring their own cup and straw should be able to refill it for a cheaper price and not be limited on what can be a refill or not. These places need to have Proper Cleaning Stations for anyone who has their own cup and straw where there will be able to clean it with safe and well maintained tools to do the job and if someone needs help cleaning and refilling their own cup and straw there will be an employee that can do this for a PWD. Keeping their drink equipment clean at all times will help from spread of Disease. Changing how the Garbage Dumps operate and how they need to operate would help with more environmental issues than the straws. Putting things in place like the reusable To-Go-Box called Green Box where restaurants could offer a reusable option and put fines on the places that use "Styrofoam" for to-go-boxes. If these places could offer a option that would allow you to take something to go where you would eat it like you would of anyway but all you do is rinse it out and return it to a box through the city where someone would come by on a bike and pick them back up and take them to a professional kitchen where they are washed, maintained and delivered back to the restaurants that need them. There needs to be a good balance between Accessibility, Education and Research on better and safer ways to improve straws and other ADA Aids etc. Accessibility comes in many different forms. Thank You for your videos and please keep making more of them and I do love them. There is a Green Party candidate that is trying to run for office for President and I am personally talking with him and his staff to Inform them of how important straws and different ADA Issues are to inform Howie Hawkins of how this effects People With Disabilities and not only in this issue but many others.
Wonderful video, I do not need plastic straws, however, because of my disabilities there is no guarantee that I will never need them, I have epilepsy which means if I fall badly and/or have a particularly nasty seizure my life could change a lot, I also have Dyspraxcia quite badly which means I am more prone to falling than a lot of people.
Thank you for this very informative video also. My disability isn't affected by this, but I know what it's like to be stigmatized. For example, others that share my disability are suing Netflix right now for posting a movie that mocks us and tries to discredit us, gaslight us and call us crazy, so I know what it's like. I hadn't understood until now, after hearing about this issue, why a biodegradable alternative couldn't be used (like the biodegradable plastic forks and spoons made from potato starch and stuff), but now I do. I hope someone comes up with a better alternative soon, or that we get plastic eating microbes and fungi in action, not only for plastic straws, but a LOT of plastic waste. I"m sitting here right now about to inject 60 CCs of ozone into my ear with a big plastic disposable syringe that no one would question, yet produces more waste than a straw. I re-use them for a week though and am saving them and going to research and see if there's a way to recycle them somewhere somehow. Anyway, thanks again; I love your videos.
Missed you
Thank you Thank you Thank you. I've been waiting for this video.
I complained to Seattle mayor about this. I live north of Seattle and escaped the soda tax and straw bans but many dont
I can’t believe I never thought of this, I don’t support banning straws anymore
Just watched this. Thank you so so much for making this video and educating me. You covered your bases very well!! I've been wanting to do better with learning about the disabled community and you speaking out about this is definitely making a different. Sending love!
Well said. I love how disabled people are acceptable fodder in some politicians strive towards their career.
Loved the video. Thank you so much for educating us all. I learned so much, and I appreciate you making it and sharing it.
We debating bout this in class and also finally new vid
Thank you for this info, I appreciate it! I think we are all in a rush to cancel single use plastics, but your vid helped me understand why this is problematic for some differently abled persons. I see this as an opportunity for innovators to create a reasonable alternative which should be accessible for all. In the meantime, the standard plastic straws should be absolutely made available and readily accessible to those who need them. Thank you!! 🥰
Can you upload de chart in high resolution so we can share with friends ?? Thanks. A spoonie friend here trying to educated people
It's not the exact same chart, but here's a similar one I saved a while back
pbs.twimg.com/media/DjlbOwrWsAAmKrR.png
I love ❤️ using straw. It makes drinking easier.
Wow thank you, i had heard about this before but didn't know the details. It's important to educate myself. Thank you.
Oh heck yeah Annie uploaded
I didn't know silicone straws were a temperature or allergy risk. I guess you do learn something new every day.
I just think that if you are able to use a re-usable straw, then use one. If you can’t, then use a plastic one. If you are able to not use a straw all-together, then don’t. I think that of all the issues we need to deal with, and the amount of plastic that goes into the ocean because of straws is so minimal, we should be focusing on reducing things that are easier to deal with. Like reusable bags, mugs, cups, clothing, shoes, and day to day items. Remember, the first word is reduce not reuse.
The world is already fricked. Taking away plastic straws isn't going to save anything! Totally 100% agree.
Like Jessica said in one of her videos, until there's a perfect alternative that can cheaply and safely replace ALL plastic straws, we NEED to make plastic ones available.
now even in tetra packs there is paper straws and you can't even stab through the pack but the tiny cover over it is still plastic.
My cousin often uses a plastic bendy straw - she has cerebral palsy and a sudden arm spasm while holding a hot cup of coffee can be disastrous.
Reusable straws... because *everyone* has an autoclave, right?
4:57 the binary thinking in the posts is astounding! Apparently you're either independent and perfectly capable of doing *everything* or you're incapable of doing something and therefore have a live-in caregiver; no room for those who can function independently, or mostly independently, given the right tools for the job.
Santa Barbara: if you're disabled, be prepared to pay US$1000 and have some jail time... because we *care*
The way I figure it, the problem is not with the straw, it's with the disposal. Pretty much all plastics are recyclable in some way (some more easily/efficiently/cheaply than others) but recycling systems are often only interested in certain categories of plastic typically used in disposable plastic drink bottles (PET etc).
Single-use plastic straws are typically made out of food-grade polypropylene - which is *easily* recycled and re-used in non-food grade items (from polypropylene clothing to polypropylene toilet seats etc) - so *Why T F* are they not ensuring that there's a recycling program for the plastic bendy straws like they recycle food-grade PET into "polar-fleece" garments and other plastic items?
I've got camping garments that came with labels telling me *how many* plastic bottles on average were used in the manufacture of the garment, why not apply the same sensibilities to disposable polypropylene items like straws?
End of problem: plastic bendy straws still used for their medical purposes *and* their disposal becomes part of sustainably using and reusing petroleum-based plastics.
Why is this so hard for people to think of?
Step 1: reduce use - alternatives for people who can use them (i.e. are not allergic to the components), plastic (polypropylene) straws only for those who actually need them.
Step 2: recycle what's used... I want polypropylene thermal wear with a "made from 90% recycled plastic straws" tag. Hell, I want "these plastic straws are already disposed of while *your* biodegradeable straw is still slowly composting" written on the front!
I think it should be something that should not been given at a restaurant, but available if asked for. I personally like paper and my metal straw, but I know they don't work for everyone.
why is it so difficult for people to understand that by banning plastic straws you are doing pretty much nothing positive? you are only harming people that actually need those straws. plastic from the straws is such a tiny percentage of all plastic waste produced. those people only care about the straws because they saw that video of the turtle with a straw in its nose and now want to look like they care about the environment and are doing good, without really stopping to think about what they are actually doing or trying to do.
if those people truly cared about the environment, they would be much louder about banning or reducing the plastic packaging on products since that's one of the major sources of plastic waste. it's great to reduce your plastic usage by any means possible and if you are able to use the alternatives to plastic straws, that's great by all means go ahead and do it, but don't come after people that are still using them! you don't know if they are required to use that plastic straw by any condition(s) they have. just leave them alone and let them have their drink in peace.
I had a paper straw when I went to drink a drink at McDonald's omg it was the worse the paper wasted away in the water and turned soggy I was lucky I managed to drink the rest by hand! I cant imagine what people with other disabilities must go throw with those retched things!
This video was great. Thank you.
Its so sad that the general public cares more about one sad turtle on UA-cam than all the disabled people & caregivers who are impacted by this legislative virtue signaling
I've also noticed a rediculous restaurant habit of trying to increase plastic straw use. When I, as an abled bodied person who does not typically need a plastic straw, say I don't want a straw, I get weird looks or even the comment, but you should use a staw. It's why I really like when restaurants have easy accessible straws that anyone can ask for, no need to 'prove' you have a disability and therefore need one, but they are not just handed out freely. If you don't need or want one, you don't get one, if you need one because of disability, or another reason, you can easily get a straw. We need to make it as a society normal to use straws, and normal if you don't want one.
I mean if disabled people can't wash their own straws then how can they wash anything else? should they just use paper plates and utensils and napkins constantly? I figure someone can't do their own dishes they should have access to care where someone can do that for them and if that's not currently the case no one should judge what they do but saying "oh this person just can't do dishes" is not a long-term solution
You’re right in that one “SHOULD” have access to a caretaker but the truth is that a majority of people who need that type of assistance, don’t get it and just have to make due. That’s the reality. And yes, they tend to also need to use disposable dishes and cutlery, there isn’t really another option for them. Disposable tools are an accessibility issue, BECAUSE assistance is not always accessible.
This was great!
Preach!
It’s not the bans that caused the problem it’s the fact that the plastic straws have micro plastics and they are a danger to everyone’s health
I have EDS , mast cells and autism. Im aware that many alternative are not working for everyone. But you dont need to please EVERYONE. I cant use metal, glass, bamboo or any stiff straws because i need it to bend. and i dont like the texture anyway. I know that paper straws dissolve and are a choking hasard. and they taste funky. That is why i chose a silicone straw. and its way easier to clean that people may think. if you are able to clean baby bottles or your dishes, you can clean your straw. It WILL not work for everyone, but if as many people as possible could try to find something that work for themselves and stop focusing on something that could work for everyone, this debate could stop quite quickly. nobody will be happy anyway, you ban single use plastic, some people will argue that its essential for them. you dont ban it, some people will say that its a nuisance for the environement.its a lose lose situation and nobody will be happy with the result, that is the description of a compromise. so to that i say, if you can use a straw alternative, try to do so as much as possible. if you are not able to use an alternative, dont feel bad, at least you tried. we need to stop judging every one else actions and focuse on way more importent things then plastic straws...
Hey I was wondering what movies do u think portray disability positively maybe not with disabled actors but I mean like in a positive way not like me before you
Oh god, here we go again with those straws
Great video!
Great point Annie!!!!
VSCO girls quaking in the comments 😂 nobody talks about this. It could be possible to get a prescription for them if they are considered medical products, no body shames diabetics using injections. I use disposable heating pads (reusable ones are difficult for me at the moment for personal reasons). I hate this ableism “ban straws to save fish” like bruh if u want to save fish don’t eat fish 😂😂
We should ban all plastic straws and also other medical equipment like disposable gloves face masks syringes IV bags... also we should definitely ban medication that you have to pop out of a blister packet. Cos plastic.
thank you for the video; i had almost no idea how important straws can be.
3:02 ...a *famous* personal friend of yours, if you ask me.
4:12 Oh?
6:30 Stop shouting! :-)
6:48 Absolutely ridiculous!
14:04 We do not have to shame people - period.
Thats why they have paper and meatl straws now doesnt that change that(also ive seen bent metal straws) also i drink with paper straws you just bend them jawns too its not that hard
I address this in the video. There are not usuable or safe for a variety of disabilities. Plastic is a medical necessity in numerous vital ways.
Hemp plastic
Not a allergie risk
Able to be heated
Same texture and feel of normal plastic straws
Bendable like classic plastic straws
Biodegradable and still just as strong
My wife is disabled going blind and has no warnings before seizures along with allergies and other problems hemp is a perfect alternative
Hemp is a common allergen.
@@mr.husband8844 Not heat safe.
@@katfoster845 actually it is
U can ask for plastic straws at Starbucks
Not manny of us are able to ask for one if we’re about to pass out. Someone who is with us may be able to see the signs and go up and try to get someone’s attention but having them readily available is much faster and much less stigmatizing.