Archived Twitter Thread: Covering Plastic Straws Again

Earlier today, I tweeted a thread about Plastic Straws. This is the second time I’ve publicly covered plastic straw issues. I’m going to repurpose those tweets here, for both archive and future reference purposes.

While I’m on my “high horse” about disability rights, I’d like to ONCE AGAIN make a plea for plastic straws. It’s not up to able-bodied people to determine what disabled people need. Yes, plastic straws are mainstream and people who aren’t disabled use them. But, that shouldn’t matter. There are people who NEED straws to be a functioning “member of society” (some people don’t feel like members, but burdens). Think about the last thing you ate. It was good, wasn’t it? A disabled persons last meal might’ve been a protein shake/supplement because that’s the only way they could “eat” or get nutrients. And they might’ve needed a straw to drink it, because of a number of reasons. They need a plastic straw because they’re sterile, bendable, essentially hypoallergenic, and very positionable. Disabled people should not be shamed, guilt-tripped, or legally prevented from getting access to something they need. That’d be like saying “if girls wear makeup, it harms the environment, so you can’t”. To some girls, makeup is essential. Imagine that and the uproar it would cause. Due to straws, this happens to disabled people too, but some can’t voice their needs. It shouldn’t be up to people who haven’t ever been crippled or disabled in any way to decide what people who live with it on the daily require. Please be considerate when making decisions like this or judging someone who uses a straw: You don’t know what we go through or why we need one (and we shouldn’t be required to disclose why with proof), but when we ask for one just give it to us. It avoids embarrassment or issues.

tl;dr: Disabled people need things that are being taken from them (aka straws), please be considerate and help them out.

This issue is finally getting some coverage. I’ll take this opportunity to point to my blog post where I talked about this a few months ago: The Straw Ban Hurts People.

A self-proclaimed “passionate abt disability rights” person also linked me to some resources about why straw bans hurt disabled people here. (Credits to @AShettle on Twitter here)

Please also take a second and retweet the original Twitter thread here to get this issue even more recognition.

Thank you!