The hottest Disability Substack posts right now

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It's "Mental Illness Doesn't Do That" Season Once Again

Freddie deBoer • 51763 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Disability
  1. Mental illness can and does cause extreme, harmful, and self-destructive behaviors in real life, so the blanket claim “mental illness doesn’t do that” is simply false.
  2. People often practice moral convenience by demanding sympathy for trendy or mild self-diagnoses while denying nuance or compassion to those with serious, visible illness, and that hypocrisy harms genuinely sick people.
  3. When judging harmful behavior we should be willing to consider mental illness as a factor and tolerate uncertainty; this doesn’t require forgiveness but does require a more honest, complicated moral approach.

This Tourette's Controversy is What You Get When Disability Stops Being a Medical Reality and Becomes a Social Culture

Freddie deBoer • 9127 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Disability
  1. Tourette's can cause involuntary and offensive vocal outbursts (coprolalia), and this is a documented medical reality even though most people with Tourette's don't experience it.
  2. Many public reactions deny or misunderstand that possibility, often out of emotional hurt or a desire to avoid appearing ableist, which can lead to ignorance and misplaced anger.
  3. Treating disability as a social spectacle or cultural prop fuels sensationalism and clashes between marginalized groups, making honest discussion and empathy harder.

Announcing My Next Book, All in Your Head: Illness as Identity, Trauma as Fashion, and the Desire to Be Disordered

Freddie deBoer • 9684 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. Modern identity and online culture have turned mental illness and developmental disabilities into identity markers or fashion, which distorts reality and harms people.
  2. Historical shifts like the antipsychiatry movement and deinstitutionalization created major failures in care. Making involuntary treatment easier and pursuing concrete policy reforms are proposed fixes.
  3. Disability should be understood as a harmful condition that disables and hurts. Accommodations should focus on mitigating harm rather than validating or celebrating disability.

It’s Not His Fault He Used the N-Word

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 2165 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Disability
  1. A man with Tourette’s involuntarily shouted the N-word during the BAFTAs and the moment was captured on camera, visibly upsetting the presenters.
  2. The outburst divided people into two camps: those prioritizing anti-racism and those warning against ableism toward someone with a neurological condition.
  3. Many argue the proper response should be compassion and understanding of his involuntary symptoms rather than public disgust and punishment.

The New York Times Attempts to Bully Elderly People Into the Disability-as-an-Identity Worldview

Freddie deBoer • 10426 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Disability
  1. Many older people prefer to treat impairments as problems to manage rather than as a central identity, and they value preserving dignity and continuity of self.
  2. Framing disability primarily as an identity or political category can pressure people to adopt labels, reward pathology, and shift attention away from treatment, recovery, and practical needs.
  3. Society should focus on real supports — medical care, prevention, accessible services, and accommodations — instead of urging people to embrace disability as a defining identity for community or political reasons.
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Vivre avec le TDAH

L'Atelier Galita • 179 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. People with ADHD often face misunderstandings because their traits can seem normal to others. This leads to misconceptions like being labeled as lazy instead of recognizing the neurodivergence.
  2. ADHD can significantly impact a person's life, including higher risks for issues like addiction, job loss, and relationship problems. These challenges are often tied to how society views productivity.
  3. While treating ADHD can lead to positive changes in life, it does not change who a person is. Many people with ADHD also have unique strengths, like creativity and the ability to hyperfocus on topics they love.

Two Drinks with . . . Michael J. Fox

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 741 implied HN points • 06 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Disability
  1. Michael J. Fox has returned to acting and plays a character with Parkinson's, even delivering a defiant line saying “Fuck Parkinson's.”
  2. The show portrays the progression of Parkinson's and uses blunt, dark humor to show how people with the disease support and reassure each other.
  3. Fox's role and frank attitude help remove shame, raise visibility, and challenge the stigma around Parkinson's.

Here's Your Kanye West Cliff Notes

Freddie deBoer • 17079 implied HN points • 08 Feb 25
🎭️ Culture Disability
  1. Kanye West has claimed he's not bipolar but autistic, stirring up a lot of conversation. This shows how he sometimes tackles personal issues in surprising ways.
  2. People are becoming less sympathetic toward Kanye as he shows more unstable behavior online. Critics are more focused on his actions rather than considering if his mental health influences them.
  3. There is a strange disconnect around how society views mental illness. Critics want to blame Kanye but feel conflicted about viewing him as a person influenced by his disability.

Perhaps You Would Be a Little Touchy Too

Freddie deBoer • 16429 implied HN points • 19 Jan 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. Bipolar disorder is often misunderstood, with many thinking mood swings happen quickly, but the truth is they usually take weeks or months. It's important to really understand how the disorder works.
  2. People are increasingly claiming new and unusual diagnoses for mental health issues, which can undermine the seriousness of established conditions. This shift creates confusion and can affect how we view our own experiences.
  3. Claiming a diagnosis can feel liberating for some, but it can also lead to challenges when others misrepresent these conditions. It's tough when what you know to be true about your own illness feels threatened.

Mass Disabling Event Denial

¡Do Not Panic! • 1316 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🏥 Health Politics Disability
  1. Scientists predicted Covid could be a mass disabling event due to its nature of attacking every organ in the body and causing long-term health issues.
  2. The number of long-term sick individuals in the UK and USA has significantly increased, with the blame shifting to factors like lockdowns rather than the virus itself.
  3. Media and politicians are not acknowledging the correlation between increased disability rates and Covid, showing a trend of denial and blame shifting instead of addressing the real issues.

triumph of the diagnostic?

undefended / undefeated • 393 implied HN points • 05 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. Design for disability aims to broaden accessibility and recognition of full personhood, beyond medical labels.
  2. There is a concerning trend of medicalization, with more diagnoses and treatments for various conditions.
  3. The paradox of medicalization raises questions about the nature of everyday suffering and the need for both biomedical and existential approaches.

Story Thirty-Five

Stories From The Rail • 379 implied HN points • 21 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. Sometimes even simple words can be hard to recall, especially for someone with brain injury. This can be frustrating and challenging.
  2. Living with a disability can be terrifying and isolating, impacting personal relationships and daily interactions in unexpected ways.
  3. Support and understanding from loved ones, mentors, and communities are crucial for individuals dealing with disabilities. Honoring their struggles and experiences is important for building empathy.

I've Been Diagnosed with Mild Neurocognitive Disorder Secondary to Multiple Sclerosis

lettersonbeing • 157 implied HN points • 25 Jun 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. The author received a diagnosis of mild neurocognitive disorder secondary to multiple sclerosis, which has had an impact on their cognitive function and ability to work.
  2. The diagnosis has brought a mix of relief and anxiety, as the author grapples with the implications for their future, including concerns about financial stability and support.
  3. Despite the challenges, the author finds humor in the face of fear and uncertainty, learning to navigate life with a new perspective, acceptance, and hope for the future.

Vol. 1, Issue 12 - Interview with Danior Snyder

Johto Times • 199 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Disability
  1. The newsletter is changing to include featured content directly in emails. This way, subscribers can see more without clicking to another link.
  2. Danior Snyder, a Pokémon fan with a rare eye condition, shares his challenges accessing games. This highlights the need for better accessibility in gaming.
  3. Danior suggests that companies like Nintendo should add text-to-speech features and sound cues to help those with vision impairments enjoy games more easily.

I Have Hired A "Disabled" Columnist Who Will Probably Never Write a Column

I Might Be Wrong • 13 implied HN points • 04 Dec 25
😂 Humor Disability
  1. A newly hired columnist claims a long list of disabilities and requests extreme accommodations that would make it practically impossible for them to meet regular newsroom deadlines.
  2. Elite universities have seen big jumps in students registering disabilities—38% at Stanford and sharp increases at Chicago and Berkeley—prompting concerns about overdiagnosis and lightly‑scrutinized accommodations for conditions like ADHD, anxiety, and depression.
  3. The employer is stuck between legal and ethical duties to accommodate disabilities and the practical need for reliable work, which has led to legal threats, potential financial strain, and regret for not vetting the hire more carefully.

A Blind Classroom

Nuances • 19 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
🚌 Education Disability
  1. A blind school in Kerala focuses on overall student development through sports and co-curricular activities.
  2. Visiting a classroom for the blind showed the use of braille in everyday learning, highlighting the effort required for blind students to communicate.
  3. Gratitude was felt for eyesight and admiration for Louis Braille and blind individuals using Braille to express themselves.

Autism Deciphered: A Sequel

Tessa Fights Robots • 8 implied HN points • 18 Aug 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. Autism is a complex term that means different things for different people. It can relate to sensory overload, being socially awkward, or even feeling misunderstood.
  2. A lot of stress and sensory overload might come from the body's energy being disrupted, possibly due to infections or external toxins affecting one’s health.
  3. Stimming is a common coping mechanism for many autistic individuals. It helps them deal with overwhelming feelings and energy overload by expressing and re-organizing their energy.

Story Eighteen

Stories From The Rail • 79 implied HN points • 20 Apr 22
🌐 International Disability
  1. Packing when disabled requires adjustments like carrying medication and rethinking storage space
  2. Adapting to physical limitations involves changing equipment and accessories for practicality and safety
  3. Accepting one's limitations and finding new ways to navigate life can lead to discovering unexpected opportunities

The Spellers Panel

Charles Eisenstein • 1 implied HN point • 16 Dec 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Disability
  1. Non-verbal autistic people can communicate by pointing to letters on a board and spelling out words one letter at a time.
  2. This way of communicating is slow and requires deep patience and focused listening, with answers sometimes taking up to a minute and long pauses filling the room.
  3. Some of these communicators are reported to have other unusual abilities like telepathy, which is controversial, but regardless they demonstrate remarkable and unexpected capacities.